HOMEOWNERS have been warned after an Australian family had a lucky escape when their tumble dryer burst into flames.
Owners of the domestic appliance have been told not to run it overnight after a machine caught fire at the home in Murrumbateman, Down Under, on Sunday.
The family, who have not been named, were in the lounge when the machine erupted in flames but the smoke alarm went off and they discovered black smoke coming from the machine.
They then managed to get the dryer outside and a garden hose was used to put out the fire.
Luckily no one was injured.
Simon McGrath, from the Murrumbateman Rural Service, said that although firefighters weren’t called to the incident it served as a reminder not to leave dryers unattended.
He told The Canberra Times: “Thank God the family weren’t injured, it must have been terrifying.”
Fire authorities have urged people to be wary when using household dryers and to check for any faults.
Mr McGrath added: “Clean the lint filter every time you use it, and make sure it’s in good mechanical order.
“Never leave the dryer on if you’re not at home or if you’re asleep.”
Whirpool recently launched its recall of 800,000 fire-risk tumble dryers after four years of pressure from consumer groups, and following government intervention.
The manufacturer had originally launched a safety campaign in November 2015 to “modify” affected machines.
There is no standard place to find the lint filter, and some tumble dryers don’t even have one.
They are usually found at the bottom of the rim in front of the drum once the door has been opened.
Usually they can be easily lifted out and cleaned.
Consumer champion Which? recommends you clean the lint filter every time you use the dryer.
If the lint filter is in the door and/or rim, clean the entire rim at the same time.
Which also says to clean the machine’s drum every few months with white vinegar or stainless-steel cleaner to help keep the sensor working well.
If you have a condenser dryer it also says to regularly remove and clean the heat exchanger by running it under a tap and removing any build up of dirt and hair.
This is found at the bottom of the machine, under the drum.
Don’t forget to empty the water reservoir after every use, on condenser dryers. This allows you to run a drying cycle with a full load without having to stop halfway through to empty the tank.
Whirlpool was eventually forced into the recall by the government.
So far, it has modified 1.7million machines out of the 5.3million units manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015.
Of this 5.3million figure, 3.8million were still in use as of November 2015, with the remaining machines either having been disposed of by customers or are so old that they’re no longer in use.
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