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Home appliances causing 60 fires a week in the UK.. ideas to reduce the risk

shabaz

Posting in IoT for lack of a better section.. and solutions or monitoring of home appliances may use IoT.

 

I was quite surprised to see this statistic : (

Faulty appliances 'cause 60 fires a week' - BBC News

It seems a huge number. Apparently this is mainly due to washing machines and tumble dryers. The following article discusses what causes the fires for tumble dryers, and how to reduce the risk of it:

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/five-rules-stop-your-tumble-14112798

 

I've never had a tumble dryer (I use a clothes line if it isn't raining) so I can't be sure, but reading through that article, it seems the procedure to reduce the risk is really onerous. The article suggests vacuuming around the dryer and fluff can accumulate at the rear of the dryer. I can't imagine many people moving a dryer to vacuum behind it frequently, because of the weight of it, and presumably some are integrated (bolted) into position. This video only discusses how to clean fluff from the front filter, which looks easy enough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQruzikHdQI  but it doesn't address the other areas that may need to be regularly inspected and cleaned.

 

The article also discusses that tumble dryers should not be operated at night when people are asleep, or when no one is at home. To me, that seems like the lowest-hanging technical workaround until tumble dryers can be made safer; retro-fitting them for free, with a lockout system that will prevent operation unless light and motion (i.e. occupancy with activity) can be sensed - perhaps by Bluetooth. If either light or motion is not sensed for longer than (say) ten minutes then the dryer could be powered down. A fire alarm should also be fitted for free if one is not already fitted. Anything less seems unreasonable, considering tumble dryer manufacturers must know their machines pose such a high risk.

 

How do other people manage the risk? I would trust myself not to use a tumble dryer in the evening, but what if someone fell asleep on the sofa during the daytime and no-one else was at home. Or teenagers. Can they really be trusted to avoid using a tumble dryer at night, and adhering to the no house-parties rules : ) when parents are traveling?

 

And on another note.. it will be likely country-specific, but it would be good to hear advice on fitting fire alarms in locations where washing machines and tumble dryers will be fitted - e.g. what type of alarm, what distance is recommended, etc, from those who are experienced in this area. It would be valuable information to a lot of people.

Parents

  • For Sure RTFM.

    BUT folks today don't read them,

    So here's what  I propose in order.

    1. Color Action Comic

    2. Instructional Video on DVD

    3. Same as #1 and #2  but on a flash drive.

    4. None of the above as they wouldn't read anyway, be just a waste of money.

    5. Sensor the damn thing so It shuts down the unit and calls the fire department!

     

    Cris H. image

     

    BTW Where on earth did they find that dead-eye tech. He does more harm than good. LOL

  • in reply to phoenixcomm

    Low tack Stickers over the door / buttons are the best way. I remember getting a power supply for my 3D printer that had a sticker over the IEC port, reminding me to choose 110 or 240v before pulling it in. worked a treat... the second time... fried the first one.  e14 adventures in 3D: #1 New Toy in the e14 Office and e14 adventures in 3D: #2 Dr. is in the house

  • in reply to e14phil

    Oh, I remember that! : ) That was unfortunate without the sticker. I've done the same with a travel iron out of forgetfulness. As an electronic version of the sticker, maybe taking it to an extreme, could be a display on a machine that you have to read before it will operate. For example, it makes you answer a multiple-choice quiz question (and it changes each time, so you have to read it) before the machine powers on, e.g. "how can cleaning the filter prevent fires?". A few hundred questions wouldn't take a lot of memory, and could even be shared between dryer manufacturers by a regulatory body.

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  • in reply to e14phil

    Oh, I remember that! : ) That was unfortunate without the sticker. I've done the same with a travel iron out of forgetfulness. As an electronic version of the sticker, maybe taking it to an extreme, could be a display on a machine that you have to read before it will operate. For example, it makes you answer a multiple-choice quiz question (and it changes each time, so you have to read it) before the machine powers on, e.g. "how can cleaning the filter prevent fires?". A few hundred questions wouldn't take a lot of memory, and could even be shared between dryer manufacturers by a regulatory body.

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