Bob’s Home Repair Blog
http://homerepair.about.com/b/2009/02/14/lint-the-silent-fire-hazard.htm
By Bob Formisano, About.com Guide to Home Repair
Lint: The Silent Fire Hazard
Saturday February 14, 2009
What do you probably have in your home or apartment that is annually responsible for around 15,000 fires, 20 deaths, over 300 injuries and more than $80 million in property damage?!
Answer: Your clothes dryer. And if you have an electric clothes dryer, did you know the chance of fire is 250% greater than if you have a gas dryer?
Yep, I found those stats from a 1999 report developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shocking also. Well the good news is that the fires were not due to anything inherently dangerous about the dryer as an appliance, but more so the lack of proper maintenance by the user. As it turns out the fire originated most frequently from two places: the dryer venting and the lint trap.
I get really annoyed when I find out after the fact that I was supposed to do maintenance on something and I did not know it, so don’t think you are alone in being surprised in what I’m going to tell you. There is probably an unbelievable amount of dangerous lint lining the walls of your dryer ducting and inside your dryer right now that you need to clean out. It does not matter that you regularly clean out the lint filter in your dryer, “lint happens.” Loads of clothes taking longer and longer to dry is a classic sign of lint build-up.
In this detailed and photo intensive tutorial called Dryer Vent Cleaning, I will show you what is probably lurking in your dryer venting and how to get rid of the lint which causes the fire risk in your home. You’re my reader and I want you safe, so please read this tutorial and spend a few hours and $15 to make your home safe.
Link to tutorial:
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/dryervent_clean.htm
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/Heating_Cooling_Repair_Tips_and_StepByStep_Guides.htm
Heating & Cooling Repair: Tips and Step-By-Step Guides
This Section covers important information and how-to guidance on furnace filter replacement, thermostats and more.
Dryer Vent Cleaning - Dryer Repair
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/dryervent_clean.htm
This tutorial explains a very important dryer repair involving cleaning your dryer ducts of dangerous lint build up, a major source of dryer fires. It photo documents the steps involved in cleaning your dryer of lint in the lint trap and in dryer ducts.
Safely Turning a Gas Valve On and Off - Shutoff
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/gas_valve_onoff.htm
Describes how to turn a gas valve on and off such as when disconnecting or installing a gas dryer or gas stove.
Types of Electronic Furnace Ignition
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/electronic_ign.htm
Describes the two main types of electronic furnace ignition, Furnace Intermittent Pilot and Furnace Hot Surface Ignition.
Measuring Furnace Filter Efficiency
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/a/MERV.htm
Describes how the effectiveness of furnace filters are measured using Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV.
Furnace Standing Pilot Versus Electronic Ignition
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/elect_furn_ign.htm
Overview of the furnace standing pilot versus electronic ignition.
How to Troubleshoot and Repair Your Wall Mounted Electric Heater
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/elec_htr_repair.htm
Tips on how to diagnose problems and fix your electric wall heater.
Types of Home Electric Heaters
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/elec_htr_types.htm
Tutorial describing the types of electric heaters typically found in a home including cove, wall, toe kick and baseboard.
How to Size an Electric Room Heater - Baseboard or Wall or Cove Heater
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/size_elec_htr.htm
Tip on how to determine the right size electric room heater for your needs.
Where to Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/qt/heat_loss.htm
Describes how the home loses heat and what repairs bring the highest benefit.
Window Mounted Room Air Conditioner Troubleshooting
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/wind_ac_troubl.htm
This tutorial describes how to troubleshoot a window mounted room air conditioner.
Window Air Conditioner Maintenance
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/wind_ac_maint.htm
This tutorial describes how to maintain a window mounted room air conditioner.
Central Air Conditioning Unit and Heat Pump Maintenance
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/ctrl_ac_maint.htm
Tutorial on maintaining the outside condensing unit of a central air conditioning or heat pump system.
How to Install a Home Furnace Thermostat
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/tstat_install.htm
Tutorial on how to install a home thermostat for heating or cooling for gas forced air or hot water heating systems.
Troubleshooting a Gas Furnace - Furnace Repair
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/gas_furn_trblsh.htm
Identifies common problems, causes and fixes for various gas furnace problems
Troubleshooting a Hot Water Boiler - Gas Fired Boiler Repair
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/trblsht_boiler.htm
This tutorial describes and covers the troubleshooting and repair of gas fired boilers that heat water for hot water or hydronic home heating systems. These boilers can be fired with gas or oil, but the components are similar.
Thermostat and Furnace-Boiler Compatibility
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/tstat_furn_coor.htm
You must make sure to use the proper type of thermostat for your furnace. Mismatching equipment is dangerous. Learn the differences between millivoltage, low and high or line voltage systems and how to identify what type of system you have.
Types of Home Heating Systems
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/heating_types.htm
Describes the most common types of home heating systems including forced air, hydronic hot water baseboard, radiant in floor heat, steam heat radiation and Geothermal Heat Pump (GHP).
Electronic Ignition Furnace - Overview and Repair
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/furn_electr_ign.htm
The gas electronic ignition furnace is the most common type of new furnace but requires a special understanding of its components for repair of hot surface ignition and intermittent pilot systems.
Furnace Filter Replacement - AprilAire Space-Gard 2200
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/filter_aprilair.htm
Detailed photo tutorial for installing the AprilAire Space-Gard 2200 whole house high efficiency air filter
Troubleshooting a Home Furnace Thermostat
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/trblshoot_tstat.htm
Tutorial on thermostat troubleshooting for mechanical thermostats such as Honeywell, White Rodgers, Lux
Heat Anticipator Adjustment
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/adj_anticipator.htm
Describes the thermostat heat anticipator and how to adjust it
Anatomy of the Furnace Thermostat
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/thermostat.htm
Overview of home furnace thermostat types including digital programmable, mercury and mechanical contact thermostats as manufactured by Honeywell, White Rodgers and others.
How to Light a Gas Furnace Standing Pilot
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/pilot_light.htm
This tutorial describes how a furnace pilot and thermocouple work and how to light a standing pilot on a gas furnace.
Heating and Cooling Terms You Need to Know
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/a/HVAC_Terms.htm
Assembly of often used terms in heating and cooling systems for the home
Anatomy of the Humidifier - How a Humidifier Works
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/humidifier_anat.htm
Tutorial explaining and graphically depicting the various components of the home furnace mounted humidifier.
Seasonal Furnace Maintenance
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/furnace_checkup.htm
Follow these simple tips for seasonal maintenance on your furnace to help keep it running efficiently and safely.
Home Winterization
http://homerepair.about.com/od/exteriorhomerepair/ss/winterize.htm
Fall checklist for getting your home ready for winter.
Furnace Filter Replacement - Standard 1” Type
http://homerepair.about.com/od/heatingcoolingrepair/ss/sbs_furn_filter.htm
Description of how to perform a monthly filter inspection and replace a paper or fiberglass media furnace filter for improved indoor air quality and energy conservation.
Heating and Cooling Systems Descriptions
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=homerepair&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eere.energy.gov%2Fconsumer%2Fyour_home%2Fspace_heating_cooling%2Findex.cfm%2Fmytopic%3D12300
This U.S. Department of Energy overview of all types of heating and cooling systems provides an excellent reference of energy conserving and performance issues to consider if you have to replace or upgrade.
Do It Yourself Home Energy Audit
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=homerepair&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eere.energy.gov%2Fconsumer%2Fyour_home%2Fenergy_audits%2Findex.cfm%2Fmytopic%3D11170
This comprehensive checklist provides you a way to evaluate your home and identify and prioritize potential energy efficiency upgrades.
Home Heating Safety Tips
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=homerepair&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homesafetycouncil.org%2Fsafety_guide%2Fsg_co_w003.aspx
Review this helpful guide to home heating safety tips.
Selecting a New Water Heater
http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=homerepair&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eere.energy.gov%2Fconsumer%2Fyour_home%2Fwater_heating%2Findex.cfm%2Fmytopic%3D12770
This helpful reference provides an overview of the various options you have when replacing your water heater including conventional, on demand (tankless), indirect, even solar.