Dryer fire

[ziphash]

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? Ohio

This may be a dumb question. I tried searching for it in the archives but was unsuccessful.

Monday evening, our dryer caught on fire. Luckily, we got out. I got the burning towels out into the driveway where the firemen put them out. The damage was contained to the washer, dryer, and towels. We (wife, 3 kids, and I) had to stay in a hotel that night because of the smell. My in-laws (their home) live upstairs and stayed home that night. I had to go to the ER for minor smoke inhalation. I missed the next day of work.

The day after the fire, the ins people came and said a cleaning company had to come in and use an "ozone" machine to suck out the smoke smell. They already paid for the 1st night in the hotel. Then, we all (in-laws included) had to spend 48 hrs. away from the home because it was sealed for the "ozone" machine. So we were in a hotel for two more nights plus had to eat out for all those days. My kids couldn't go to school because we had to go 40 miles away to a hotel that allowed dogs because there was no where to board our puppy.

We got a letter saying the ins company cut a check for about $360 for the depreciated value of the washer, dryer, and towels minus a $250 deductible. They are suppposed to pay for the hotel also.

Finally....my question is do we have to just take the $360 plus hotel expenses and medical bills or can we ask for more just like if we were in a car accident? The policy is in my in-laws name, and we don't want their insurance costs to go up, but this has caused a tremendous amount of stress.

I do have to say that, even if that's all we get, we are very thankful to be alive and not have had more damage!

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? What is the name of your state? Ohio

This may be a dumb question. I tried searching for it in the archives but was unsuccessful.

Monday evening, our dryer caught on fire. Luckily, we got out. I got the burning towels out into the driveway where the firemen put them out. The damage was contained to the washer, dryer, and towels. We (wife, 3 kids, and I) had to stay in a hotel that night because of the smell. My in-laws (their home) live upstairs and stayed home that night. I had to go to the ER for minor smoke inhalation. I missed the next day of work.

The day after the fire, the ins people came and said a cleaning company had to come in and use an "ozone" machine to suck out the smoke smell. They already paid for the 1st night in the hotel. Then, we all (in-laws included) had to spend 48 hrs. away from the home because it was sealed for the "ozone" machine. So we were in a hotel for two more nights plus had to eat out for all those days. My kids couldn't go to school because we had to go 40 miles away to a hotel that allowed dogs because there was no where to board our puppy.

We got a letter saying the ins company cut a check for about $360 for the depreciated value of the washer, dryer, and towels minus a $250 deductible. They are suppposed to pay for the hotel also.

Finally....my question is do we have to just take the $360 plus hotel expenses and medical bills or can we ask for more just like if we were in a car accident? The policy is in my in-laws name, and we don't want their insurance costs to go up, but this has caused a tremendous amount of stress.

I do have to say that, even if that's all we get, we are very thankful to be alive and not have had more damage!

**A: take the money and be thankful you are all still safe and alive.

 

[Pfaffing85690]

I agree. You still have a family, in-laws and the puppy who are breathing.

And an insurance company who seems to be playing fair.

You have a lot.

 

[HomeGuru]

I am curious as to the cause of the fire. Was it something that should require further action like a report to the csps for notification and possible appliance product recall?

 

[ziphash]

Thanks guys. I am very thankful we have a 5 yr old who was smart and brave enough to save us.

We can't figure out why the dryer caught fire. It was 9 yrs old but had hardly been used because it was my wife's great grandma's. We started using it about 1 yr ago. There was no lint backed up or any visible outside damage. The inside is melted, though. We had no previous problems with it. The firemen couldn't figure anything out either although they didn't do a "thorough" investigation of it. The towels were mostly dry, and I had just turned the dryer on about 5 mins before it caught fire. My wife had used liquid fabric softner for the 2nd time, and someone mentioned that liquid fabric softner increases flamability.

 

[HomeGuru]

Please talk to your local CPSC office and ask them what to do.

 

[phwl]

I used to own coin-operated laundromats, and I must tell you that we used to clean out the lint traps daily. If they were allowed to build up, the heat had nowhere to ventilate.

I am presently a NYC Firefighter and I can tell you that I have personally responded to many dryer fires - almost ALL of which are caused by the failure to clean the lint filters/traps.

As such, there really is no-one to blame but yourself. If the homeowners insurance is willing to pay you what they are, you should just accept it and not turn the greedy cheek, as any insurance company can have a fire marshall investigate and determine cause. There is an above 99% chance it was the lint buildup, and when that happens, the insurance company might shift fault to the homeowner and not only ask for their money back, but might decide to not renew your insurance, or worse, hike the premiums up.

The end moral here is that you escaped with your lives and most of your health. Others are not so lucky. Take that insurance check and go buy yourself a new washer and dryer.

Thank the man above that no firemen got hurt because of your failure to clean your lint traps. And as sure as you are to put food into your mouth on a dead schedule, be sure to check those lint traps.

Also.........the lint burns off really fast, so if the fire has had a chance to advance beyond the incipient stage, the lint will no longer be in the dryer vent shaft. Thus, you would not think the fire was caused by lint build-up.