Leased garage (Naughty neighbors)

hazyjo

What about integral garages then where usually a bedroom is above? My mum's got one and there are numerous power sockets in there, along with the boiler, a fridge freezer and washing machine. How is that different?

moneyistooshorttomention

hazyjo wrote: »

What about integral garages then where usually a bedroom is above? My mum's got one and there are numerous power sockets in there, along with the boiler, a fridge freezer and washing machine. How is that different?

I can see three differences there:
- it belongs to your mum and she can/presumably does keep an eye on it
- if anything went wrong = there wouldnt be the added agrro/upset/etc of knowing "someone else did that to me"
- your mum presumably has insurance cover. Who knows what a neighbour might/might not have..

EachPenny

AdrianC wrote: »

But how many fires have actually been attributed to them over the three years or so since it all started? AIUI, the root cause is basic neglect - people not emptying the fluff filter, which then clogs, too close to the heater element.

My understanding is that the cause is a design flaw which permits fluff leaking into the machine cavity to accumulate close to the heater element - the fix is a modification which prevents this accumulation coming into contact with hot parts.

The fluff filter not being cleaned exacerbates the build up of fluff, but cleaning it regularly doesn't eliminate the risk. The initial safety advice was "the dryers are safe if the lint filters are cleaned after every cycle and the appliance is closely monitored", but that was subsequently changed to 'unplug and do not use'.

The highlighted bit is the part relevant to this thread - if the appliance is in a remote garage it is unlikely to be monitored at all, let alone closely. That advice is specific to the dryers subject to the recall, but many fire brigades also advise that tumble dryers generally should not be operated unattended due to the risk of fire.

The Mirror estimates 6000 dryer fires (all makes and models, not just the affected Whirlpool ones) over a six year period based on incomplete responses to FOI requests which reported 3777 attendances by the fire services. That doesn't include the incidents where the fire service weren't called out - e.g. close calls or ones dealt with by the householder themselves. Figures of at least one or two fires per day are more widely reported. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/6000-tumble-dryers-burst-flames-7371891

EachPenny

ProDave wrote: »

I don't see the fire risk of a TD or WM being any greater than the risk of a car in the garage, with many gallons of volatile fuel catching fire.

Remember the ceiling between a garage and habitable space should have been built to a much higher fire rating than a normal ceiling.

The volatile fuel in a car very rarely spontaneously combusts though. It is contained in an environment specifically designed to reduce the risk of ignition. The greater risk for a car fire (after cool-down) would be an electrical system fault, and those are thankfully rare. When parked with the ignition off, a cars electrical circuits are typically only supplying low wattage accessories. However, recharging an EV in a garage would pose a more significant risk.

The ceiling of a garage under an occupied dwelling should be designed for a higher fire rating, but it is still not fireproof. A tumble dryer operating unattended could be well alight and the fire established in any other items stored in the garage before anyone was aware. The potential risk of fire and smoke damage to the rooms above the garage is therefore much higher than it would be if the space the dryer is in is part of the occupied dwelling.

EachPenny

hazyjo wrote: »

What about integral garages then where usually a bedroom is above? My mum's got one and there are numerous power sockets in there, along with the boiler, a fridge freezer and washing machine. How is that different?

Hopefully your mum has working smoke and fire alarms in her garage and regularly checks them. If so, that may be a very significant difference compared to having someone else's garage underneath your home.

hazyjo

EachPenny wrote: »

Hopefully your mum has working smoke and fire alarms in her garage and regularly checks them. If so, that may be a very significant difference compared to having someone else's garage underneath your home.

Will remind her. My BIL is a fireman and I'm sure he keeps an eye on things.


Appreciate it's her own stuff in there and she maintains it. Hopefully she won't have any probs (nor anyone else in her street as all houses are of a similar set-up!).