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I took our tumble dryer apart last night to diagnose why it has stopped working; is it normal to have a build up of link within the metal casing? It seems to have escaped from the drum somehow and has covered all of the components within the machine.
Are you cleaning the lint filter every time you use it? You should be, they can be a real fire risk.
Is it one of the models prone to catch fire?
https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/electrical-items/how-to-check-if-your-tumble-dryer/
Ours isn't and there is no build up of lint as far as I can tell (about 5 years of ownership so far)
I'm no dryer mechanic but here's a top tip...
Save your toilet roll tubes, stuff them with dryer lint and they make great fire lighters.
We Clean the filter without fail every time we use it knowing the fire risk. It’s not on the at risk list but manufacturers aren’t proactive in that regard.
Was just surprised that it’s escaped from the drum into the body of the appliance and caused the heater element to burn out tripping the rcd. Could have easily caused a fire.
Save your toilet roll tubes, stuff them with dryer lint and they make great fire lighters
See, now, this is weird, I'd never heard of doing that, and now I've read about it twice in two days...
When I opened up our drier I found a load of fluff that had escaped, must have been 6 or 7 years old at that point so yes, it could be expected.
Doesn't take long to pop the sides off and give it a vacuum out.
That sounds like a broken or dislodged seal somewhere , or a blocked outlet.
Normally noticed when the room heats up , however this could have happened some time ago and then become unblocked.
Apparently, the lint is the cremated remains of that missing sock.
That sounds like a broken or dislodged seal somewhere , or a blocked outlet.
Nope, the drum is "sealed" with a felt strip, inevitably bits get by it and migrate to the rest of the dryer body.
Agree it’s easy to Hoover out but was surprised; message above suggests it’s to be expected. For some consumers taking screws off is a big ask but the manufacturers should make a recommendation to have it inspected on a periodic basis
After 12 years there was less than a handful inside ours and it has a sealed undertray. Replaced failed capacitor , and belt whilst I was in there .
What creates the lint? I cleaned mine out, then put my bedsheets and pillow cases in...it was rammed full after the sheets...what causes it? A genuine question as it doesn't seem to happen on a washing machine/tumble dryer combo, but tumble driers seems to get it constantly.
I expect that there is a loose or broken connection within your machine that is emptying into the casing rather than being piped through the lint filter. Fire hazard beware is mentioned in the posts above and I would definitely take heed. Tumble dryers should not be left running in an empty house even when they are new or working as expected let alone when you think there might be a problem.
What creates Lint?: I vote Elves but open to other less serious suggestions....
The lint gets into the shell of the machine past the felt bearing/seal at the front. It's by its nature a pretty poor seal.
If you've ever had to change the belt on a tumble dryer you'll come across it, and how wobbly the parts of a tumble dryer are compared to a washing machine (which has a bearing about the same size as a car wheel bearing compared to the one in the table dryer which is smaller than most bike hubs).
Our Zanussi condenser tumbledryer had loads in last time I fixed it, but it was about 8 years old at that point and all of its fluff stays in the machine unlike a vented machine so hardly a surprise.
If you think that's bad have a look inside a cheap lawn scarifier, dry grass and a cheap sparky motor.
Washer dryers by their nature regularly get wet inside, so fluff will end up in the drain, plus they don't get very dry at the best of times.
Was just surprised that it’s escaped from the drum into the body of the appliance
I had to fit a new capacitor to our drier earlier this year.... I was shocked at the amount of fluff inside.
Drier is well over 12 years old though and had never been opened.
Our old condenser Hotpoint was a devil for this. Found out about it one winter when it tripped the electrics because damp fluff was coating the electric element that heats the air, sufficient to short it out.
It wasn't a machine on the list of fire hazards, and so the "fix" was to periodically remove the rear cover and clean the element. While saving up for a new one. No idea whether the new one is truly any better though 🙁