Is your Whirlpool tumble dryer a fire-risk?

The reasons why many modern products are less durable and often not economically repairable could easily be demonstrated in a documentary. Making products easier and cheaper to assemble can make them very much harder to repair.

Having dabbled myself I am well aware that well built electronics protected from voltage spikes, ingress of water and vibration can last for decades, yet in domestic products, faulty circuit boards can result in products being not economically repairable.

The problem of badge engineering has come up many times on Which? Conversation. Companies can buy and sell brands, so surely it is time for the ratings plate and marketing information to provide details of the manufacturer.

My Philips microwave is about 30 years old and in daily use, having needed only a mechanical repair and replacement bulbs.

CE Marking, and certification marking like the Kite Mark, are not quality guarantees in the sense of high quality, but denote compliance with all the requirements of international safety standards. To manufacture consistently to meet such standards requires quality control in the producer and this is usually met by having a quality system documented, and used (checked by independent auditing) to ISO 9001. “ISO 9001 is defined as the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organisations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.”

I agree with your (R White) strategy of buying high quality goods; they generally work out cheaper in the long run as they last longer. Not guaranteed of course, and durability research still needs to be done, but I’d avoid cheap appliances; they are cheap for a reason, but suit many people.

The CE scheme is self-certified, a manufacturer can put a CE mark on their products if they think they comply. There are no independent tests. Some years ago a Swiss laboratory did do some tests and reckoned that something like 60-70 percent of CE marked items did not actually comply with the regulations.

My previous washer/drier died because the door switch failed. It would’ve been easy and cheap to repair except that lack of surge protection meant it took the main control board with it and that was going to be nearly the price of a new machine to replace.

Putting electrolytic capacitors near a source of heat is another common method of built in obsolescence.

My Matsui microwave must be as old as your Philips and has not needed any repairs at all.

Some fridges and freezers have capacitors next to the compressor and failure can sometimes result in a fire. A friend had a small air compressor go on fire because of a capacitor failure, which burned away the plastic enclosure.

Which? is publicising the need for fridge and freezer manufacturers to move away from using flammable plastic backs, which can help spread fire. It’s not just the backs, and if the same plastic is used above the compressor, allowing the fire to spread to insulation and plastics inside the fridge or freezer.

I agree that failure of electrolytic capacitors is accelerated by heat and it’s one reason why low energy lamps can fail prematurely. Unlike compressor and motor capacitors, they are not a cause of fire, as far as I know.

It’s very common advice not to leave appliances (other than fridges and freezers) on when in bed or out of the house. I’ve stayed with friends who put the dishwasher on at night, and don’t have a smoke or heat alarm in the kitchen.

Back in the early 70s my parents bought a tumble dryer and having read that these dryers could cause fires I suggested that it was consigned to the garage, which was unheated but dry. I was aware of the importance of cleaning the filter after each use.

You can design a dryer with a conventional heater to run at a lower temperature. It will, similarly, take longer to dry. More than one way to skin a…… 🙂

You’ve brought this up before, Malcolm, but I’m not aware of any dryers designed in this way. On the other hand there are currently 73 heat pump dryers including 18 Best Buys listed on the Which? website. A conventional heater operating at similar temperatures to those in heat pump dryers would not set light to lint or to dry clothing. It would be cheaper to manufacture and there would be less to go wrong, but it would consume considerably more energy than a heat pump dryer.

You’ve also mentioned this before. But that is par for the course with Convos as so much information is lost in the past. A heat pump dryer will probably save around £50 a year on energy. if used regularly. This needs to be offset against the cost difference between a heat pump dryer and a condenser one. Our dryer gets used quite infrequently, particularly when we have weather like today, so energy saving would not figure too highly.

I often pay a bit more for products that I consider better in some way and if I was in the market for a tumble dryer would choose a heat pump model because I believe the fire risk would be lower. I don’t own a tumble dryer at present because in poor weather I can use the airing cupboard and spare bathroom for drying.