This is the biggest appliance fire risk safety notice ever issued in the UK (in my experience). The brands affected are Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit tumble dryers but some other related but lesser-known brands are affected too (see below). They are all part of the same manufacturing group (Whirlpool).
Remarkably it covers potentially millions of condenser and vented dryers sold over the last 11 years. It’s probably safe to say that most Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit dryers made before 2015 are affected unless made before 2004. The manufacturer has published the following statement –
A potential concern with two types of tumble dryers manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015. In some rare cases, excess fluff can come into contact with the heating element and present a risk of fire”. Basically it’s been found that a build up of fluff can in some cases come into contact with the heating elements and ignite. As an engineer I can confirm that tumble dryers can accumulate quite remarkable amounts of fluff inside – due to either poor design, damaged filters or if the filters aren’t carefully looked after and cleaned after every use.”
Which tumble dryers are affected?
Affected brands are: Hotpoint | Indesit | Creda | Proline | Swan tumble dryers, manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015
Over 100 different models are affected. It’s important to note that if you bought one of these tumble dryers after September 2015 it does not guarantee your model is not affected. This is because one could be in stock for some time after being manufactured before being sold. The affected tumble dryers were manufactured between the dates quoted above. You should check to see if your model is affected using the links below if you have any of these brands of dryer.
How to check if your dryer is subject to this safety notice
It’s very easy. Get your model and serial number from behind the door and enter the numbers into the manufacturer’s web sites below and then follow any instructions –
Green spot sticker?
Check to see if your tumble dryer has a small green spot sticker. Look behind the door, or near to the door seal, or anywhere on the machine including the back. A green spot sticker indicates that the fault has been fixed in the past. This is likely if you have had any engineer to repair it previously. It seems to show that prior to the announcement their engineers were already quietly making modifications. It’s up to you to decide if you trust it’s been done or not.
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Is it safe to keep using an affected tumble dryer?
This safety notice specifically says, “consumers may continue to use their products, provided that appliances are not left unattended whilst operating”. However, clearly the notice has been issued because one could suddenly catch fire. So use your common sense. Personally I would say get it checked asap. If it’s an affected model have it modified before using again. If you must use it you need to not leave it running without anyone close by and accept that it could catch fire. If you are not going to be in a position to deal with any fire and have no suitable fire extinguisher etc then just do not take the risk.
Update: Whirlpool finally change their advice
Whirlpool eventually changed their advice inline with my above paragraph. They were now advising people with affected dryers not to use them until they have been fixed. This is the only common sense and safe attitude to adopt unless someone is stood watching one with fire extinguisher to hand.
However, after unrelenting campaigning by Which? The government have finally acted – Whirlpool told to recall dryers in ‘unprecedented’ government move
More advice on fire risks in appliances
I’ve always advised never to leave any washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher running whilst no one is around and these safety notices only confirm the wisdom of such advice. Tumble dryers – particularly condenser dryers – need to be properly looked after. If you have any brand of dryer you should make sure you are aware of all the filters inside and ensure they are always clean. Condenser dryers in particular can have several filters with some of them hidden behind panels or doors. Blocked filters can cause overheating!
Related links
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Are your dryers definitely potentially affected? That is, “.. manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015”?
I can only advise that you try to contact Whirlpool to clarify this. There could be some issue with the tool. But I can only assume that the most likely explanation for why the model numbers aren’t accepted is because they are from tumble dryers that are not affected. I obviously can’t confirm this though. So please get back and update us if you find out the answer. It would be very helpful for others.
Update: Whirlpool finally change their advice
Whirlpool have now (over 2 years later) changed their advice inline with my above article. They are now advising people with affected dryers NOT to use them until they have been fixed!
This is the only common sense and safe attitude to adopt unless someone is stood watching one with fire extinguisher to hand.
Having the T622CW i contacted them by phone and after no wait at all was told that model was not affected. Good news for us.
Many thanks Jacqueline. That’s very helpful. It looks like it’s as I suspected, the tool doesn’t recognise models that are unaffected. Anyone concerned though should ring them to check if their dryer was made between April 2004 and September 2015.
Hi I have Creda Simplicity Dryer mod T522vw s/n 25100275 don’t know the year made. does this model pose a threat! I take the rear panel off and remove any fluff no sign of any burning around the element.
Hello Ray. You need to go to the manufacturer’s web site and enter your FULL model number and serial number into their tool. According to their tool their model numbers are much longer than the ones printed on instruction manuals and control panels. Check the example they give.
If there is no fluff anywhere near your heating element there’s nothing to catch fire regarding this particular safety issue but if it’s an affected model you can’t be complacent. I could be wrong but I thought the affected dryers had the element at the front. I’m not 100% sure though.
Thanks Andy turns out my machine was made in 2002 and is not at risque thanks for your help
Ray.
Today I got through to the phone helpline. It had been impossible to enter my Drier Model and Serial number on the website almost certainly because they are not of a format the website is designed to accept. My Model Number is T622CW – Serial Number is 24102882.
I was told all machines with 8 digit serial numbers are NOT affected. So mine isn’t. I suggested they post this information on their website!
Many thanks for the update Derek. It seems I was right to assume that if the serial number wasn’t accepted by the tool it was because they are unaffected dryers. However, I was reluctant to state that anything other than speculation or an educated guess due to the serious nature of the issue.
They definitely do need to make this clear on their web tool page. Just a brief look at the comments on this article show that many people have been unnecessarily worried and stressed about it.
Well I have one with the Green Sticker which started to not dry very well so I opened up the back to reset the thermostat, loads of fluff inside the main chamber and it was starting to build up in the element housing so the modification is not a cure. The thermostat is no longer re settable but don’t think this dryer has an more use and its a trip to the skip for it.
Hello Kommando. It’s concerning if your dryer has been modified but still collecting dangerous amounts of fluff near the heating element. It’s hard to judge how bad it is though without knowing when the modification was carried out. It’s possible it wasn’t done properly. I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that some modifiers have not been doing the modification properly. I’ve heard some engineers claiming their customers had someone out to modify their dryer but were only in the house 10 minutes which is in no way long enough.
However, it’s only hearsay, it’s also hard to imagine anyone employed by the manufacturer and told of the risk of the dryer catching fire would be so crazy as to deliberately not do it. There’s also a possibility that something else has gone wrong since the modification was done that could explain the fluff.