A recent string of residential fires caused by bathroom exhaust fans has prompted a new push by Cookeville Fire Department Officials on the hidden hazards of the common household appliance.
Cookeville Fire Department Chief Benton Young said the incidents involved different brands and models. Young said each fire originated in an older unit where the motor had overheated or dust had ignited.
“They all had in common they was older,” Young said. “They… the motors can overheat. They’re not supposed to leave them on more than like 20 minutes at a time to keep the motor from overheating. And age and just neglect, people need to learn to clean those out probably when they do their dryer vents at least two times a year, every six months or so.”
Young said the primary danger stems from the accumulation of lint and dust inside the fan housing and vent pipe which acts as a highly combustible fuel source. Young said if a motor shorts out or sparks, the built-up particles can instantly ignite and spread fire into the ceiling or attic.
“Well, it’s just it becomes a particle that’s easily ignited,” Young said. “And, you know, if the motor shorts out or sparks, that material that’s up there will just instantly ignite and you could get your fire very easily from that.”
Young said homeowners should consider installing a timer switch to ensure fans do not run for extended periods. Young said maintenance should include removing the fan cover to vacuum dust away from the motor propeller and the surrounding housing.
“So they recommend in using like LED bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs for the heat,” Young said. “They recommend not leaving them on more than 20 minutes at a time, maybe put a timer switch on the switch, the light switch part of it. And they also recommend cleaning it about every six months, you know, vacuum it out, cleaning the dust off of it. You can pull the cover off and vacuum the dust out of around the fan area and the propeller of the motor.”
Young said the frequency of these fires is unusual for the area, noting he has only seen a handful of such cases during his 36-year career in the fire service. Young said while the three recent fires were contained quickly with limited damage, the outcome could have been devastating if they had occurred late at night when the buildings were unoccupied.
“Looking at it nationwide, it’s not an uncommon thing to cause a house fire,” Young said. “So like I said, if you was not home or the people wasn’t at the businesses that we had those at, you know, if it’d been two or three o’clock in the morning, we could have had a large fire and been very devastating to the homeowners or the businesses we had those in. So anytime we can reach out to the public and, you know, give them some education about something they can do to prevent this, we sure try to.”
Young said the department has not found improper wiring or installation to be a factor in the recent calls. Young said the fires appear to be the result of mechanical age and a general lack of public knowledge regarding the need to service the fans.
“Well, I think it’s just something you don’t think about, and that’s why we put this out,” Young said. “It, you know, it’s not something I really ever thought about, and you know, you take stuff for granted sometimes, and everything that’s mechanical has to have a little maintenance every once in a while. So we just wanted to put that out so everybody kind of thinks about it, can check it out, and make sure they’re in good shape.”