HOT SPRINGS , AR, UNITED KINGDOM, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning of Hot Springs is encouraging homeowners across Garland, Saline, Hot Spring, and Clark counties to have dryer vents inspected and cleaned before the heating season, pointing to federal fire data showing the risk climbing at precisely this point in the year.
The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that fire departments respond to roughly 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings each year, causing an average of five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. The agency’s analysis found that incidence runs higher in the fall and winter months and peaks in January.
More striking is the cause. Failure to clean was the single leading factor contributing to ignition, accounting for 34 percent of those fires, and USFA’s more recent figures put it at 31 percent for 2018 through 2020. These are not primarily fires caused by defective appliances. They are maintenance fires.
Why the lint screen is not the job
Lint is highly combustible, and it accumulates in two places: inside the dryer itself and inside the vent duct running from the dryer to the outside of the house. The screen at the door captures only a portion of it.
What collects in the duct is the part homeowners never see, and the consequences compound. Accumulated lint restricts airflow. A vent that cannot exhaust properly traps heat, and an appliance running hotter than designed is sitting beside a material that burns readily.
Long duct runs, flexible foil or plastic ducting, and runs with multiple bends all trap more lint than a short, smooth, rigid run. Homes where the laundry area sits far from an exterior wall are the most affected.
Two other airflow problems are worth knowing. USFA notes that putting foam-backed rugs or athletic shoes in a dryer restricts airflow as well. It also identifies small birds and other animals nesting in dryer exhaust vents as a hazard, which is a live concern in early autumn after a full nesting season outdoors.
What homeowners can check themselves
Several warning signs point to a restricted vent. Clothes that need more than one cycle to dry are the most common. Others include a dryer or laundry area noticeably hot to the touch during a cycle, a burning or musty smell, lint collecting around the door seal, and little or no air movement at the exterior vent hood while the dryer runs.
That last check takes a minute. If the flap on the outside of the house barely moves during a cycle, the duct is restricted somewhere between the appliance and the wall.
USFA also flags a separate appliance rule that applies year round: major appliances including washers and dryers should be plugged directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord, because the cord can overheat.
One visit, two systems
The company notes that dryer venting and HVAC ductwork are the same discipline, and that the timing lines up conveniently. A single visit before the heating season can cover a dryer vent inspection and cleaning alongside a heating system check, ahead of the first cold mornings and ahead of the months when dryer fire incidence is highest.
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning of Hot Springs answers calls 24 hours a day at (501) 267-9653.
About One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning of Hot Springs
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning of Hot Springs is an independently owned and operated location serving Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, Hot Springs National Park, Benton, Bryant, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Sheridan, Mount Ida, Glenwood, Bismarck, Alexander, Mabelvale, Jessieville, Mountain Pine, Pearcy, Royal, and surrounding central Arkansas communities. Services include air conditioning repair, installation, and maintenance, heating and furnace repair and installation, heat pumps, ductless split systems, ductwork installation, repair, and cleaning, dryer vent service, indoor air quality, thermostats, and 24-hour emergency HVAC service. The location holds a 4.9-star Google rating across more than 1,900 reviews, backs its work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee covering materials, labor, and craftsmanship for up to two years, provides StraightForward Pricing® before work begins, and offers its Always On Time Or You Don’t Pay A Dime® appointment guarantee. The company offers 10 percent off any service for veterans, active military, and first responders, a free second opinion on new system quotes, and financing.
Lisa Appleby
Service Scalers
email us here
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