Leaving appliances turned on when you're away from home

[PeachyDoodle]

Just out of sheer curiosity. :)

 

I needed to do several loads of laundry today, but I had a load of towels already in the washer from yesterday. I ran it through the dryer once this morning, but my dryer takes FOREVER to dry towels! Then we had to go out. I briefly considered running the dryer while we were gone, but I've heard too many stories of fires, so I didn't. But then it occurred to me that I do often leave other appliances running while we are away, and maybe I shouldn't do that either.

 

Unless it's the other way around, and leaving appliances on is no big deal, and I should just get over my dryer fear. :D

[Joker]

I've always done laundry and dishes while away from home. They might never get done otherwise.

 

I usually only use my crock pot when I need dinner but will be gone most of the day, so it's another I often leave on while away.

[NorthwestMom]

I voted only crockpot, because that is the only one I am COMFORTABLE running when I'm away from home. But do I occasionally run the washer, dryer, or dishwasher when I am away from home? Yes, because sometimes the towels just have to get dry and it's a calculated risk.

[Arcadia]

Only the refrigerator is left on. I have left my modem and wifi router on because I forgot.

 

I was told crockpot and dryer has the highest risk. The washer if spoilt might leak so I had left my washer running when I had my washer in the sheltered yard but not now when my washer is next to carpeted floors.

[Amira]

I wouldn't ever leave the stove on while I'm gone and rarely would leave the oven on (if I'm drying something at a low temperature for many hours, for example) and I don't have a coffee maker, but other than that, I leave all of those on when I leave.  I only do a few loads a year in the dryer, but if it went up in flames, I'm not sure if it's better or worse to be home.

 

I worry more about the dishwasher or washing machine leaking.  It's not dangerous, but it's a major hassle to deal with and it makes a difference to stop the water ASAP.

[UCF612]

I won't leave the dryer on, seems like a major fire risk. My luck the lint would catch the one day I left it on and left

 

I recently had a friend's house catch on fire after they left the vent fan in the bathroom on. Now I check those before we leave the house. I've gotten a bit neurotic about it.

[Joker]

In all the years we've had a modem and router, I have only turned them off when going on vacation. Otherwise, they are always on.

[AnnE-girl]

My uncle was a fire investigator. His stories made me too paranoid to leave anything on when we're out.

[Carrie12345]

I voted for coffee maker and crock pot, but I don't leave *my* crock pot on.  It runs way too hot.  Even at home, I usually run it on my glass top stove.

[DawnM]

I won't leave the dryer on.  That is about it really.  

 

We got a letter in the mail about a recall on our dishwasher and the fires it could cause.  We pulled out the dishwasher and there was a burned out hose!  WOW!  We opted to just replace the dishwasher as we didn't like it.  

 

Maybe I should be more concerned?

[Wilma]

I feel awesome about leaving get my washer, dryer and dishwasher on while I'm out - as though I have a staff of domestic help! I never give it a second day thought beyond feeling grateful for the help.

 

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[SKL]

When I bought my dryer, the salesman told me that many house fires are caused by dryers, so we should never leave it on when we go out.  So unless it is close to the end of the cycle and not on a high heat, I don't do it.  I'd rather stop it in mid-cycle and let it finish after returning home.

 

The other obvious ones are anything with a heating element that doesn't turn itself off automatically - stove, coffee maker....

 

I would run the washer and dishwasher.

 

I don't have a crock pot, so I don't know about that.

[Ellie]

The most common cause of household fires: the dryer. I never, ever let it run when I'm not home.

 

I don't let the dishwasher or washing machine run when I'm gone. If they were to leak...

 

Not gonna leave the oven on, either. Because fire.

 

I don't mind the crock pot or a coffee maker.

[Laurie4b]

Nothing with water!  I once had a gasket on a dishwasher break and the water would have kept pumping out forever if I had not been home. (ie the dishwasher would have kept drawing in new water.) We would have had massive damage. 

 

I also won't leave the house or go to bed with the dryer on. 

 

I am an oddball per survey results and will run an errand with something like a pot roast in the oven, or with soup or something on low heat on the stove. 

[Laurie4b]

I won't leave the dryer on, seems like a major fire risk. My luck the lint would catch the one day I left it on and left

 

I recently had a friend's house catch on fire after they left the vent fan in the bathroom on. Now I check those before we leave the house. I've gotten a bit neurotic about it.

 

How did that cause a fire? 

[kewb]

I am not comfortable leaving any of it running when I am not home.

That said, I have left while the dryer was still running. I have left with the crockpot/oven on. I am totally uncomfortable when I do. I have heard too many horror stories about dryers and coffee makers.

[Miss Tick]

I don't have a crock-pot, but I've left all those on, intentionally or not, and left the house without catastrophe. So far, so good. Our washer is in the basement with braided steel supply cables and a drain in the floor. We clean the lint from the dryer vent tubes on occasion, so I feel ok about that. The dishwasher would hopefully, mostly drain down into the crawlspace, but perhaps not. Leaving the coffee maker on in our house means I left the stove burner on low, which is never done on purpose, but has been done often enough while I'm still home to make me comfortable that it is unlikely to cause a serious problem. But I still double-check that before I leave!

 

Going out of town is a whole different thought process than going away for an hour or two.

[J-rap]

I always turn off the coffee pot if I'm leaving, even for just a few minutes, and the stove too.

 

I leave the oven on if it's a slow roast and I'll be home from time to time to check on it.

 

I do leave the crockpot on, but wouldn't leave it on high heat if I'm gone all afternoon, only low heat.

 

I leave the washer and dishwasher on.

 

I'll probably leave the dryer on if I'm just running a quick errand (and errands in our town are quick;  nothing is more than a mile away), otherwise I'd turn it off.

 

 

[Pawz4me]

I voted only crockpot, because that is the only one I am COMFORTABLE running when I'm away from home. But do I occasionally run the washer, dryer, or dishwasher when I am away from home? Yes, because sometimes the towels just have to get dry and it's a calculated risk.

 

:iagree:

 

I'll usually only leave the washer, dryer or dishwasher running if there's only a few minutes left in a cycle.

 

I also voted yes for coffee maker.  We have a Keurig, so it's always keeping water hot.  I suppose that has to count as being on.

[wendyroo]

I leave all of those appliances on when leaving the house.

 

I agree that the dryer has the highest risk of fire, but that can be largely minimized and it is a pretty small risk to start with.

 

According to FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration, between 2008 and 2010 there were approximately 2900 dryer fires in residential buildings each year.  At that time there were about 307 million people living in the US...2900 fires a year is a pittance.  Plus the report shows that 34% of those fires were due to inadequate cleaning of the machine (we keep our lint trap and vent very clean) and that 54% of the fires did not spread beyond the dryer itself.

 

The biggest factor for me is that when I am leaving the house, all that is left to burn in a potential fire is stuff.  I would be much more nervous leaving appliances running if I was also leaving a child home alone who might not have the maturity to deal with a fire breaking out.  As it is, though, I take all my valuables with me when I leave, so I am willing to accept the small risk of an appliance malfunction.

 

Wendy 

[Katy]

I always unplug two things you didn't mention:  the toaster and hairdryers.  I've had both catch on fire when left plugged in even when they weren't on.  Luckily I was home and awake for both of them and smelled something like hot wires so I was looking around the room both times just before they caught on fire.  Also luckily, neither of them were directly in front of the outlet they were plugged into so I could reach the cords to yank them from the wall, which put out the fire before anything else caught.  It was really odd because this happened within a few weeks of each other, living in this apartment in college.  I always wondered if there was something wrong with the electrical system there.

 

I've never been afraid to leave the dryer, dishwasher, or a crockpot running when I left the house.

 

I'm pretty careful to make sure the lint trap is clean every time I use the dryer though, and I thought that was the source of most fires?

[bolt.]

I leave everything on.

 

I love the feeling of waltzing out the door with supper in the oven (time bake), washer washing, dryer drying, dishwasher humming, and roomba bumbling around... It's nearly euphoric to be walking away from all of that work.

[Guest]

I voted crock pot, washer, dryer, and dishwasher.

 

I'll add the dehydrator.

[Stratford]

I will leave my crockpot on and occasionally my dishwasher.  I had a terrible flood from a broken washing machine several years ago....the drum on the front loader cracked and water just kept pouring in....and pouring out.  The drainage tray underneath was installed improperly - the tray didn't have a hole cut into it, so nothing could drain into the pipe.  (Seriously.)  This was a second floor laundry.  We came home to water in 3 bedrooms and the upstairs hallway, the family room, and the basement.  It was 3 days before Christmas.  We ended up having to replace all the flooring and the ceiling in the family room.  Never, ever, ever again.  

[Stratford]

I will leave my crockpot on and occasionally my dishwasher.  I had a terrible flood from a broken washing machine several years ago....the drum on the front loader cracked and water just kept pouring in....and pouring out.  The drainage tray underneath was installed improperly - the tray didn't have a hole cut into it, so nothing could drain into the pipe.  (Seriously.)  This was a second floor laundry.  We came home to water in 3 bedrooms and the upstairs hallway, the family room, and the basement.  It was 3 days before Christmas.  We ended up having to replace all the flooring and the ceiling in the family room.  Never, ever, ever again.  

[SparklyUnicorn]

Just crockpot.

 

Once the seal on my dishwasher broke.  That could have been quite disastrous if I had not been home.

 

Growing up a neighbor left a washer running while not home.  There was a massive flood into our kitchen that completely destroyed pretty much everything. 

 

So I have seen the sorts of things that can happen! 

 

[Shellydon]

I leave everything on except oven/stove.  I make sure our dryer is regularly maintained and I clean out the vent and behind it very often. 

[creekland]

We'll leave anything on TBH. (We don't own a coffee maker, so that one didn't get my vote.) That's what we have insurance for if anything goes wrong.

 

I'm not very worried.  Odds are small - esp if one cleans out the lint in their dryer.

 

Those of you who voted that you leave nothing on, do you seriously turn off your fridge?

 

When we travel, that's a different story, but just to run out for the day or a couple of hours?  No big deal to us.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We'll leave anything on TBH. (We don't own a coffee maker, so that one didn't get my vote.) That's what we have insurance for if anything goes wrong.

 

I'm not very worried.  Odds are small - esp if one cleans out the lint in their dryer.

 

Those of you who voted that you leave nothing on, do you seriously turn off your fridge?

 

When we travel, that's a different story, but just to run out for the day or a couple of hours?  No big deal to us.

 

Then again, unless my house burns down to the ground, I don't want to make a relatively small claim.  I'll be paying for it for the rest of my life when the rates get jacked up.

[creekland]

Then again, unless my house burns down to the ground, I don't want to make a relatively small claim.  I'll be paying for it for the rest of my life when the rates get jacked up.

 

A relatively small claim we can handle.

[umsami]

I'll leave everything on but the stove/oven.  (Don't own a coffee maker, but probably wouldn't leave that on.)

 

I do worry about a dishwasher/washing machine issue....but the only person I know whose had this happen to, had it happen in the middle of the night.  Was still a disaster and they were there. 

[JFSinIL]

I have had a washing machine leak badly, and a dryer refuse to shut off, a possible fire hazard, so not only do I not leave them on when we are away or asleep, I unplug them when not in use.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I voted only crockpot, because that is the only one I am COMFORTABLE running when I'm away from home. But do I occasionally run the washer, dryer, or dishwasher when I am away from home? Yes, because sometimes the towels just have to get dry and it's a calculated risk.

 

This has been my take on it. Though given our recent experience with our dryer, I don't think I will anymore. The heating coils on our dryer recently burned out, and we only discovered it because the smell of gas floated up the stairs and I was able to sprint downstairs to figure out what was going on. Had the dryer run for its full cycle, who knows what could have happened? Our furnace is two feet from the dryer. If it had kicked on in a small room filled with natural gas...  :svengo:

 

I've also had the stocking that catches lint pop off and block the drain of the sink the washer drains into (what a mess, even though I caught it after only the wash part of the cycle!) and my parents have had the drain hose from the washer fail, flooding their finished basement (it went full cycle).

 

I do feel OK leaving the crockpot on while we're gone, but that's because it's designed for that. I'm very careful to leave it on a counter with nothing touching it and nothing flammable nearby. 

 

The chances of anything happening are infinitesimal, I'm sure, but since I don't really have a problem getting laundry done or dishes washed while we're home and awake, I don't generally like to take the chance on even the inconvenience of a mess or flood, let alone a fire. 

[freesia]

No to dryer--I know a family that lost their house to a dryer fire. The same would apply to the oven, but I am comfortable leaving the crock-pot on.

 

Our washing machine is in the basement, on cement. The basement floods, so everything important is kept up. I probably shouldn't leave the dishwasher going (and don't if we are headed out of town), but I do run it if we are going out for an errand--that's probably dumb, but I hate dish back-ups.

[Seasider]

I voted only crockpot, because that is the only one I am COMFORTABLE running when I'm away from home. But do I occasionally run the washer, dryer, or dishwasher when I am away from home? Yes, because sometimes the towels just have to get dry and it's a calculated risk.

This describes me, too.

 

But just a psa, if your dryers take a long time - longer than they used to - it may be time to check for buildup of lint in the ventilation shaft and inside the dryer. There was a thread recently about taking the back off the dryer to do this.

 

There are some things I also am sure to unplug when not in use. Never trust a toaster, I say.

[El...]

I feel compelled to say, the lint that can build up in the dryer is the issue for fires, usually, and a longer drying time is a lint indicator.  Get out your screwdriver, little pliers, and shop vac, my friend.  :)

 

You can probably make your dryer work faster if you clean out the vent pipe.  It made a big difference for mine; I cleaned out the vent duct on the back of the dryer, plus I cleaned out and shortened/straightened the duct to the wall vent.  YouTube rocks for all that.  I even opened up the front panel and checked for lint inside, but that wasn't as easy, and there wasn't much in ours.

 

I leave the laundry and dishwasher running, and the crockpot is new so I trust it, but the coffee pot and the oven would scare me.  Those stories about water leaks are thought-provoking!

[gardenmom5]

I don't have a problem leaving an applicance unattended, but they aren't old.  we all leave our refrigerators, hot water heaters, and furnaces running when we're not home. what's the difference?

[MEmama]

I'll leave a washing machine, dryer or dishwasher on. They are all newer and run for such quick cycles I'm not concerned.

 

I also leave the pellet stove running because, well, heat. But I unplug my coffee maker as soon as my coffee is brewed because I hate the blue light on its clock, and unplugging the computer and printer is an old habit from years past when we had a lot of power outages and things like that would get fried.

 

I would never leave the house with the gas stove on, and I hesitate with a crock pot. I don't fully trust those things, but since I have little use for them it's no big deal.

[UCF612]

How did that cause a fire? 

 

Something in the wiring.  I believe it was faulty but I'd rather be safe so I turn ours off.  Especially since our home has had some wiring issues. 

[marbel]

I voted that I will leave stove/oven on, but actually I consider them separate.   I won't leave with the stove on, but have left the oven or, or set it to start when I am on my way home so it's heated when I arrive.

 

I can't leave the dryer running when I'm away from home or even asleep.  Fear of lint fire was drilled into me at an early age.  I keep the lint trap in the dryer clean, but there are other places lint builds up and though I am careful, not sure I am careful enough. 

 

[Guest]

I used to be more comfortable putting clothes in washer and dryer and then leaving the house, but I avoid it most of the time now. When my washing machine pipe burst, I was home. This is a very good thing because I heard the sound of water spraying, momentarily wondered who would be showering, then sprang to action and turned off the washer feed. I am also concerned that the dryer could catch on fire, though I don't fear it a lot. Better safe than sorry kind of thing. 

 

I hardly ever run the dishwasher except at night and we are home. But I haven't really thought about it before as a hazard. 

 

Oven/stove could be on if the kids are using it; I also used to use the meat-thermometer shut-off to turn off a roast while I was gone. That oven is broken now, though, so I haven't done it for a long while. 

[Lady Florida.]

I don't leave anything on. I used to leave the crock pot on until we came home one day and found that the element burned up and was melted. If we had been about half an hour later coming home it would have started to burn the counter top. Any longer than that and I don't want to think of what would have happened.

[Sherry in OH]

I often through a load of laundry in the washing machine or turn on the dishwasher just before leaving the house.   Dryer depends on how much time is left on the cycle.  If it is almost done, I'll either stop it and hang up the clothes or wait for it to finish.  Otherwise, I let it run.  My decision is based more on the desire not to have wrinkled clothes than safety.  

 

I never leave the stove on when going out.  

The only time I run the oven when no one will be home is when I run the cleaning cycle.    

On rare occasions I will leave something in the crockpot.  I don't do this if I will be gone more than a couple of hours.

 

We routinely start computer updates or backups and leave.  Those things take forever.

 

When we go on vacations, we unplug everything except the refrigerator.  Dh also turns off the water and drains the pipes.  

[SerenityNow]

I used to leave my oven on while I was gone for short periods (like 30 minutes while I walked in our neighborhood).  Then one day my son was using the oven and all of a sudden it started beep-beep-beeping.  Like the timer going off, but continuous.  I got up immediately, walked into the kitchen, and by the time I got there his food was burned black and the oven was boiling hot even on the outside.  Turned out the temperature sensor had failed, and the oven's response to this was to super-heat itself.  Even better was that we couldn't turn it off!!  Finally my son ran to the garage and flipped the breaker to shut it down.  It was so scary and if we hadn't been home I have no doubt it would have burned the house down.  So... no more walking while cooking for me I guess!   :glare:   (Oh, and btw... the oven was only 3 years old!  Who designs these things!?)

[creekland]

Something in the wiring.  I believe it was faulty but I'd rather be safe so I turn ours off.  Especially since our home has had some wiring issues. 

 

If this is true, just having it turned off won't save anything.  Plugged in wires are still charged even if not in use.

[ThisIsTheDay]

What am I comfortable leaving on?

 

Nothing.

 

However, I do sometimes leave the crockpot on, or the stove if a large pot of soup is simmering, if I just run out to the store.

 

I've come out from my bedroom more than once to find my dishwasher flooding my kitchen floor.  And we've had our washer water level glitch and flood the basement. Thankfully, we were home for that too.

[SeaConquest]

I leave everything on except oven/stove.  I make sure our dryer is regularly maintained and I clean out the vent and behind it very often. 

 

I am the same way, except I would even leave the oven on if I was just running to the store, library, etc. for something quick.

 

It would never even occur to me to turn off appliances except a gas stove.

[gardenmom5]

I am the same way, except I would even leave the oven on if I was just running to the store, library, etc. for something quick.

 

It would never even occur to me to turn off appliances except a gas stove.

 

and dh will leave a stock pot simmering on ours . . . (because they need to simmer for *hours*.)

[Farrar]

I'll even leave the oven on if I'm running out for something and it's baking something like a pot roast that takes many hours. I've never done the stove... but I can't think of anything I make on the stove that I simmer for a long time. My mother is always doing that, but I don't have many recipes that I commonly do that way.

 

For some reason, I wouldn't leave the coffeepot on... but we don't have one, so... I don't drink coffee and dh uses an aeropress.

[Guest]

I've left the stove on low when I'm doing broth, but never the oven. Dishwasher, clothes washer, and dryer never gave second thought. I aim to set and load them before I leave so they are ready and done as soon as I'm back.