Small Appliances Heads Up

A faulty appliance or an appliance breakdown in your home or even office is often but not always a minor inconvenience. It can be a kitchen appliance or even a major appliance malfunction ' ones we take for granted and seldom think of ' such as a summertime air conditioner breakdown ' or meltdown or a furnace / water heater stoppage. Furnaces and water heater breakdowns can be a fair bit more inconvenient so that your family is either without hot water for showering and clothes washing or are dead cold in the middle of a Winnipeg forty below zero January winter day or night

You can prevent most appliance related mishaps by exercising what many in the appliance and construction trade would even consider basic if not commonplace and commonsense standards, rules and routines.

Know where the water shutoff valves are for the washer, dishwasher and ice maker. as well as the house's or buildings main gas valve. Come cold Winnipeg wintertime you may have to shut off exterior water taps - with an interior valve in the basement area. Its all about Jack Frost doing damage by allowing your pipes to freeze in the cold winter outside temperatures - and repeated - that the keystone and basis of appliance safety - Never allow children to play on or operate home appliances . Its as simple as that.

If hot water is not used for two weeks or more , hydrogen gas can build up in your home or office hot water heater or heaters and pipes. Before turning on appliances that use water, run all hot water taps in the house ,condo, vacation cottage or apartment for at least two minutes ( 2 min) , to clear out the volatile hydrogen gas and gasses. It used to be that appliances - both major and kitchen were steel and gears only , with mechanical switches - now everything seems to be either plastic or computerized - If in doubt about the safety of an appliance, call a professional highly trained service technician. No doubt about it with all the computerized electronics and technology , simple appliances have gotten a lot more complex. Often there are no serviceable parts inside and whole electronic modules must be swapped in and replaced. Even larger household units - Never bypass or alter any appliance switch or components. Never ever remove the ground or grounding plug of a 3 prong power cord. For good reason they are UI Underwriter Life approved - or in Canada Underwriters Laboratories - Use only replacement parts and wiring of the same specifications. Shortcuts and substandard replacement parts are simply poor overall economy reports Mike the plumber. If in doubt ask a competent appliance repair person.

Before servicing an appliance, unplug the power cord or alternatively disconnect power at the service panel itself. It never hurts to leave a note or notation on the panel so that no one makes the mistake and reconnects the power while you are working. Lastly before attempting any repairs yourself - think twice- and familiarize yourself with the specific safety information in regards to each appliance. Don't be a sad foolish Kirk. Take the time to read the owner's and maintenance manuals. If you do not know - ask. If you still cannot be totally sure - then consult the internet through online manuals and emails to customer and tech support departments. Install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in your home. A new trend is to install Carbon Monoxide CO detectors and some contractors recommend Radon detectors as well. Your families safety is riding on it. Simple as that. Its not a question of if - like a computer hard drive - but only when. Be prepared and ready for that eventuality. Ultimately always take it as a matter of course - and of fact - Beware of sharp metal edges and pointed screws: pad them with masking tape to avoid cutting yourself. In addition label your electric service panel with the locations of the appliance circuit breakers of alternatively in some older homes and vacation cottages - electric fuses - or in 2010 - You can always call the toll free 1-800 , 1888 or 866 number at no charge from your land line telephones. Make that phone call if the emergency warrants it. Don't be shy or awkward when it comes to the safety of your family and the preservation and maintenance of your property and real estate.

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