6 Appliance Tips During the Cold Winter Season
Winter weather is quickly approaching, it’s important to be aware of your appliances and home being affected by the season. Here are 6 different things to check for the cold season to get better results for cooking, food storage, and your home’s safety.
1. Self-Cleaning Cycle
Your oven reaches very high temperatures and can reveal potential issues that the lower temperatures didn’t show. It is unlikely that you will have a problem; but just in case, it is suggested that you do your cleaning several weeks before the holiday cooking fest to allow time for service or replacement.
2. Test Your Equipment
To ensure your recipe for Aunt Edna’s cobbler pie turns out exactly as it has in years past buy a thermometer and ensure your oven is heating accurately. Try completing this test when cooking something basic like an oven baked pizza versus a recipe that took hours to prepare. Last thing you want is to try and blame your equipment during your celebration.
3. Watch Out for Intruders
Cold temperatures encourage critters to try to get in where it is warm. Vent covers on dryers, microwaves, and vent hoods have a flap to stop cold air and pests from entering your home. Insects, bird’s nests, other animals, or a dent by a bicycle or snow shovel for the covers mounted near the ground can cause a flap to stick open. Critters can wreak havoc on your appliances and home. If you find a flap stuck open address it before it may become a serious problem.
4. Refrigerators
Before the holidays is the best time to check on your refrigerator. Most refrigerators have coils that need to be vacuumed out regularly to make sure that you are getting the best airflow. Other things to clean and check in your refrigerator are the door seals, the ice maker works, and changing your water filter. These things are great preventative maintenance tasks to do on an annual basis to make sure you get the most out of your refrigerator.
5. Garage Appliances
Be aware many appliances especially refrigerators and freezers aren’t covered under warranty when used in the garage due to extreme temperature changes. Make sure to keep your refrigerator closest to your home and avoid putting it by the big garage door.
6. Dryer Lint
Dryer lint is the number one cause of home fires. Lint is very flammable! Lint or clogged vents can also cause your dryer to fail. One way to check the vents for lint clogs is to check your vent outside and make sure it is blowing out a substantial amount of air. Be sure to clean the lint filter after every load. Make sure to clean inside, behind, and underneath the dryer because lint builds up there as well.
We hope that these tips will help you better upkeep your appliances and home during the cold winter season.
If you have any questions, please contact us and we can help you figure out what the problem is, help you replace parts or get the right cleaning supplies, and even help you find an appliance replacement all under one roof.
