How Winter Affects Your Appliances
Posted On November 10, 2020During Winter the cold temperature can affect your appliances a lot more than you think about it. This can damage your appliances a lot. During these cold months, the cold and harsh temperature causes some appliances to be covered in a layer of ice if they are outside. The main question that is asked by everyone is if the appliances can be protected from this kind of weather. The cold weather affects the appliances that are kept in the basement or garage. So take a look at what could happen, how winter affects your appliances and what you can do to prevent it.
Washing Machine
In the case of your washer, it is all about water. Which means that it is at risk of extreme cold. The hoses fill the tub with water before the cycle and then drains the water once it has been completed. The drum spins your clothes, collecting the excess water out. This is before you put the load in the dryer. However, if your washing machine is inside it would be against a poorly insulated wall. This would mean that the temperature could come through the wall affecting your washer. Your hoses may be frozen because of the cold temperature. These hoses are what pump the water in the washer. This could cause the water intake valve to break having water leak out of the washer.
Prevention
Disconnect your water lines from the wall.
You only need to connect them when you’re actually running a load.
Wrap your washer’s hoses with pipe insulation.
Your water pipes should be insulated as well.
Refrigerator
Apart from a complete loss of power and heat during extremely cold weather, the refrigerator in your kitchen should be safe and protected from the elements. However, if you have a second fridge or freezer in the basement or garage, here is what you should do to get it ready for frigid temps. Get your Appliance repair in Los Angeles to fix any problem.
Prevention
Use a heater.
Use a heater in your cold garage or basement. Do this especially on colder days but make sure you do not leave it on overnight if you are not home.
Disconnect or insulate the hoses.
If you have an ice maker and the appliance is connected to a water supply, your hoses will freeze a bit like those in your washer. The garage temperature must be kept above freezing or the water elements including the water lines, water valves and the water reservoir might become damaged. If you are unable to maintain a temperature above freezing in the garage, then disconnect the waterline, and drain the reservoir. You can reconnect the water during the warmer seasons.
HVAC System
Your condenser unit should be fine. Units are actually designed to cater to cold temps, snow and ice, so regular winter weather usually isn’t an issue. However, if your HVAC unit gets encased with ice and snow, it may trigger an emergency shut-off. If the HVAC system is not maintaining the desired indoor temperature, it should then change over to the secondary heat or emergency heat. This can especially happen if you are not around to notice the heat is off which could lead to frozen, broken pipes and serious water damage as a result.
Prevention
Build a firewall.
Heat pumps and outdoor units are usually placed outside. So it should be placed someplace where there is a minimal chance of the unit getting covered by snow or ice. In areas with a lot of snow, place a platform to lift the condenser above the snow level so it does not get covered in snow. Another good option would be to build a fence or a literal wall around your unit so snow can’t cover it. But you have to make sure that it allows for enough airflow on all sides.
Clear the area.
Make sure to always clear the area by shoveling around your HVAC unit. Also, make sure that nothing is leaking water onto the until as this will cause it to freeze. Have a little pre-season preparation and some monitoring of the HVAC system. Your appliances should be fine no matter how winter affects your appliances.
Washing Machine
In the case of your washer, it is all about water. Which means that it is at risk of extreme cold. The hoses fill the tub with water before the cycle and then drains the water once it has been completed. The drum spins your clothes, collecting the excess water out. This is before you put the load in the dryer. However, if your washing machine is inside it would be against a poorly insulated wall. This would mean that the temperature could come through the wall affecting your washer. Your hoses may be frozen because of the cold temperature. These hoses are what pump the water in the washer. This could cause the water intake valve to break having water leak out of the washer.
Prevention
Disconnect your water lines from the wall.
You only need to connect them when you’re actually running a load.
Wrap your washer’s hoses with pipe insulation.
Your water pipes should be insulated as well.
Refrigerator
Apart from a complete loss of power and heat during extremely cold weather, the refrigerator in your kitchen should be safe and protected from the elements. However, if you have a second fridge or freezer in the basement or garage, here is what you should do to get it ready for frigid temps. Get your Appliance repair in Los Angeles to fix any problem.
Prevention
Use a heater.
Use a heater in your cold garage or basement. Do this especially on colder days but make sure you do not leave it on overnight if you are not home.
Disconnect or insulate the hoses.
If you have an ice maker and the appliance is connected to a water supply, your hoses will freeze a bit like those in your washer. The garage temperature must be kept above freezing or the water elements including the water lines, water valves and the water reservoir might become damaged. If you are unable to maintain a temperature above freezing in the garage, then disconnect the waterline, and drain the reservoir. You can reconnect the water during the warmer seasons.
HVAC System
Your condenser unit should be fine. Units are actually designed to cater to cold temps, snow and ice, so regular winter weather usually isn’t an issue. However, if your HVAC unit gets encased with ice and snow, it may trigger an emergency shut-off. If the HVAC system is not maintaining the desired indoor temperature, it should then change over to the secondary heat or emergency heat. This can especially happen if you are not around to notice the heat is off which could lead to frozen, broken pipes and serious water damage as a result.
Prevention
Build a firewall.
Heat pumps and outdoor units are usually placed outside. So it should be placed someplace where there is a minimal chance of the unit getting covered by snow or ice. In areas with a lot of snow, place a platform to lift the condenser above the snow level so it does not get covered in snow. Another good option would be to build a fence or a literal wall around your unit so snow can’t cover it. But you have to make sure that it allows for enough airflow on all sides.
Clear the area.
Washing Machine
In the case of your washer, it is all about water. Which means that it is at risk of extreme cold. The hoses fill the tub with water before the cycle and then drains the water once it has been completed. The drum spins your clothes, collecting the excess water out. This is before you put the load in the dryer. However, if your washing machine is inside it would be against a poorly insulated wall. This would mean that the temperature could come through the wall affecting your washer. Your hoses may be frozen because of the cold temperature. These hoses are what pump the water in the washer. This could cause the water intake valve to break having water leak out of the washer.
Prevention
Disconnect your water lines from the wall.
You only need to connect them when you’re actually running a load.
Wrap your washer’s hoses with pipe insulation.
Your water pipes should be insulated as well.
Refrigerator
Apart from a complete loss of power and heat during extremely cold weather, the refrigerator in your kitchen should be safe and protected from the elements. However, if you have a second fridge or freezer in the basement or garage, here is what you should do to get it ready for frigid temps. Get your Appliance repair in Los Angeles to fix any problem.
Prevention
Use a heater.
Use a heater in your cold garage or basement. Do this especially on colder days but make sure you do not leave it on overnight if you are not home.
Disconnect or insulate the hoses.
If you have an ice maker and the appliance is connected to a water supply, your hoses will freeze a bit like those in your washer. The garage temperature must be kept above freezing or the water elements including the water lines, water valves and the water reservoir might become damaged. If you are unable to maintain a temperature above freezing in the garage, then disconnect the waterline, and drain the reservoir. You can reconnect the water during the warmer seasons.
HVAC System
Your condenser unit should be fine. Units are actually designed to cater to cold temps, snow and ice, so regular winter weather usually isn’t an issue. However, if your HVAC unit gets encased with ice and snow, it may trigger an emergency shut-off. If the HVAC system is not maintaining the desired indoor temperature, it should then change over to the secondary heat or emergency heat. This can especially happen if you are not around to notice the heat is off which could lead to frozen, broken pipes and serious water damage as a result.
Prevention
Build a firewall.
Heat pumps and outdoor units are usually placed outside. So it should be placed someplace where there is a minimal chance of the unit getting covered by snow or ice. In areas with a lot of snow, place a platform to lift the condenser above the snow level so it does not get covered in snow. Another good option would be to build a fence or a literal wall around your unit so snow can’t cover it. But you have to make sure that it allows for enough airflow on all sides.
Clear the area.
Make sure to always clear the area by shoveling around your HVAC unit. Also, make sure that nothing is leaking water onto the until as this will cause it to freeze. Have a little pre-season preparation and some monitoring of the HVAC system. Your appliances should be fine no matter how winter affects your appliances.