Old Man Winter will be here before you know it and with him comes all sorts of winter-y issues to deal with. It’s not just ice in the driveway or drafty places in your home that you need to watch out for either. Cold weather affects your appliances too - particularly those in basements & garages like washers & dryers. But there are steps you can take to make sure your washer/dryer and home are well-protected this winter.
When it comes to your washing machine, remember that it’s all about water, making it vulnerable to cold weather. Washers involve a hose to fill the tub and a pump to drain water when the washing is done. So if you’ve placed your washing machine in a basement or garage against an outside facing wall, chances are you could come down with a load of laundry only to find ice instead of water in your hose & pump. Ice instead of water can cause the water intake valve to break which results in water everywhere when the temps warm up a bit. Yikes! This is absolutely preventable though. Start by insulating your washer’s hoses with pipe insulation, then only connect your water lines up when you’re actually doing a load of laundry.
What about your dryer? If you have a vented clothes dryer then your clothes are being dried by blasting them with hot air. The vented dryer means that the waste air is then vented. But warm, moist air in winter can cause condensation on cooler surfaces - sort of like a tiny rainstorm soaking surrounding surfaces each time you use the dryer. You definitely don’t want to deal with that! If you have a vented dryer, make sure the vents are pushing the waste air outside. And if you have a condenser dryer, then you’re in luck because you’ll be able to avoid this situation. Also keep in mind that during the winter our clothing is heavier and we wear more of it. This equals more lint in the dryer, so be sure to clean your lint trap regularly and schedule a dryer vent cleaning.
You don’t have to let cold weather wreak havoc with your appliances. Take a minute to prepare before winter actually hits and you’ll avoid any unpleasant situations!
We're the experts for professional NY Metro Dryer Vent Cleaning & repair! Give us a call at 845-201-1670 so NY Metro Dryer Vent Wizard can help you save energy, time, and money. Some of the towns we service include: Orange County NY, Rockland County NY, Middletown NY, Tuxedo Park NY, Warwick NY the surrounding NY Metro & Northern NJ areas!