by Howard Hughes

March 2, 2023

The Dangers of Damaged Household Appliances

You probably can’t imagine living without the appliances in your home. Ovens, dishwashers, and clothes dryers make household chores and duties much easier when they do what they’re supposed to do!

But if you have damaged appliances in your home, their failure is more than just an inconvenience. Faulty appliances also pose dangers to your house and the people living in it. Don’t just let a broken appliance take up space. Call for repairs when it stops working to keep your household both efficient and safe.

Carbon Monoxide Leaks

Plenty of appliances, from clothes dryers to stovetops, emit small amounts of carbon monoxide as they work. If the appliance is functional and up to date, the level of CO is negligible, and the emission stops when you turn it off.

But if you have a damaged appliance on your hands, that CO gas can leak out more steadily and build up in your home. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, but poisoning from it can be lethal. Install CO detectors at regular intervals throughout your home. And if you have an appliance that leaks, call for repairs as soon as possible.

Fire Risks

Damaged appliances are a leading cause of house fires because many of them generate heat. If there’s a faulty thermostat or heating element in your appliance, it can get hotter and hotter until it starts a fire!

Clothes dryers are common culprits for fires in the home due to the extreme flammability of lint and the high temperatures the dryer generates. Your oven can also be a fire hazard if its components are old or if you rely on the self-cleaning function too often. Luckily, you can call an oven repair service to replace faulty heating elements and lower your fire risk.

Foodborne Illnesses

You depend on your fridge and freezer to keep perishable foods at a stable temperature so that you have more time to enjoy them. What happens when the temps in your refrigerator or freezer fluctuate—or if the appliance loses power altogether?

If you’re unaware of the temperature problem in your fridge and eat food from it, you risk consuming something that can make you sick. Spoiled meats, vegetables, and dairy products can carry pathogens like salmonella and E. coli, both of which can wreak havoc on your health.

Do you have a damaged household appliance in your home? Don’t just let it take up space; call an appliance repair expert to fix the underlying problem and mitigate the dangers it poses to your household.

About the author 

Howard Hughes