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Running appliances overnight

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Running appliances overnight

Postby Andyp » 07 Dec 2021, 18:17

This got me thinking

Woodster wrote:
Some time ago it was laptops with Sony batteries in them. Let’s not forget there are also about 300 house fires a year in the UK due to domestic appliance faults, and in spite of this some folks are still daft enough to switch them on when they go to bed. :o


Dishwasher and washing machine often left to run on cheaper overnight lecky. We dont own a tumble dryer which from recent headlines I would defo not leave unattended.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Woodbloke » 07 Dec 2021, 18:45

Andyp wrote:This got me thinking

Woodster wrote:
Some time ago it was laptops with Sony batteries in them. Let’s not forget there are also about 300 house fires a year in the UK due to domestic appliance faults, and in spite of this some folks are still daft enough to switch them on when they go to bed. :o


Dishwasher and washing machine often left to run on cheaper overnight lecky. We dont own a tumble dryer which from recent headlines I would defo not leave unattended.


I never run anything (apart from the fridge/freezer) overnight. Everything gets switched off or onto 'standbye' although the iPone is plugged in to recharge on my bedside table - Rob
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Stuart » 07 Dec 2021, 18:51

I used to work for a fire and rescue service. We had a daily log of operational activity and it was always read first thing in the morning to look at overnight activity.

It was always riddled with tumble dryer, washing machine and dishwasher fires. Now this was a few years ago and I would hope that more modern machines are safer but I for one refuse point blank to run any ‘significant’ electrical equipment overnight (apart from fridge and freezer).

I know many do and have never had a problem, continuing good luck to them.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby droogs » 07 Dec 2021, 21:44

you guys are aware that you can turn the fridge or freezer off overnight and as long as the door stays shut nothing will thaw or spoil. they are designed to keep things OK for up to 24 hrs or more in some cases in case of power outages etc.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Pete Maddex » 07 Dec 2021, 22:29

I have 11 things in the living room alone that are left on overnight, TVs cable and satellite boxes dvd player are all on standby as well as a computer and laptop as well as most on the hifi.

Every thing is correctly fused so should be safe but we have fire alarms etc.

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby StevieB » 07 Dec 2021, 23:02

Vaguely aware that we shouldn't, but with a family of 5 where SWMBO and I work significant hours, if we didn't run appliances in the evening/night washing would never get done as there simply wouldn't be time at the weekend in the day!
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Doug » 08 Dec 2021, 08:55

A house locally burnt down recently & forensics pinpointed the cause as the smart meter so I’m past worrying about the dishwasher running at night (it has for the last 19 years) but I’m putting a smoke alarm under the stairs now :o
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Pete Maddex » 08 Dec 2021, 09:02

Doug wrote:A house locally burnt down recently & forensics pinpointed the cause as the smart meter so I’m past worrying about the dishwasher running at night (it has for the last 19 years) but I’m putting a smoke alarm under the stairs now :o

I think you will find their has been several house fires caused by smart meters, probbaly because they where fitted by people who where only trained to fit them, not proper electricians.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl ... tallations

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Phil Pascoe » 08 Dec 2021, 09:11

I have a cooker with an induction hob, before the purchase of which I did a little research. A large number of cases of the hob being cracked were in rented properties, which suggested to me that people who actually owned them were a bit more careful in their use. I wonder if the same applies to white goods? According to the last figures I looked at fires caused by driers aren't too much more common than ones caused by washing machines, and are mostly Whirlpool. I wonder how many involved in fires are not maintained in any way? It takes little time for filters to clog.
We have economy7 so, yes, our machines go on over night. 10p a unit - what's not to like? :lol: We have alarms and fire extinguishers ............which wouldn't be much in the daytime when we're out.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Mike G » 08 Dec 2021, 09:16

Modern appliances universally seem to bleep loudly when they've finished their cycles, so I don't know how you guys manage to run them overnight. A bleeping washing machine at 2 in the morning would drive me nuts.

My father in law used to go around the house and unplug everything except the fridge before going to bed. Literally pull the plug out. I'm not sure he understood quite how electricity works.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby AJB Temple » 08 Dec 2021, 09:38

This Which report from 2018 https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/02/re ... res/points out the Grenfell fire originated from a fridge / freezer. The same report shows washing machine and tumble drier fires are almost equal, followed by cookers, dishwashers and then refrigeration.

It shows that in its survey where the make was identified in a fire, Hoover and Whirlpool (the latter includes Hotpoint and Indesit brands) were the worst. Beko was also responsible for a lot of refrigeration fires relative to its market share.

We run our appliances over night, including washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier. All of them are Miele, have 10 year guarantees and less than 2 years old. By all accounts it is a low risk, long life brand and that is why we chose it. All properly installed ie not by the van driver who delivered them... All fire detectors in our house are within 2 years old and tested. Hence we lose no sleep about using cheap rate energy over night and avoiding the (slight I admit) appliance noise during the day.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby 9fingers » 08 Dec 2021, 09:42

Mike G wrote:Modern appliances universally seem to bleep loudly when they've finished their cycles, so I don't know how you guys manage to run them overnight. A bleeping washing machine at 2 in the morning would drive me nuts.

My father in law used to go around the house and unplug everything except the fridge before going to bed. Literally pull the plug out. I'm not sure he understood quite how electricity works.



Most appliances have non percussive methods to turn off end of cycle sounders. RTFM

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Doug71 » 08 Dec 2021, 10:28

My old Bosch washing machine would bleep loudly when it finished it's cycle until you gave it some attention, drove me mad.

My new machine doesn't bleep which means I put a load of washing in it then totally forget about it until I find it the next day because it doesn't bleep to remind me it's finished the cycle :eusa-doh:
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Pete Maddex » 08 Dec 2021, 11:30

AJB Temple wrote:This Which report from 2018 https://www.which.co.uk/news/2018/02/re ... res/points out the Grenfell fire originated from a fridge / freezer. The same report shows washing machine and tumble drier fires are almost equal, followed by cookers, dishwashers and then refrigeration.

It shows that in its survey where the make was identified in a fire, Hoover and Whirlpool (the latter includes Hotpoint and Indesit brands) were the worst. Beko was also responsible for a lot of refrigeration fires relative to its market share.

We run our appliances over night, including washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier. All of them are Miele, have 10 year guarantees and less than 2 years old. By all accounts it is a low risk, long life brand and that is why we chose it. All properly installed ie not by the van driver who delivered them... All fire detectors in our house are within 2 years old and tested. Hence we lose no sleep about using cheap rate energy over night and avoiding the (slight I admit) appliance noise during the day.

The plastic backed machines are very bad in a fire



Scary stuff!

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby HappyHacker » 08 Dec 2021, 11:55

Doug wrote:A house locally burnt down recently & forensics pinpointed the cause as the smart meter so I’m past worrying about the dishwasher running at night (it has for the last 19 years) but I’m putting a smoke alarm under the stairs now :o


A neighbour asked me to look this electrics as he had no power and other neighbours did. He had power but no neutral connection on the supply and the smart meter appeared dead. I called Scottish Power on his behalf. They were out quickly and diagnosed a loose connection in the tails to the smart meter that had been fitted a few weeks before. A potential cause of fire in slightly different circumstances. His energy provider would not accept a complaint from the Scottish Power engineer due to data protection. When my neighbour wrote a letter of complaint about their smart meter fitters incompetence, he got a reply thanking him for asking for home visit!

Smart meters give the power providers the option of variable pricing so when there is surplus power you get a cheap rate and can turn the washing machine, car charger or immersion heater on automatically. This of course then demands a smart home. As surplus power will probably come at night, unless everyone is trying to charge their cars up, the potential for more fires from appliances increases.

The advice used to be not to run appliances when there was no one around. I can't believe the modern ones are less likely to burst into flame.

I am resisting the incessant calls for me to fit a smart meter as long as possible, the only ones to benefit are the power companies who do not need to read the meter. I also try to persuade my wife not to leave the dishwasher running when she comes to bed.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Phil » 08 Dec 2021, 12:04

HappyHacker wrote:. I also try to persuade my wife not to leave the dishwasher running when she comes to bed.


My wife takes the dishwasher to bed :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby RogerS » 08 Dec 2021, 12:05

We'll run stuff whenever we feel like it. All relatively new and good brands. It's a numbers game in the end. Life's too short to fuss about such things. Yeah...I know...life could be cut even shorter but there you go ! We do have good smoke and fire alarms.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Woodster » 08 Dec 2021, 12:07

Andyp wrote:
Dishwasher and washing machine often left to run on cheaper overnight lecky. We dont own a tumble dryer which from recent headlines I would defo not leave unattended.


Not worth the risk to save a few pennies.


https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... keth-fire/



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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Pete Maddex » 08 Dec 2021, 12:08

Smart meters give the energy companys the ability to charge more at peak times, do you think they would save you money? :shock:

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Pete Maddex » 08 Dec 2021, 12:10

Known fault with a lot of dishwashers, we had the controler replaced in ours as it was one on the list.

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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Woodster » 08 Dec 2021, 12:20

Apologies, I was incorrect. It’s actually 300 fires a week, not a year. The biggest culprit being washing machines.

https://www.diyweek.net/nearly-300-hous ... appliances
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Sheffield Tony » 08 Dec 2021, 12:34

About a year ago, when I was on crutches with a broken ankle, I was in the back room by the kitchen. My wife was on the phone in another room. I heard a "Phut !" sound from the kitchen and hobbled to investigate - to find the microwave oven (about 30 years old) pouring smoke out of every vent. It was on at the wall, but off at its internal timer. It had been used a little while earlier. I turned it off at the wall and yelled for help ! I suppose it didn't actually catch fire, but did make quite a stench.

Washing machines and especially old style tumble driers are obviously going to be a risk - movement, vibration, poorly finished metal edges, heat sources. Fridges and freezers are on unattended all the time so much more chance of them going when nobody is around. But charging Lithium batteries can be dodgy too, particularly given the number of dodgy fake batteries - like most of the ones on Amazon. Remember the Samsung Note 7 ? Even the IET had a cartoon in their magazine with a bloke lighting a woodburner with a box marked "Samsung firelighters" next to him.

I too am holding out against smart meters. I don't see an advantage to me - I don't need a little bit of clutter to float around wasting batteries while telling me what I already know.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby RogerS » 08 Dec 2021, 12:35

Woodster wrote:Apologies, I was incorrect. It’s actually 300 fires a week, not a year. The biggest culprit being washing machines.

https://www.diyweek.net/nearly-300-hous ... appliances


Why don't you actually read what any article says before jumping in with whatever particular hobby-horse you're riding at the moment?

This is what the article says ..NOT washing machines.

The biggest cause of domestic appliance fires remain cookers (incl. ovens). More than 8,000 blazes were started by a cooker. That’s over half (53%) of all domestic appliance fires tackled by the fire services. Toasters were the third highest cause of dwelling appliance fires, with 1,368 blazes started by a faulty toaster. Microwave ovens were the cause of 922 fires during 2019/20.

You also omit to consider just how many domestic appliances there are in the country and so what the percentage of fires is relative to the installed base. You also neglect to reference that the article has been written by a company keen to sell you domestic appliance insurance.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Sheffield Tony » 08 Dec 2021, 12:42

And are those fires - particularly cooker ones - caused by appliance faults. I imagine it includes incompetent installation, poor cleaning and careless use too. Actually it has been said that the biggest improvement in home safety was the introduction, not of Part P, but of the oven chip.

I think I can only recall having seen one house fire in my life - someone broke their inspection lamp while applying woodworm treatment in the loft :o . Oh, and a chimney fire which was well impressive. Looked like a fighter jet engine with the reheat on.
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Re: Running appliances overnight

Postby Alf » 08 Dec 2021, 12:55

Mike G wrote:My father in law used to go around the house and unplug everything except the fridge before going to bed. Literally pull the plug out. I'm not sure he understood quite how electricity works.

Yeah, everyone knows for that to work you need to shake the spare electrickery out of the pipe as well.

Doug71 wrote:My old Bosch washing machine would bleep loudly when it finished it's cycle until you gave it some attention, drove me mad.

My new machine doesn't bleep which means I put a load of washing in it then totally forget about it until I find it the next day because it doesn't bleep to remind me it's finished the cycle :eusa-doh:

Our machine embraces the worst of both and beeps for a while and then stops. So I swear at it and promise that'll get to it in a minute for a while, and then promptly forget it when it stops.

Absolutely the only thing that works for me is a piece of card on the kitchen table saying "washing machine" in capital letters that gets put away once it's emptied and not before. I have many, many similar pieces of card for domestic tasks I will otherwise inevitably forget. On a bad day the kitchen table looks like a page from a To Do List and I look like a very frazzled and annoyed domestic who was definitely away for the goddess classes.
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