I highly recommend placing water alarms near the base of your washer and dish washer....but if you're not at home then it's not of much help ;-)

LOL Oly. I totally hear you. :-)

The job I did warped me! When you spend your life talking to people who say they never expected what happened to them, it tends to skew one's risk/reward evaluation.

I am probably way too conservative, so perhaps we balance each other out in the grand scheme of things.

i always run the dish washer and/or washer/dryer when i know i'm going to be home for the duration. since i'm retired with zero social life, it's pretty easy for me to do.

It's a different topic, but be aware that social connections and regularly spending time with others is a known positive factor contributing to enhanced longevity. The lack of doing so, a so-called more solitary existence, has the opposite effect.

Not after the water incidents I've had that ruined multiple rooms in my house. I hadn't left anything running but why take the risk?

I will leave the washing machine running when I'm not home, but not the dryer - although I'm vigilant about cleaning out the dryer hose/vent once per quarter.

I run my dishwasher every night - I turn it on as I put the last of our drinkware into it after I've closed our kitchen, on the way to bed.

I've read terrible stories of people on vacations coming home to cascading water flowing down their stairs. We recently had an incident, and we were oblivious to it. Our ancient house has a dungeon-like basement with stone walls and beams and I rarely go down. One side is cat litter boxes and cat trees, and in the winter, my little greenhouse. The other side has one thing: the relatively new gas furnace and AC. So when we were getting our yearly AC inspection, when husband and the guy went into the room, they found water on the floor and on wooden beams. After inspection, it was found that the icemaker in our 25-year-old Jenn-Aire refrigerator had sprung a leak. Thankfully, nothing happened except a damp floor which dried up, but if this had been a nicely furnished family room, it would have been costly. ( by the way...my 25-year-old refrigerator is still working well, minus the icemaker)

Worse that can happen (no basement) is insurance pays for replacement of anything damaged, while I stay in a nice hotel somewhere.

That's not quite how it works, Oly. Our insurance paid for a hotel only while the huge, noisy fans were running. That's a few days. After that, you have workers in your home for weeks tearing things out and building them back. It's a major inconvenience.

Word of advice--don't store photos and important paper in cardboard boxes on closet floors nearby a washer. Fortunately the water didn't quite make it to the closet.

When our flooring had to be replaced, our insurance covered the 6 day cost of hotel during the entire floor replacement project. Our bedroom was still usable & didn’t need flooring replaced but they still paid. The company doing the work said the amount of dust that would be raised & floating wasn’t a condition we should live in. Our furniture was moved out into a pod in the driveway. All of our 5.5” tall baseboards were pulled off & all doors were removed & stored in garage. Then the flooring was pulled up. Our new flooring needed a different underlayment on top of sub floor & we used cork to make flooring be the same height as original floor - otherwise the baseboards wouldn’t be the same height on the wall. When new floor in & baseboards replaced, all the baseboards were painted because of course they were all dinged up. Some wall repairs were made too. We had full replacement coverage so insurance did pay 100%. That was our first & only house claim we’ve had in all our years of home ownership. A good experience. Yes, our rate did increase the next year but not much.

Almost always when I'm sleeping (much cheaper electricity rates). I am not overly concerned. I don't usually run them when I'm out, but that's because I usually run them when I'm sleeping ;)

I won't ever hook up a water dispenser or ice maker in my fridge (I'd rather buy without one), and turning off the water to my current fridge's ice maker is one of the first things I did when I bought this house.

Another one who doesn't run the dishwasher, washing machine or dryer unless I'm home.

One of the reasons that I bought my Bosch dishwasher is because it has a one hour quick cycle which is the one I usually use.

Where did you come down on the unplugging appliances when not in use? If you were on the side of unplugged--then ya you should never run the washers when you are gone or asleep.

If course there can be a concern with appliance breakdown. Not something I dwell on.

I run my dishwasher right after dinner because I want to empty it before bedtime. I don't want to unload dishes in the morning.

My sister never leaves her dryer running if she's not at home for fear of a fire.So you can add that one to the list.

We domalways turn the water off when we are away and unplug toaster and Kuerig.

Only the dishwasher gets run unattended sometimes. I'm kind of fanatical about not leaving large bits of food on any dishes to avoid clogging the filter.

And I do not like to leave clean laundry sitting in the washer - things get funky pretty fast in our climate. And the timer/sensor doesn't work on our washer/dryer combo, so you have to stop the dryer manually. It's not our washer/dryer(renting), so we're stuck with what we've got.

A couple of years ago friends foolishly as it turned out, left their teen aged daughter at home with friends while they were away for the w/end. Apparently she put some washing into the dryer and went to bed. She was awakened by a burly fireman climbing through her window and carrying her down his ladder. Luckily neighbours had seen the flames and smoke otherwise the young people wouldn't be here today. The family had to move out for many months while the insurance was sorted and the house rebuilt.

Roxsolid. One table leg shorter than the others? Get a bigger collection of beer mats.

vee new, in different circumstances, being carried by a burly fireman sounds kind of appealing. 🤭

I’m glad everyone was okay.

^^^LOL^^^

" Apparently she put some washing into the dryer and went to bed. She was awakened by a burly fireman climbing through her window and carrying her down his ladder. "

Your friends need to add some fire alarms/smoke detectors.

Glad everyone was OK.

Ok. Another thing I'm supposed to worry about but won't. There's no way I'm hanging around at home just because appliances are running. (I don't have a drier.)

Ha - it's not the table legs, it's the floor 😄

Some of you seem to have the attitude "I don't care, don't want to do that" Or put another way, "I haven't thought about it, haven't asked anyone about, nothing's happened yet, I should be fine".

If risk mitigation for any risk is easily done with simple workarounds that cause no inconvenience, I'm not sure how the rationalizations of doing nothing or blowing-off a potential problem can be seen as a better choice.

Maybe it's hypocritical? I love to fall asleep to the sound of the dishwasher running. And I say it's hypocritical because I'm leaving something plugged in, that has a heating element. Though, we were talking about not leaving small appliances with heating elements plugged in before 🤭

" I'm not sure how the rationalizations of doing nothing or blowing-off a potential problem can be seen as a better choice. "

There are soooo many "potential problems" that we all blow off every day, though we may not all blow off the same potential problems as other people. I would not enjoy my life if I worried about every potential problem or spent my time mitigating for every potential problem, so I don't: I assess risk vs. reward and cost vs. benefit, and make some choices. We'll all make different choices. That's OK.

I would like to cross check the answers from the unplugging thread. Feel like someone might be saying that we're overreacting there but underreacting here? Is that my imagination?

rob333 - I got a laugh at your post. I was thinking the same thing. Some of us unplug only the little appliances & on a daily basis no less but never unplug the big ones even when leaving town for extended periods.

Toronto Veterinarian - I agree with you. We each do what we’re comfortable with and the household maintenance risks we either take or try to mitigate likely come from either long standing routines and habits & partly from what horror stories we’ve each heard about from friends & families or have read about or even experienced ourselves.

Another thought. 🤔

Setting the pre-set on an oven for a meal to start cooking before you get home?

eta E-bike batteries left to charge. 🫪

It’s a lot to think about.

Comments?

Well - my induction range is WiFi enabled so I could start the oven preheating before I come home. But, even if I weren’t retired I just can’t come up with a scenario where I would want to do that.

Don’t know about E-bike batteries but we do have several yard equipment tools with rechargeable batteries. My husband always unplugs the chargers when batteries are charged back up. I don’t like leaving my devices charging when I leave home. Just a thing for me. But our desktop PC though turned off when not in use is still plugged in.

KW, would you go out while the yard equipment batteries are charging? I do.

I think starting an oven on timed delay would be quite helpful for a family where people are at work all day.

Crockpots? Slow cookers?

" There are soooo many "potential problems" that we all blow off every day, though we may not all blow off the same potential problems as other people. "

Sure. But how many involve potential loss of life or loss of a home? Or major damage? When, as I mentioned with the trio of dishwasher, clothes washer, clothes dryer, one can say this as I said above:

" risk mitigation for any (such) risk is easily done with simple workarounds that cause no inconvenience, "

Some do but I certainly don't worry about any or all potential risks. Some are so easy and obvious, as these mentioned, that to lump them in with trivial ones seems like a way to rationalize taking an ostrich approach simply because the simple mitigation isn't something someone wants to do. Or, is a problem someone (as with some commenters above) never considered.

I'm guilty of timed delay on my oven. If I'm having an oven meal and I can't set it when I go hiking because it would be overcooked, I set it on the timer. I did have an oven fire when I was having my daughter's birthday dinner. Luckily, I baked the cake first, but just minutes after I put the chicken and potatoes in and walked by the stove, I saw a flame and the element burned out. We had to finish in the air fryer. But that wouldn't cause a house fire. It burned itself out.

As a matter of fact rox, I used to leave my slow cooker / crockpot on all day while I was at work. It was great to come home to lovely smell of dinner ready! See, I can ”live on the edge” with the best of them! 🤣 As far as the rechargeable batteries - we’ve all heard about the lithium batteries overheating / blowing up / starting fires, right? I think some of us think that these chargers are still drawing power & so running up the electric meter even when not actively charging. So, why not unplug to save energy?

KW, I think that there is a happy medium.

Living on the edge is fine, enjoy the view, just don’t fall off.

Priorities are different for different people.

eta KW, I don’t think I’m as organised as you are. ☹️

" we do have several yard equipment tools with rechargeable batteries. My husband always unplugs the chargers when batteries are charged back up. "

I don't unplug the charger, but I do take the batteries out of the charger, more for the health of the battery than the safety of it all. I was just in the laundry room where my chargers live, and one is plugged in now. I do the same for my smartphone and Apple watch: The charging cables are plugged in, even when there's no device being charged.

" Crockpots? Slow cookers? "

When I was a final year student and for my first few years at work I used a slow cooker - it helped me eat healthy meals rather than throwing together whatever, when I got home starving. Now I don't turn mine on when I'm not at home, because mine is 20 years old and probably not as safe as the new ones being made now. If I bought a new one, I'd be more likely to trust it.

" Sure. But how many involve potential loss of life or loss of a home? "

A fair number, from extension cords to engine oil. How many people check the oil level in their cars before leaving, so they don't break down in traffic and risk getting hit?

" risk mitigation for any (such) risk is easily done with simple workarounds that cause no inconvenience, "

Those are judgements (easily, simply, no inconvenience) that might be different for different people.

@roxsolid - I wore a project manager hat for much of my working life - organization is in my DNA. 🤣

Toronto, my friend gave me a crockpot back in the mid 90's. I used it up until I bought a bigger one maybe 5 years ago. I never had a problem with it in all that time.

As for battery chargers, I follow the directions for each product. For example, my Black and Decker trimmer and blower battery stays on the charger, plugged in, all the time. My new battery powered lawnmower gets recharged and then taken off the charger and charger unplugged. Per instructions.

Do people turn off their heat or AC when they are not home? Or the refrigerator? Drain the toilet? Or turn off the main switch to the water or the hot water heater? All of those things could, theoretically, cause some kind of terrible situation. I am not trolling. It's just that there are so many things to be anxious about if you try.

Exactly, faftris, exactly.

FWIW, a few years back, a work colleague lost their home to a fire from their golf cart battery, which was left charging overnight. They were lucky to wake up and get themselves and their young children out in time.

Faftris, when going on a trip, I turn off the HVAC systems (no reason to heat or cool an empty house), and turn off the main water valve, Two minutes, tops. If I forget the HVAC, I can do it remotely from an app on my phone.

You don't exactly "empty" toilets because the water in the bowl IS THE TRAP that keeps sewer gas in the drainpipe system and out of the house. The only thing that can actually "leak" with a toilet is where the tank connects to the base, for a two-piece toilet. Or if the float valve or flapper valve malfunction. Normally with the second thing I just mentioned, the water runs into the bowl and down the drain line. I turn off the fresh water so there's no risk of that. Two piece toilets can leak at the junction of the two pieces. I've only bought one piece toilets (and replaced three two piece ones in a second home we bought) for that very reason, so that there's no possibility of the toilets leaking other than down the drain.

I turn down the temp setting of water heaters, no need to heat water for an empty house. 30 seconds each.

Others can do what they want. I know there are some snowbirds among the participants here and you can be sure they either winterize and prepare their homes for being empty, have house sitters, or people checking regularly.

Risks of these kinds with a greater than remote possibility of happening are easily mitigated. There's no reason to lose sleep. But there's also no reason to say "I never do that and never have a problem". That's a rationalization, not a thoughtful assessment.

There is a big difference in how you leave your house when you go out shopping or for a round of golf for the day, or if you are leaving for an extended period of time.

I don’t close windows for an outing of a few hours if the weather is good. I do close windows for a holiday.

I don’t adjust the thermostat when I go out for a few hours, I do adjust it when I go on holidays.

Different scenarios.

Of course others can do what they want. 🙄 And they do. Why wouldn’t they?

I’m not going to speculate on why people do what they do.

Remember George Carlin?

”Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.”

carol, off topic but your post reminded me of a story my husband told me.

When he was a kid, his sister left a toy magnifying glass on the back ledge inside their dad’s car. The car was parked in the hot sun. The whole back seat caught on fire.

They managed to put it out quickly. But, boy what a mess.

For anyone concerned about my cavalier attitude to risk assessment remember I don't drive a car. Dying in a car accident is far more likely than dying in a house fire. And most house fires in the UK occur between 18.00 and 20.00 while people are cooking, not at other times. So I'll continue to use the features provided by the manufacturers for my convenience. Waiting for the lightning bolt from the sky.

Elmer, going away for a week or two is quite different from heading out to the grocery store.

faftris, have you seen the traffic in some places? 😄

roxsolid, you are on fire today, girl!!! Be careful. LOL

Sorry, I read faftris' words too quickly.

floral, I wouldn't say you're cavalier about risk assess. Perhaps, more accurate to say that you're a tad stubborn and perhaps in denial about the value of simple risk mitigation.

elm, I think you are being a bit too presumptuous. And frankly,unkind and quite condescending.

floral, does what floral does. We all do.

I doubt she’d analyze you like that.

She has different priorities. 🤷‍♀️

I predicted you’d say that. 🤠

PPPT -piss poor potty training