Posts Tagged safety

Home Appliances – How Long Do They Last?

Would you like to know how long appliances like your oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer might last? How about your furnace, air conditioner, roof or the toilet in your bathroom? Every appliance and component in your home has a design life. Components like the foundation and wood frame should last for the life of your home. You will need to replace other appliances and components at some point.

The average home appliance and component design lives listed below assume that you perform recommended periodic inspection and maintenance and assume that the appliance or component is at least average quality. Components that are not properly maintained, lower quality appliances and components, and components subject to extreme conditions may not last as long as indicated. Conversely, appliances and components that are well maintained and are of higher quality may last longer. Times are in years.

Air conditioner external condenser unit 10-15
Air handler (gas furnace/heat pump) 18-22
Clothes dryer 10-20
Clothes washing machine 8-15
Dishwashing machine 8-12
Disposal 5-12
Electrical panels and circuit breakers 35-40
Exhaust fan (bath, laundry, kitchen) 15-20
Fireplace (prefab wood burning 20-25
Garage door opener 10-15
Ground fault circuit interrupter receptacles/breakers 5-15
Gutters (aluminum) 15-25
Microwave oven (built-in) 10-15
Paint (exterior) 5-10
Plumbing pipes (galvanized) 40-60
Range, oven, surface unit 15-22
Refrigerator 15-20
Roof tiles 40-60
Roof tile underlayment (30# felt) 20-40
Roll roof covering (mineral) 7-15
Shingles (20 year) 13-18
Shingles (dimensional) 5-20
Smoke alarms 10-12
Toilet tank interior parts 5-8
Ventilation fan (attic) 5-10
Water heater (electric) 12-14
Water heater (gas) 11-13

Construction defects put your family’s health and safety at risk and cost you money. Everybody’s Building Code helps you avoid construction defects, whether you do the work yourself or hire a contractor. Everybody’s Building Code explains the International Residential Code in plain language and illustrates it with numerous drawings and pictures

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Home Appliance Repair – Top Safety Tips

Some people have the knack, skill, experience or ability to repair their own home appliances. For those who have do not have any idea what so ever if they have this knowledge but are wiling to try to find out, there are a few things which they will need to remember for their own safety when attempting either basic or difficult repair work.

Safety First

Electricity is probably the most dangerous hazard to consider when attempting any product repair. It is always a necessity to unplug anything from the electrical outlet prior to beginning your repair work in order to make sure that you do not harm yourself or anybody else. Always check the appliance plug to see if it is plugged into a wall socket or any other electrical outlet before dismantling the appliance for your repair work. This move may well save your life.

Another thing that may cause the repairman some grief are any open wires or exposed wires. Again, prior o beginning your work, you need to always check for exposed wires or cuts in the wires leading to the electrical socket or plug. Handling cut wires may lead to an electrocution which would be extremely dangerous, and possibly even lead to death. To reduce the risk of electrocution, it is best to use electrical tape to tape up any cut or exposed wires before even plugging in the appliance.

Another home appliance repair safety tip is to always wear slippers or shoes when fixing the appliances, so that you are grounded. It is also advisable to do your repair work in a suitable place, such as a workshop, with no water hazards or any other hazards which may add to the risk of repairing your appliance.

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