# Leaving the house with appliances on. Which ones okay for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481 "2009-12-24T20:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/21 "2009-12-27T16:32:55Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > And gas dryers are not? I have been using gas dryers for nearly forty years, and have yet to have one catch fire. . Me too…I used to say the same thing…but it is that 41st year when it goes up in huge flames. Its kinda like a slot machine, or Russian Roulette, you never know when its gonna happen. It might not take 40 years for somebody else. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/22 "2009-12-27T16:54:06Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I think a lot of it is a fear by those from older generations, and those that grew up with the more obsessive members of those generations, [that any electrical object left on and unattended would explode or catch on fire](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=471447). I have a friend who’s dishwasher caught fire and would have burned the house down if they weren’t there. I don’t leave anything on when I leave the house except the central air conditioner and heater. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/23 "2009-12-27T17:04:35Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I don’t leave anything on when I leave the house except the central air conditioner and heater. If recent news reports any indication, [furnace fires](http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS320US322&q=furnace%20fire&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wn) are nearly as common as [dryer fires](http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&um=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=dryer+fire); why is this risk acceptable? Will your house be any less consumed when the fire starts in the furnace as opposed to the dryer? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/24 "2009-12-27T17:24:23Z")
I leave the fridge, freezer and crockpot running while I’m out of the house. I don’t usually have anything cooking in the oven for such a long time that I need to consider whether to stay in or not. However, I don’t leave the washing machine running because it’s wearing out and rather cranky - it sticks at one part of the cycle and has to be manually moved on, and it doesn’t run the full spin cycle properly so that often has to be started again. It’s never leaked or anything, but it seems pointless to leave it when I know that it won’t run the full cycle without a bit of human intervention. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/25 "2009-12-27T17:24:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > If recent news reports any indication, [furnace fires](http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS320US322&q=furnace%20fire&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wn) are nearly as common as [dryer fires](http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&um=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=dryer+fire) Thus, driers are much more dangerous than furnaces. ---
**Author:** ![EnginNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@EnginNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnginNerd)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/26 "2009-12-27T18:13:16Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Thus, driers are much more dangerous than furnaces. Also, the furnace keeps the pipes from freezing and bursting, which is much more likely in many parts of the world than a furnace fire. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/27 "2009-12-27T18:27:25Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Thus, driers are much more dangerous than furnaces. Or, for those who read the cites, only a little more common than furnace fires. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/28 "2009-12-27T19:57:07Z")
What about when you go to sleep then? Sure, you’re there, but you’re likely “out” for 6-8 hours and may not notice something’s amiss until it’s too late. Do you also unplug/turn off everything at bedtime? ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/29 "2009-12-27T22:37:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Or, for those who read the cites, only a little more common than furnace fires. And thus, much more dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/30 "2009-12-27T22:40:20Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > And thus, much more dangerous. Or just a little more dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/31 "2009-12-27T22:45:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Or just a little more dangerous. I don’t know about you, but my drier only runs for 40 minutes/week. My furnace runs 7 months/year. If the furnace-hours in this country grossly outnumber the drier-hours, yet the number of fires caused by both appliances is similar, then leaving your drier running unattended might not be a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/32 "2009-12-27T22:53:44Z")
Anectdata here…As an insurance adjuster for 30 years, I’ve handled many claims for burned houses due to dryer fires. I have never had a client with a furnace fire. I don’t have a cite, but it only stands to reason that a furnace is designed for the most part to run unattended. Hell, ours is even in the attic so getting to it would be extremely inconvenient. That’s not to say that they can’t catch on fire. If you have ignition and fuel, you have a risk of a fire. Also, most people know to change their furnace filter regularly. Most people don’t, however, clean their dryer exhaust ducts which is where the majority of those fires start. I do agree that it’s a matter of acceptable risk. I am willing to risk the furnace malfunctioning where I’m not willing to risk leaving the dryer unattended. It’s so easy to control the hazard, why risk it? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/33 "2009-12-27T23:56:05Z")
Having just left the dryer on when we went to see Sherlock Holmes yesterday, you all are giving me some food for thought. I have never thought twice about leaving a water based/electrical item going (i.e. dishwasher or washing machine), and certainly, a crock pot is meant to be left for long periods at low heat, so I also never gave it any thought. I am religious about cleaning out the dryer lint trap, and certainly have never had a problem with any item running while I am asleep. My only pet peeve has been open flames. My wife occasionally lights one of those cover-up-the-stink candles in the kitchen or bathroom, and I constantly blow them out. We are also Jewish, and do the candle lighting thing on Friday nights at times, but I will never leave a burning candle on in the house, though a gas dryer has never (until now) given me any pause… ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/34 "2009-12-28T00:33:07Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > My mom won’t leave the house with the dishwasher running. Not sure why. I have no problem leaving the house with the dishwasher or washing machine running. > > But, not the dryer. There’s an actual flame under there, and I can imagine ways that my nasty laundry room could have something that sweeps under there and catches fire. > > How about the oven? This afternoon I’m slow roasting some pork for about five hours, which traps me in the house. Does anyone see a problem with heading out for an hour while the oven is on? > > Just wanted to see if I’m crazy. I would not leave my house unattended with the oven roasting something. Although the store is only 2 miles away, I might get into a car accident that would leave me unable to tell someone to go home and turn off the oven. My oven has an alarm that can be set to tell when the time is done, but it won’t shut itself off. I wouldn’t want a car accident to be compounded by a larger tragedy of the house burning down. But I could also drop dead on my way to the bathroom at any minute, so I don’t like to worry too much. I don’t like to leave the washing machine on in case the load becomes unbalanced, but I wouldn’t really worry about the washer or dryer if I forgot to turn them off. I heat with a pellet stove and I trust the controls to work well, but I do turn it to a low or medium setting before leaving. If I know we will all be away for the day I turn it off, but that is just a fuel saving measure. I’m not going to pay to keep the cat warm, she is covered in fur. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/35 "2009-12-28T00:46:03Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I don’t know about you, but my drier only runs for 40 minutes/week. Clearly, you have no children. In a large family, it runs every day. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/36 "2009-12-28T21:18:52Z")
Anything that involves electricity and/or water and/or heat could potentially cause big problems. But it’s a tradeoff between convenience and the small possibility that something will go wrong. I don’t leave my washing machine going. There’s the flooding possibility, and the not-so-uncommon possibility of the water hoses bursting and filling your room/house/basement with water. I run the washer and when it’s done I turn the water supply to it off. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/37 "2009-12-28T21:28:43Z")
From _the Mary Tyler Moore Show_ the episode where Rhoda’s flat catches fire so she and Mary have to share Mary’s apartment. Phyllis) We found the fire was caused by a short in the refrigerator electrical cord Rhoda) How careless of me to leave the apartment with my refrigerator running 🙂 Now back to your regularly scheduled thread ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/38 "2009-12-28T21:40:50Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > It’s really a simple matter of risk management. It’s pretty easy to NOT leave your oven or dryer running when you leave the house (as opposed to your furnace), so why not do it? > [@](#): > > It happened to me too. Dryer fires are pretty common. I dunno. Everyone has their own threshhold for acceptable risk. I’d need a lot of hard data to convince me that there was a significant risk of a fire during any given period of operation - especially if, like me, you keep your appliances clean and in good repair. I think too often people overestimate risks based on what they heard - or even what they may have experienced on an isolated occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/39 "2009-12-28T22:17:50Z")
I guess the furnace vs. dryer argument is acceptable risk - there’s an actual risk of dying here if our furnace wasn’t running when it gets cold enough (as it often does), and a very real risk of serious property damage, so we take the risk of a running gas furnace over the risk of freezing to death or having our house destroyed by cold. I don’t have to accept the risk of a non-attended running dryer, so I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481/40 "2009-12-28T22:26:32Z")
When our dryer had the plastic-y accordian vent I would not leave the house or go to bed with it running. Now it has a metal vent and I feel safer leaving the house with it on, and I frequently go to bed with it running. I do clean it regularly. I leave for work with the crockpot on frequently. I will not leave with any water using appliances running, though. I have had bad luck with water here - clothes washer going bonkers, dishwasher not draining, pipes bursting (not an appliance, obviously, but water related). I’m paranoid about leaving home with anything using water running. Yes, I have been known to turn off the water completely when leaving for a long weekend, too. Also, for long weekends / vacations all computers are unplugged, only the TV with the DVR is plugged in, and most lamps are unplugged. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-the-house-with-appliances-on-which-ones-okay-for-you/522481.md?page=3)