Western Pennsylvania winters aren't the harshest in the country, but they're long, and they swing. A week of hard cold can give way to a thaw and a cold rain, then freeze again overnight. That back-and-forth is tough on anything with water in it, anything that vents outdoors, and any appliance sitting in a space the furnace doesn't reach.
Work through this list in stages: once in the fall, again when a cold snap is forecast, and around the holidays.
In the fall, before the first hard freeze
The garage or porch refrigerator and freezer
- •Find the model number and look up the ambient temperature range in the owner's manual or on the manufacturer's website. Many standard refrigerators are designed for a heated room. Some models are labeled garage-ready and handle a wider range.
- •Understand what cold does to a combination fridge-freezer. When the thermostat sits in the fresh-food section, a cold garage can keep the compressor from running much at all, and the freezer side warms up. Frozen food softening in January is a classic sign.
- •Decide what to do about it. Options include moving the unit indoors for the season, emptying it and unplugging it, or replacing it with a model rated for the space. Don't wrap it in blankets or box it in; it needs airflow to work properly.
- •Clean the condenser before winter. A dusty coil doesn't matter much in the cold, but it will matter again next summer, and it's easier to do now.
Outdoor faucets and nearby lines
- •Shut off and drain outdoor faucets that don't have frost-free valves.
- •Find out where your washer and refrigerator water lines run. If any pass along an outside wall, through a crawl space, or across an unheated room, note them.
The dryer vent
- •Clean the full duct run, from the back of the dryer to the outside hood.
- •Check the exterior hood. Make sure the flap moves freely and nothing is growing over it. Take note of where it is: if it's close to the ground, you'll need to find it under snow later.
The furnace room
Many homes have the laundry, water heater and furnace sharing a basement. Keep lint, detergent jugs and clutter away from the furnace and water heater, and make sure your carbon monoxide alarms are working.
When a cold snap is forecast
Water lines on exterior walls
A frozen line can crack, and the leak often doesn't show until it thaws. When the forecast turns bitter:
- •Open cabinet doors under a kitchen sink on an outside wall so warm air reaches the pipes.
- •Keep the heat on in rooms with water lines, even if you don't use the room.
- •Watch the refrigerator dispenser and ice maker. If both stop during a cold stretch, the supply line may have frozen. Shut off its valve and have the line checked once it thaws.
Washer hoses
- •If your washer sits in an unheated space, such as an attached garage or an enclosed porch, water left in the hoses, pump and valve can freeze. The washer's manual usually has winterizing instructions for a machine that won't be used in freezing conditions. Follow them if the space regularly drops below freezing.
- •Inspect rubber hoses for bulges, cracks and brittle spots. Cold makes old rubber more likely to fail.
After it snows
- •Clear the dryer vent hood. Snow drifts and plow piles can bury a vent at ground level. A blocked vent makes the dryer run hot and long, and on a gas dryer it can push combustion gases back into the house.
- •Clear other appliance vents as well, such as a direct-vent water heater or a high-efficiency furnace intake and exhaust.
- •Shovel a path to the vent if you use the dryer daily.
Around the holidays
The oven
- •Don't run self-clean the day before a big meal. The self-clean cycle runs the oven extremely hot for hours. That heat stresses the door lock, thermal fuses, sensors and control board, and if something fails, you want to find out with time to fix it. If you want a clean oven for the holidays, run the cycle a few weeks ahead, or clean it by hand.
- •Test bake a batch a week or two before. Put an oven thermometer on the center rack and compare it to the setting. A small variance is normal; a big one points to a sensor or thermostat problem.
- •Check the burners. On gas cooktops, clean the burner caps and ports so every burner lights promptly. On glass-top ranges, confirm every element heats.
- •Don't block the oven vent with foil or a pan on the cooktop over it.
The refrigerator
Holiday food loads fill refrigerators past normal capacity. Keep air vents inside the compartments clear, don't stack warm dishes directly against the back wall, and avoid holding the door open while reorganizing. If a second refrigerator in the garage is pressed into service, remember that the cold garage issue applies.
The dishwasher
- •Clean the filter at the bottom of the tub before the holiday rush.
- •Run hot water at the kitchen sink before starting a cycle, so the dishwasher fills with hot water from the start.
Indoor air and condensation
Winter indoor air is often dry, but condensation still shows up in surprising places:
- •Around a refrigerator door, damp or frosty gaskets can mean a poor seal.
- •On cold water lines in the basement, especially near the washer.
- •Inside the dryer duct, if it runs through a cold space and the dryer isn't getting its full airflow.
Water where it shouldn't be isn't always a leak from the appliance, so check the source before assuming the worst.
Late winter
- •Check the dryer vent again for lint and ice.
- •Look for water stains around washers, refrigerators and dishwashers that might signal a slow leak that started during the freeze.
- •Check sump pumps before spring thaw and rain.
When to call
Call if a garage fridge or freezer is outside its range and still won't hold temperature after being moved, if the ice maker or dispenser stays stopped after the lines thaw, if the dryer runs long with a clear vent, or if the oven is off temperature before your holiday cooking.
A technician will diagnose the appliance at your home, explain what failed, and quote the repair before any work begins. Call or book online to schedule.