· Michael Blair
Appliances mostly fail from neglect of a small number of simple tasks. In Middle Tennessee, hard water adds a couple more that matter here more than elsewhere.
Refrigerator
Clean the condenser coils twice a year, check the door seals with a paper test, and keep a few inches of clearance for airflow.
Dusty coils make the compressor work harder and shorten its life, and it is the most neglected task on the most expensive appliance in the kitchen.
Washing machine
Replace supply hoses every five years and use braided stainless. Leave the door ajar between washes on a front-loader so the gasket dries, which prevents the smell.
Clean the gasket fold and the drain filter periodically.
- Fridge coils twice a year
- Washer hoses replaced every five years
- Front-loader door left ajar to dry the gasket
- Dryer vent cleaned annually — a genuine fire risk
- Dishwasher filter cleaned and descaled periodically
Dryer
Lint filter every load and the vent duct annually. The vent is the one with a documented fire risk and it is the least likely to have been done.
Longer drying times are the practical signal that the duct is restricted.
Hard water items
Flush the water heater annually, descale the dishwasher, and clean tap aerators and shower heads. All of these accumulate scale faster in Middle Tennessee than manufacturers assume.
A softener addresses the cause across all of them, which is a large part of its practical case here.