[00:00:00] Eric Goranson: It's around the house. Well, we've been talking about appliances here of what's, uh, what's hot and what's not basically. And we're going to be talking now in this segment. We've talked about what the reliable ones were here in the last couple of segments, but here we're going to be talking about my tricks.

[00:00:20] Eric Goranson: For maintaining 'em. Now, here's some of the things that I want you to keep an eye out on, and this is stuff that you should be doing probably, well, it depends on which appliance, so we'll start out here with your dishwasher. Now your dishwasher is one that doesn't take a lot of maintenance, but you should be paying attention to a couple, couple things.

[00:00:41] Eric Goranson: One, if it has a screen or a strainer down on the bottom when it comes to remodeling and renovating your home, there is lot.

[00:00:56] Eric Goranson: Welcome to the round the house show. This is where we help you get the most out of your [00:01:00] home through information education. Thanks for joining us today. Wow. I can't believe we're in the holiday season. Uh, Thanksgiving is behind us and we're heading towards the end of the year. And I thought this episode here, we talk about something important for all of us.

[00:01:16] Eric Goranson: And that is appliances. We're going to talk about maintenance tips. What are the most reliable brands out there? There's a lot of great savings this time of year. Cause there's a lot of companies trying to, uh, you know, get blowouts and, and sales and all that stuff. So this is going to be the appliance episode today.

[00:01:34] Eric Goranson: And I wanted to start out first year before we get into that and talk about ways to get ahold of me. You can head over to around the house online. com where you can catch, uh, everything here about the show. We've also got a link over there to the television show where you can watch. It airs here in the Portland, Oregon market, and, uh, it is also streaming across the country and you can catch that on Hulu and or, um, geez, Amazon prime, so you can catch it there.[00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Eric Goranson: So a lot of different things there and make sure you follow us on social media, on Facebook. And on Instagram, and I've also got a Twitter account, so you can catch all of that right there. Well, today let's talk about the appliances here. And I wanted to talk and just start out right out the gun of the most reliable brands out there.

[00:02:19] Eric Goranson: And these are things that get interesting because. There's a lot of people out there that think, wow, I'm going to buy this, uh, made in America brand. It's going to be super reliable. And that's not always the case anymore. And there's a lot of things that have changed with appliances. So let's start out here with the most reliable appliances.

[00:02:39] Eric Goranson: The number one, we're going to start out big here. Is number one with a 4. 4 percent service rate. And where am I getting these figures from? This is one of my little secret stashes of great information. This is Yale appliances. They're out of the Northeast up there, kind of the Boston area. And they do a great report [00:03:00] because they sell all these different appliances and they service them.

[00:03:03] Eric Goranson: So they can really look at it from a great point of view. And they do a great customer service out there to everybody. With, uh, you know, just under four 40, 000 service calls logged by their service team each year. These guys really have a good idea of what's going on. So LG 4. 4%, which is kind of interesting, you know, when you look at it, because.

[00:03:27] Eric Goranson: This is their second year in a row at number one, and it's a little surprising because one of the cruxes of problems for appliance manufacturers are French store refrigerators and LG makes a ton of them. So that shows you that they've got this figured out pretty well, because every brand over the years has had some issue with a French store refrigerator, whether it's the compressors or refrigerator problems.

[00:03:52] Eric Goranson: Or I'm icing up. There's a lot of different issues with them. So LG is the number one right now in the service rate, which is pretty good. [00:04:00] So 4. 4 percent is really low compared to other people. And, um, so they're number one in reliability, number two, GE profile. Now pay attention to these brands a lot because there are different.

[00:04:15] Eric Goranson: You know, different brands, GE has GE, GE Profile, Hotpoint, they got a lot of different brands out there as far as appliances go, but GE Profile is their kind of upper end of the regular line. So, the GE Profile, a 6. 8 percent service rate. And so, that's pretty good. And so, that is basically their upscale refrigerator dishwasher cooking line is what that is.

[00:04:40] Eric Goranson: Uh, they have GE profile cafe appliances. Those are kind of the brands that they have in the GE line out there. So that's where it is pretty good. LG studio, which is a sub brand of LG at 7. 4%. Now, LG studios, a sub brand, as I said, but they have kind of a better build [00:05:00] quality, more features. And many times you get into this and when you get into more features, it's just like a car, if you've got a hundred features.

[00:05:08] Eric Goranson: Versus 50, you have twice as many things that can go wrong. So, uh, I'm not surprised that LG studio has a few more issues compared to, you know, the 4. 4 percent service rate on the standard LG line. So Maytag is number four with a 7. 4 percent service rate. Which, uh, their previous service rate, they're getting better their previous service rate was 8.

[00:05:33] Eric Goranson: 6%. So, um, you know, that's pretty cool that that's going on. So, um, they've actually fixed a bunch of their issues, you know, the, in the, in the, like, 2022 and before. They had a bunch of issues with the laundry set with the soap dispensers and stuff, but it looks like they've got that figured out. Bosch is number 5 at 10%, so pretty good right there.[00:06:00]

[00:06:00] Eric Goranson: Um, the dishwashers are super reliable with a service rate of 5. 1%. But the refrigerator stoves wall oven stovetops are, are, you know, even that out to a, a 10 percent and that has gotten a lot better since 2021 where it was 11. 7 percent speed queen. I know a lot of you're going speed queen. What's that speed?

[00:06:23] Eric Goranson: Queen is a commercial grade washer and dryer set, whether it's a top load. Or a front load they make in front loads now, but those top load machines are like what you saw in your grandma's basement or a commercial type unit. These things are heavy duty. They have an 8. 9 percent service rate, you know, and a lot of people will sit there and say, hey, they, they don't make them like they used to except for speed queen because they make them just.

[00:06:54] Eric Goranson: Bulletproof and old school. So you're not going to have all the smart, fancy features and stuff on it. [00:07:00] But, um, it's pretty much like it's a commercial equipment. That's what it is. So Mila 10. 4 percent service rate at seven. They're number seven here. And, um, interesting thing with them, Mila appliances, they do a great job of building their own parts.

[00:07:19] Eric Goranson: So they're very sophisticated, you know, um, they now have 110 volt heat pump dryers. They have advanced washing machines, dishwashers, they have a lot of smart stuff in there. And so you're going to see that, you know, uh, traditionally a higher rate with all those different options. But the cool thing is Miele does, you know, they're very German and they build most of their components for their units where a lot of other companies and many other companies actually farm out those parts and buy these parts.

[00:07:51] Eric Goranson: And there are some companies out there that don't even make a lot of their own pieces, they buy them on the open market. So they'll buy switches and thermostats and all [00:08:00] those different things, you know, all the different parts off the open market and build them that way versus building their stuff.

[00:08:05] Eric Goranson: Miele is really good at building their own and manufacturing their own parts. So Signature Kitchen Suite, which is SKS, 9. 3%. And they're a sub brand under LG. This is their high end. So this is kind of, they built this to compete with the, with the Wolves, you know, and the Sub Zeroes and all of those different brands out there.

[00:08:31] Eric Goranson: So they're talking about professional ranges, integrated refrigeration, where you put panels on it. That kind of stuff. And they're at 9. 3%. Uh, Gaggenau 9. 4 percent service rate, number nine, pretty impressive. So Gaggenau, uh, is their exclusive cooking line from Bosch, German designed, manufactured in France.

[00:08:55] Eric Goranson: It's kind of what that is. So, um, they've got a lot of different [00:09:00] things like their coffee makers and stuff and with the high tech 9. 4 percent is really good. GE Appliances, uh, 10. 2 percent service rate. So, GE Appliances, they've got them dialed in there. Um, they've gone a little south on it. Last, uh, actually 2021, they're at 8.

[00:09:17] Eric Goranson: 4%. So, they've had a few more service issues. But, um, you know, the, they have a lot of features and those kinds of things on their units here. So it's something to really take a look at. Now, when we come back here, guys, we're going to talk more about some of these here and some of the lower ones on the list on the reliability list.

[00:09:35] Eric Goranson: We'll do that just as soon as around the house returns. Don't go anywhere. Faces. I would be

[00:09:50] Eric Goranson: so hot. Welcome.[00:10:00]

[00:10:14] Eric Goranson: Back to the around the house show. This is where we help you get the most out of your home through information and education. Thanks for joining us today. If you're just joining us on the radio out there on the talk media network, thanks for tuning into the show today. We've been talking about appliances and kind of my appliance tips.

[00:10:32] Eric Goranson: What is reliable? What's not let's review what we talked about in the last segment. Real quick. We were talking about the most reliable appliance brands for 2023. And this is a via. Yale appliance out of the Northeast because they've got a nice big service and they can actually cover their service, which is really cool of what they're working on so far.

[00:10:52] Eric Goranson: Uh, the best one LG with a 4. 4%. Second up is GE profile with 6. 8 percent [00:11:00] service rate LG studio at third Maytag, fourth Bosch, fifth six speed queen seven Mila. Eight signature kitchen suite, which is, uh, the high end version of LG. And then we talked about Gaggenau, which is the exclusive cooking line from Bosch.

[00:11:21] Eric Goranson: And then we talked about GE, just your standard GE stuff out there. And, uh, next up here at number 11 is Thermador at a 10. 5 percent service rate. And so, um. You know, they're selling mostly built in refrigerator pro ranges, wall oven, Steve Evans cooktops, um, which is really cool. Their reliability has improved dramatically when Bosch bought the company in the nineties and 10.

[00:11:52] Eric Goranson: 5%. Service rate on a high end appliance is really good because when you've got things that are very detailed, very specific, [00:12:00] very high optioned, and, uh, well, get really hot, there are things that, uh, can go wrong. So, 10. 5 percent is not bad for a high end appliance. Number 12 is KitchenAid, an 11. 2 percent service rate.

[00:12:15] Eric Goranson: And, you know, dishwashers again is their main 1 that is probably their best feature and reliability. Um, they're refrigerators and stoves. Um, you know, it's a good brand, but I tell you what, to me, it's still not the, the, what they were 20 years ago, but, uh, their dishwashers are still, you know, top of the market out there.

[00:12:37] Eric Goranson: And so that's really kind of our top 12 right there of those. And you notice there's some brands that aren't on their list in there. So there's a lot of brands we didn't talk about right there, and you know something, that's okay. Those are the ones that are not on the Yale appliance list of reliable.

[00:12:54] Eric Goranson: And there's some big ones that we didn't talk about today, so it's something to think about that those are going to [00:13:00] be not as reliable as these. And so we're not going to get into the unreliable ones because, well, that's not what we're talking about here. I wanted to keep it positive so we know what are the great brands to work with out there, because I think there's a lot of things that we can take a look at there.

[00:13:14] Eric Goranson: That are, that are kind of handy, you know, it's just good to know what is, uh, going to give you the best chances to have something nice and something you're not gonna have to call for service on. So that's something to think about now. Here's 1 thing I wanted to talk about. We're starting to see here with smart home tech and appliances.

[00:13:33] Eric Goranson: You know, it's, it's funny what you think of. Of refrigerators and dishwashers and wash machines and, and all this different stuff that smart home tech is becoming a much bigger piece of the puzzle here. And this is where, as you've heard in previous episodes, I have said that if you're going to be working on replacing the appliances in your kitchen, I strongly recommend that you just stay with that same brand, whatever it is, if it's G, if it's LG, [00:14:00] whatever you're doing, it doesn't matter to me, but stick with the same brand when you're going with smart appliances, because.

[00:14:06] Eric Goranson: You want them to be able to communicate together. And the nice thing is, is that, um, you know, there could be options. You are seeing over the air updates for these things. Like I think it was GE that had it. A year or two ago, if my memory serves me correctly, that one day people woke up and their convection oven had a, um, another added feature that they added in an over the air update that gave them an air fryer.

[00:14:31] Eric Goranson: So they actually gave it a program to turn that thing into an air fryer because it had everything inside of it to do that. And so all of a sudden they got an update and they're like, cool, my range is now an air fryer. So these are things that, that I think are a positive. That we can get a lot of stuff, you know, you get a lot of value with that and nowadays you're starting to see where these things can self diagnose themselves as well.

[00:14:55] Eric Goranson: So I think the electronics part of this is really good, you [00:15:00] know, and I think that's something that's going to make for for easily. You'll be able to easily tell what's going on with them, kind of like how cars these days, you can hook a scanner and it tells you exactly what's going on. Appliances are kind of that same way where we're starting to see more and more of that.

[00:15:15] Eric Goranson: Like my LG ones, I can actually put it in self diagnose mode and it'll start to see what's going wrong with it, which is kind of cool because so far I've never had to put any parts in them. And that's really handy. We don't have to do any additions like that of stuff. And I've had these things about 3 years.

[00:15:29] Eric Goranson: So I've got a, uh, my new appliances that I put in. I have a LG, um, French door refrigerator with the interview door and the craft ice. I have the styler and I have their stack. Uh, all in one laundry, which is cool. Now I went Z line for my appliances in the kitchen and in my 48 inch range, I have had to put in a few little things in there.

[00:15:54] Eric Goranson: We had to put in a, uh, oven temp sensor and the light [00:16:00] led light quit that was on the oven when it was heating. So you couldn't tell if it was heating or not. And so those are the two things on there. Other than that, everything else has gone really well. I've had no issues with it. So, and that's all new appliances in the house in the last three years.

[00:16:15] Eric Goranson: So really one service call and it was on a luxury appliance. That's not a bad bet. And so that's pretty cool right there And so really when you're talking about smart home tech, I think it's a good thing for it It just needs to be something that everybody's gonna use and so the more you can have these appliances talking to each other I think the better off you are So that's kind of important.

[00:16:36] Eric Goranson: Now I want to talk about here in the rest of this segment, some things that I don't want you doing right before the holidays here, because this can cause problems. I don't like using the self cleaning oven feature. Right before a holiday, like days before Thanksgiving, for instance, because that oven, the biggest chance of you cooking something inside that oven, that's important.

[00:16:58] Eric Goranson: And I'm talking about the [00:17:00] electronics or wires is that self cleaning feature. So be careful running the self cleaning feature gets that oven really hot, which works out well, but if it can also reveal problems that you have coming up where things were failing and all of a sudden it gets too hot and you've pushed it over the limit.

[00:17:21] Eric Goranson: And it also, the first time you cook after it, sometimes leaves a little bit of a, a burnt sooty taste in it. So, you don't want to do that right before you put in the holiday meal. So, if you've got two weeks before an event, go ahead and do it. And just plan on cooking something over a couple times to make sure that you get any smell out of there.

[00:17:43] Eric Goranson: And then make sure that you dust out the bottom of that oven of anything that's baked on or, or that has fallen down to the bottom. Clean that off before you do it. And afterwards, just get all the loose stuff out of there. And then, uh, you know, that gives you time in case you do burn something up in it, that you have to get a replacement part.

[00:17:59] Eric Goranson: If you've got a two or [00:18:00] three weeks, you can get those parts typically and have service come out and repair it. So you're not going to be without an oven for your, for your holiday. So yeah, just be really careful when you're talking, using that self cleaning function right before an event. I would do it after the event and give yourself some time just, just to make sure.

[00:18:17] Eric Goranson: That you're good. Now, when we come back here, we're going to be going out to break here in just a second, but we're going to be talking about my maintenance tips to make these appliances last longer. We'll do that just as soon as around the house.[00:19:00]

[00:19:10] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the around the house show. This is where we hope to get the most out of your home through information and education. Hey, if you want to find out more about us, head over to around the house online. com. And you can find us there as well as on social media. Just look for around the house show.

[00:19:26] Eric Goranson: Well, we've been talking about appliances here of what's, uh, what's hot and what's not basically. And we're going to be talking now in this segment, we talked about what the reliable ones were here in the last couple of segments, but here we're going to be talking about my tricks for maintaining them.

[00:19:41] Eric Goranson: Now, here's some of the things that I want you to keep an eye out on. And this is stuff that you should be doing probably. Well, it depends on which appliance. So we'll start out here with your dishwasher. Now your dishwasher is one that doesn't take a lot of maintenance, but you should be paying attention to a couple of things.[00:20:00]

[00:20:00] Eric Goranson: One, if it has a screen or a strain or down on the bottom, make sure that you're checking that weekly and cleaning it out. Second of all, every six months to a year, pop the toe kick off. And take a look and see if there's any water underneath there. When that pump seal starts to leak, it will drop water out of the tub on the ground, and this is one of the biggest causes of water damage in the kitchen.

[00:20:26] Eric Goranson: Is that dishwasher failing? So you want to take a look at that. If you've got a rubber hose that goes for the water line, I want you to keep an eye on that as well. Anytime that you have a machine that is turning off a solenoid, that water stops really quickly. So for that, I really like to see, you know, a braided flex line there.

[00:20:44] Eric Goranson: And not just a plastic or a rubber hose. Some people do copper. That's great. It's a little harder putting those in and out when you have to pull them out and due to maintenance replacing, but, uh, those flex line hoses work well. Just make sure that you're checking that and the drain [00:21:00] hose, just make sure you got the right loop, you know, per.

[00:21:03] Eric Goranson: Per the manufacturer's instructions and you'll be good to go now over the holidays. One of the biggest problems we see is garbage disposals and You know your relatives or family members getting that sink all plugged up and then you can have a problem So a couple things let's talk first about what not to put down the garbage disposal First off one of the biggest things is making sure that you don't put things that are stringy down there like anything like onion peels You know, to potato peels, uh, any of the things like that, corn husks, things like that, that have a stringiness to them, they like to get bound up and wound up inside it.

[00:21:42] Eric Goranson: And then you got a problem. So you don't want to put things that expand in there like rice. Um, and there's a lot of different, you know, bones, anything hard like that. You know, a garbage disposal is 1 of those things that, um, when they're working, yeah. They work great, but when they're not, they keep the plumbers and business out there [00:22:00] and if you're on a septic tank, I just don't recommend them at all because you're putting material down there that you're going to have to pump out later.

[00:22:06] Eric Goranson: It doesn't make any sense to put anything down into a septic tank. I think it's just going to cause you problems down the road. So I'm going to say no on the septic tank. They have in sync creator in the past did make some units out there that were septic friendly and it would inject. Yeah. This enzyme in, but, uh, I'm not a fan of putting it down there.

[00:22:24] Eric Goranson: Cause it's just going to be more problems that you put stuff down in there. You no need to have to clean that thing out sooner because you have a garbage disposal. Now, one of the biggest ones for maintenance is a front load washing machine and a couple of things with front load washing machines. First off.

[00:22:41] Eric Goranson: They have a filter that goes between the drum and the pump that's there to protect the pump. That way, a bobby pin, a screw, a nail, or any other little DIY thing that got left in your pockets doesn't screw that thing up. And so it's there to protect the pump. But when you pull out a set of towels, for instance, and you're [00:23:00] like, Wow, these things are really wet.

[00:23:02] Eric Goranson: That means that is plugged up. So that means you get to change that. And it's not a filter that you go buy at the store. It's just a screen basically, or a little catch basin in there that keeps those things from going there. But once you get a couple of coins, once you get a Bobby pin or two in there. It really starts to grab hair and other things.

[00:23:20] Eric Goranson: And then it just ends up plugging up and then it doesn't drain. Well, if it gets really bad, it might send off an error code on the front of it. So almost all front load washing machines have this filter. So take the time and do the research on your model number to see where it is. I have an LG and it's right in the front.

[00:23:39] Eric Goranson: You flip the, the, the door down. There's a drain tube there that you can drain into a pan, as well as there's a tube there to make sure that you've got it all dialed in. So just drain it down. And then unscrew that and make sure you got some towels around if it's on a hardwood floor or a floor that can be damaged.

[00:23:55] Eric Goranson: Be really careful. You will get some water out of there. Some have [00:24:00] drained some don't. So, uh, make sure you've got a catch base in there, something to catch the water in and something to clean it up afterwards because it is a little bit messy. But once you get that cleaned out, you'll be good to go again.

[00:24:11] Eric Goranson: And it's going to save you money because you don't have to depend on the dryer doing too much. Now, the next thing is, as many dryers, I mean, many washing machines. You know, when it goes to the dryer like that, the clothes are clean, but then they sit around and they get damp. So older front load washing machines had kind of a mildew mold problem.

[00:24:29] Eric Goranson: If you closed them up and they just sat there wet all the time, then you had an issue. Every single washing machine needs to have a cleaning cycle done on it from time to time. Now it could be that yours is a steam one. So it'll run through a steam cycle. Sometimes you'll need to buy that drum cleaner to run it through there.

[00:24:46] Eric Goranson: Either way, it works really well. But you'll want to do that every once in a while. Mine automatically tells me when to do it. And I just buy, I think it's the tide brand dishwasher. Uh, sorry, clothes washer detergent. That's [00:25:00] just for cleaning the machine, not your clothes. So it's a little pack. You pour it in there, hit the start button off.

[00:25:04] Eric Goranson: It goes through the, and you set it on the cleaning cycle and it cleans the tub and gets everything. All nice and clean and smelly. You can start to see when it starts to get musty, it's time to run that through the cycle. So follow your directions on tub cleaning because that's a big one. Now with any wash machine, you should be doing this too for your top loader as well.

[00:25:24] Eric Goranson: And what happens is, is all the oils, suds, soap, all that gunk gets on the inside drum, or the outside drum technically. The inside drum is what you see. It's got all the little holes in it. There's a drum on the other side of that. That you don't see, that gets really nasty with oil and scum and soap buildup.

[00:25:43] Eric Goranson: And junk in there that can get gross. So make sure that you're running a cycle through there and clean it out. And if you're repairing it and you have to take the outer drum away from the inner drum, then guess what? It's a good time to clean it up. They can get gross if you haven't done any cleaning or if you're [00:26:00] only using cold water.

[00:26:01] Eric Goranson: So that's 1 thing and speak out of cold water. That's another tip. I want to go back on the garbage disposal. Don't put grease down there. But if you do end up getting a little bit of grease because you're doing pans. Use cold water. That way if it congeals, it congeals there and it won't congeal down the line.

[00:26:19] Eric Goranson: So if you can get it where it's solid earlier, you have a less chance of it backing up. Don't put grease down there, but if you get a little residual, just, I like cold water because it's just gonna keep it so it's not gonna build up on something and you'll be good to go. Another trip for cleaning those two is I run a, uh, I take some citrus, uh, maybe it's, um, the peels or the rind there from a orange or a lemon or a lime and I run it down through there with a big thing of ice and the ice will fill it up and kind of move it around on the top of it and get it all cleaned up.

[00:26:51] Eric Goranson: That is a great way to clean them out that way. And then, um, you know, you can run some hot water through it a little bit later and that will release any greases or build up on the inside of that. [00:27:00] It's a good way to clean that up. Now, back to the washing machine. Make sure that you're inspecting the hoses on the back.

[00:27:06] Eric Goranson: Rubber ones typically only last three or four five years tops. So that can be a huge mess I have seen houses get totaled from the rubber line Failing so quickly and why they fail if you've got higher water pressure those solenoids on a washing machine Just like a dishwasher. They turn off so quickly.

[00:27:25] Eric Goranson: It's like a stop gate So it's just like they they they lock the brakes up and the water comes Piling into that valve the thing that expands is that hose and so it just it keeps expanding keeps expanding And then you'll get the bubbles on the side as the as the as it breaks down So make sure that you're inspecting those hoses back there because if they're just rubber and not a braided line They will fail early and that can save you a six figure remodel on your house trying to get the water Out of it and get all that water damage taken care of.

[00:27:57] Eric Goranson: So that's another 1 there now [00:28:00] refrigerators. You should be taking out every 6 months or so. If you've got pets every 90 days, pulling the bottom girl off and getting down there and carefully vacuuming out. Those fins underneath that, uh, that unit, if you've got a built in fridge, and it's going to be up top.

[00:28:17] Eric Goranson: But, uh, most regular refrigerators, there's that little toe kick panel comes off and get all the dust bunnies out of there. That'll save you on your refrigerator because I tell you what, that gets really built up down there and that's going to cost you some money and it's hard on the compressor. So let's see if we can make that refrigerator long.

[00:28:33] Eric Goranson: Last as long as possible, guys. All right. We come back. I got more tips and we're going to talk about gas ranges versus, well, induction and the real truth about them. Just as soon as around the house.[00:29:00]

[00:29:05] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the around the house show. We hope you get the most out of your home through information and education. We've been talking appliances today. And one of the things I want to talk about here is we've been talking about my tricks for maintaining them and get the most out of them. So we were just talking about washing machine leaks and making sure that that, you know, hose is working well.

[00:29:25] Eric Goranson: Now, with dryers, I want to make sure that every year you're cleaning out that dryer duct that goes between the dryer and the outside. Now, there are some really cool new technology that we'll talk about here. A little bit later on some of the new, uh, new stuff that we're seeing on them, but there are now dryers that you can put in that don't have a duct outside, which means it's a heat pump dryer.

[00:29:46] Eric Goranson: And so we'll talk about that. That is the exception to this rule. But really, if you've got a dryer, you should be coming in there every year. You can buy the brushes at a home improvement store and just get in there. I put it, I put the dryer on air only [00:30:00] on just the air dry, and then I will run that brush from the outside in and make sure that that duct is super clean.

[00:30:07] Eric Goranson: And you'll be surprised the junk comes out. So a dust mask. And some eye protection and run those, uh, those, those plastic bristles up there and you can get all the lint out of it. That will be a big help on not getting a big issue there. As far as having a dryer fire, you want to make sure that that's flowing well.

[00:30:25] Eric Goranson: And that will save you money in the long run and your clothes will dry faster. So that's another good one right there. Now, um, you know, be very careful if you've got electric range, the smooth top range, keeping those clean, the glass top ranges. They make the glass cleaner out there to do that. And the 1 thing too is when you're working on the oven, be very careful with the glass doors.

[00:30:45] Eric Goranson: Those are safety glass and they are not bulletproof by any means. And so 1 little chip in that glass can break and then you're going to be spending hundreds of bucks to get a new 1 and they're not cheap. So be really careful with those glass doors when you're cleaning and doing all your repairs [00:31:00] and stuff on that.

[00:31:01] Eric Goranson: It's very easy to break them. So don't be shocked if it happened. Now, 1 thing I wanted to talk about here real quick. If It's a new technology out there. You're seeing inverter technology, like LG does this with the refrigerator said they have more, uh, efficient compressors, which, um, these digital motors.

[00:31:20] Eric Goranson: Are more energy efficient. You could have more control. You can variable speed. So it's really efficient for the refrigerator. So those have been really good. They've got those things dialed in now, but really the latest in tech out there is the new heat pump dryers and whether or not you're doing a heat pump dryer or an all in 1 unit.

[00:31:36] Eric Goranson: Those are really the latest and greatest, and they can save you a ton of money. On your electricity or gas bill, so anytime that you can do something like that, where it's not putting the air out, it's capturing the moisture and doing all that. It's not a bad deal. So take a look at these. I think they're the wave of the future.

[00:31:53] Eric Goranson: The heat pump dryers are going to be the way to go long term and you're not putting all that air outside. Think about it. You [00:32:00] know, if you've got four or 500 CFM cubic feet per minute of air going outside, you're stealing that air from inside the house and putting it outside. It's not really efficient.

[00:32:09] Eric Goranson: So this heat pump is a way to go. If you can get something that works for you. Now next up here, I wanted to talk about, uh, gas versus induction. And, you know, I want to say a couple of things here. 1st, I have no problem with gas ranges, personally, um, gas cooktops, gas ranges, that kind of stuff. I mean, a gas oven to me, um, in my opinion, I like electric ovens better.

[00:32:31] Eric Goranson: I like the temperature control better, but that's me. There's some chefs that love to cook on gas ovens and that's okay. But for me electric ovens work better in my opinion, but when it comes to gas gas can be really great Now the health issues that you see are one. You've got an old unit that is leaking Well, then yes, you could be leaking gas into the house But to every range should have a duct that goes outside period They should be [00:33:00] venting outside and should be big enough to work.

[00:33:02] Eric Goranson: So you're not going to have any really big issues there if you're using your gas. If you turn the gas range on, your hood should be on. And that's the case. Because that's going to be putting off chemicals either way. So you should have your hood on. And that hood should be on whether you've got an induction range or a gas.

[00:33:18] Eric Goranson: Now induction cooking has been around for a long time. When I first started designing kitchens in the 90s, GE had a model that was white. And I sold a few of them, but it wasn't hot back then, but it was hot all over Europe. So they've been around forever. Now are they more efficient and you have better control?

[00:33:35] Eric Goranson: Absolutely. Instead of, uh, uh, you know, 50 percent of the, uh, the heat going around the outside of the pan and up into your airspace or up into your vent hood, this takes all the energy and puts it in the pan. And so how induction cooking works is that it, uh, accelerates the iron particles in the pan. So the pan heats up.

[00:33:56] Eric Goranson: Via that resistance. And what happens is, is the pan becomes the [00:34:00] heating element. And so what it does is it doesn't heat the cooktop and have to transfer the heat to the pan. It just heats the pan. So that iron in the pan makes it what's works. And so what's really great is I can take a sheet of printer paper, put it down and I can boil water without hurting that piece of paper.

[00:34:16] Eric Goranson: It's going to get hot because it's up against a. You know, a very hot pan, but it's not heating the paper up. Like if it was a electric element glass top, cause you'd catch on fire doing that. You'd have a fire going. So that's really where the key is with that. Do I get more control out of a induction cooktop?

[00:34:36] Eric Goranson: Yeah, most likely. Do I get better heat transfer? Yes. Can I, can I boil a stock pot of water faster on an induction cooktop than I can on a gas one? Yeah. Every single time it's faster, it's more efficient. It puts less heat into your house. So if you're cooking all day, it works, but I want to say here too, I'm not going to jump on the, uh, on the, the fear based bandwagon [00:35:00] against the gas people too, I think induction cooking is easier cooking and you've got a better, more efficient system, but I'm not going to buy into the, into the, into the big fear part about gas either.

[00:35:15] Eric Goranson: I'm just not going to, you know, there's, it reminds me when you had some, some courts companies out there. That were leaking into the press that there was radon coming out of, you know, granite slabs coming out of China. No, there really wasn't. But you know something? They were trying to sell their product and so they were doing a smear campaign in my opinion.

[00:35:43] Eric Goranson: They were leaking that out to the press. So it's no different with that, with this here today. So, is that cooking better? Yeah, I think induction cooking is more efficient and you can cook faster. You know, gas, um, only goes so low. And when it goes really [00:36:00] low, it'll put heat into the middle of the bottom of the pan.

[00:36:02] Eric Goranson: So it's just more efficient cooking because you don't have that hot spot on the bottom of the pan where the flame is, it has to radiate out over the pan. So you have less burning on the inside. Now you have an even temperature of the pan cooking. So all the bottom and the sides are cooking. So you've got more contact there as well.

[00:36:23] Eric Goranson: So really, that's the key when you're looking at induction. Don't be scared of the gas. But just like anything, respect it. And if you're using it correctly, if you've got gas appliances, call your gas company up, if you're worried about it, say, Hey, can you come over and check to make sure my gas appliances almost always, those people will come over there and see if you have any leaks, they'll send somebody over to come do it and they won't charge you for it because they want you to be safe.

[00:36:48] Eric Goranson: Now, if you've got carbon monoxide in your home or, or carbon dioxide, because you're using it, you're not turning the fan on. Just make sure you use your fan from now on use that and that way you're getting that air vented out [00:37:00] If you installed a massive fan like a 1200 CFM fan, you know with your appliances make sure that you've got makeup air That's the air that's gonna come and replace that because anytime you've got a tight house Mixed up with a big amount of CFM coming out that can actually pull in carbon monoxide from maybe a a gas, you know, a gas, uh, water heater or a gas, you know, a furnace, that kind of thing.

[00:37:27] Eric Goranson: So be very mindful of what you've got going on there. Those are 2 of the biggest ones right there. Just making sure that you've got the right ones. And again. Any appliance you get what you pay for with appliances. If you buy a 500 dishwasher, that might barely work for you. If you buy an 800 or 900 dishwasher, you should have got something that's really nice.

[00:37:48] Eric Goranson: And so you get what you pay for. You want a dishwasher, for instance, And it comes down to getting the right appliances. You want a dishwasher that's got the stainless steel interior, the plastic ones don't reflect the heat well, [00:38:00] they get smelly, they're cheap. I'm not a fan of those. All right. And there's one little secret I want to talk about here real quick before we go out to break and wrap up this subject for the hour.

[00:38:09] Eric Goranson: Now, when you're out shopping for appliances, there's something what they call minimum advertised price. That is the price that these guys can sell these appliance at. But it's the minimum because they want to have it. So. At least every company is making a minimum amount as a retailer. So if you're out looking at a dishwasher, it could have a 799, 799 price on it.

[00:38:33] Eric Goranson: They don't put that out there, but you'll look across, you go, why is everybody the same price? It's because they're all selling it at that minimum advertised price. Now, how they get around that is you'll see like the big stores will have special buys, which means they get a special model number made that nobody else can price match.

[00:38:48] Eric Goranson: And so sometimes you'll see that. Where that model number was specifically made for them or their buying group or for the home center, and then they have a closeout there now closeouts where there was a returned. [00:39:00] Or a box that was opened. They have some more leeway on those, but they have to keep track of them.

[00:39:05] Eric Goranson: So really take a look right now. When you see those special buys, that's really where the numbers are, but that's why it's hard to find a really good deal unless you find a display or floor model. That's where the savings are going to be. Stick around. We've got a whole new episode coming up right after this.

[00:39:21] Eric Goranson: Thanks for tuning into around the house.