Household Hauntings: The Frightening Reality of Appliance Neglect
Don't Let Your Home Become a Haunted House
We’re a day late, but still very much in the spooky spirit at Appliance Rescue Service HQ! We’ve waited all year long for our favorite holiday, and we’re back with some of the terrors that can plague your home. Now join us as we dive into a haunted Halloween story that could take place in your very own kitchen.
It's a dark and stormy night, as any good Halloween should be. You are baking away in your kitchen, looking forward to handing out goodies for the few brave trick-or-treaters. All is quiet in your home, and it’s looking to be a good night.
When you start smelling smoke, you think it must be the cookies you have going in the oven. But no, your oven isn't up to temperature yet, and the cookies are still in front of you. You open up the oven, thinking maybe there's something burning on the bottom, but no, there's nothing there, and yet the smell of smoke is getting stronger.
You rush around looking for the source, and you keep coming back to your oven. That's when you notice there's a flicker coming from behind. Your wiring finally gave out and caught fire during the preheating stage.
You rush to turn off the oven and grab your emergency fire extinguisher that you keep handy. Nothing else caught fire; nothing else has been damaged, except for the back of your stove and a bit of your wall. But the smell is gone; the fire is gone.
You take a deep breath thanking heaven that it's not as bad as it could have been. Except now you hear a dripping. Drip drip drip. You take a deep breath and hope that the trick-or-treaters will forgive you because it seems like there's yet another problem. You start to search, and you find that this time, there is an issue with your dishwasher. It's a matter of your dishwasher valves having given out. You can't unplug it. You aren’t even sure where that plug is.
So you rush to grab towels from your linen closet and throw them on the floor in front of it, praying that the damage won't be too bad and that you can catch it all in time. What else could possibly go wrong, you moan to yourself.
Except it's Halloween, and that's a question you should never ask. As you kneel on the floor, picking up soaking wet towels to toss into the wash, there's a rattle, a rattle and a shake, and a vibrating unholy sound that is one part screaming metal and one part rattling of the chains of the Damned.
You rush to your laundry room to find that it has rattled itself away from the wall and is even louder when you're standing in front of it. The clothes inside of it are perfectly fine, but you're not so certain about the wall. In rattling its way forward, your dryer has shaken down everything from the wall above it and is currently playing tug-of-war with both the electrical outlet and the vent housing. At this point, all you can do is pray that the lint catch has been cleaned recently and that it doesn't catch on fire as well. As you step forward to try and shove the dryer back into place, or maybe unplug it you, you slip.
Your feet go out from under you, and you land smack on your back, feeling like you’ve been horribly maligned by someone designing a scene for one of the Final Destination movies. You stare up at the ceiling and notice that there are spots of mold creeping across your ceiling. Had they been there long? Were they the reason that this whole night had kicked off? Just one long hallucination induced by black mold?
We hope you enjoyed that haunted tale, but take heed of the dangers that it represents. As taking care of your home and it’s needs means it will take care of you as well. Other than the sounds that your dryer might make having been kicked up a little for narrative embellishment, everything we pointed out as a potential failure point for a non-maintained appliance can actually happen. All of these are issues that can occur in any home with any appliance. All of these spooky instances can and do happen in your home when appliances aren't cared for properly or regularly. Some appliances, like your oven or your dishwasher, might be able to get away with only yearly maintenance checks. Others, like your refrigerator, your dryer, or your ice maker, require more frequent checks, typically every 6 months if not every three.
Appliance Rescue Service offers just that. We can work with you to set up a recurring maintenance schedule so that you don't have to worry about these issues. We review your appliances from top to bottom, looking for issues before they become hazardous to you or your home. If you're interested in finding out more about how we can work with you to ensure your home keeps running smoothly, you can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055), or reach out to us through our website. We will work with you to set up a time that fits best with your schedule.
Additional Reading
Halloween Horrors in Your Home
37 Reasons To Have Your Appliances Maintained Regularly
Explaining the Basics of Appliance Recycling
Why It Matters To You And The Planet
Imagine a world where every home, every neighborhood, and every city makes a conscious choice towards a greener, more sustainable future. A world where your old appliances, once destined for the scrapyard, find new life and purpose, reducing your energy bills, lessening the load on our aging power grids, and shielding our fragile environment from harm. This world isn't a distant dream; it's within reach, and the key to unlocking this greener reality lies in something you might have never considered - appliance recycling. In the pages ahead, we'll unravel the complexities of this vital practice and show you how, by recycling your appliances, you can become an eco-warrior, an economic champion, and a guardian of the planet. Welcome to the beginning of a journey towards a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow.
Unveiling Appliance Recycling: A Green Solution
Courtesy of Vlada Karpovich
Let's start by clarifying something: recycling, surprisingly, can mean a couple of different things when it comes to appliances. It might mean the resale or reusing of a unit, or it might mean the breaking down of the unit as far as possible and reselling the valuable scraps while everything else is sent on to a landfill. This second option is especially problematic, as it does not contain or safely dispose of the hazardous chemicals contained within the refrigerator. Our point here is that "recycling" can be a vague term that does not always line up with best environmental practices.
It is important to figure out how to recycle your appliances and how to do it safely, as the outcome is directly tied to your future health and that of everyone else. We all know that at this point.
The concept of reduce, reuse and recycle has probably been drilled into our collective consciousness for 30 plus years at this point - at least in the United States.
What most people don't know, though, is that recycling doesn't have to just be paying somebody else to take the appliance off your hands. In fact, there are several ways that recycling appliances can actually benefit you. By working with us through this four post series, we'll show you how you can benefit from recycling appliances, how the environment benefits, your partners you can look to in the process, and how to go about it.
Eco-Warriors Wanted: The Environmental Impact of Appliance Recycling
Now that we've told you why you want to be involved with recycling, let's take a look at the environmental impact of it.
The most obvious benefit of recycling household appliances is personal energy savings. The lower bill is nice, but especially nice is the knowledge that you're helping reduce overall usage in your area.
Think of how often during the summer Texas has rolling brownouts because of the age of our electric grid. How often do you have to prioritize utilizing your washer versus running your air conditioner? Now think about if every household was able to switch over to modern, efficient, energy-saving appliances. Given that household appliances are among the biggest draws on the electric grid, you can see how beneficial this could be to Texas as a whole.
Now we won't say that industry, agriculture, entertainment venues or schools don't have their own impact on the grid. However, those things are much larger than our purview here at Appliance Rescue.
Recycling your major appliances allows for the recovery and reuse of materials. For every appliance that gets recycled and broken down, that's one less that has to be created from scratch. The energy isn't put into mining new materials from the Earth; the fuel isn't used for processing those materials. Instead, what has already been used can be reused, and the hard workers in our factories and appliance sections are still able to be paid.
Another benefit is that the recycling of these parts reduces the emission of harmful substances that negatively impact our ozone layer.
In Texas, we are acutely aware of the heat every summer. You have days at a time where you're told "don't go outside if you can avoid it," because it is just that hot. We are more acutely aware of this than people in some of the farther north areas of the country. Part of the reason for the growing heat year-over-year is the impact we've already made on our ozone layer.
While we cannot go in-depth into all of the myriad things (both caused by humans and caused naturally by cycles within the Earth) that are affecting the ozone layer, we can say that the materials used within major appliances do affect it if allowed to just release into a landfill. If we could stop adding to that, we won't say that it's a miraculous cure for the heat - but it is one less step toward making it any hotter.
Another topic to consider is E-Waste. For the last decade or two, the concept of e-waste has started to filter into our understanding of recycling and issues with the environment.
Courtesy of Pixabay
Many of us wouldn't look at our appliances and think that they would be contributing to this problem. After all, e-waste is from things like cell phones, computers, tablets and gaming consoles - not your refrigerator or your oven, right?
Nope! As we shift towards smarter appliances, this means that your e-waste also includes your appliances. There are circuit boards within your stove. There are tablets built into your refrigerator. If you've got Wi-Fi connectivity, that requires its own set of bits and bobs built in, which means another layer to be conscious of when disposing of your appliances.
However, all of this e-waste contains valuable resources that can be reprocessed and reused. Metals, glass, plastics: all of these can be returned to a purified state and reused for making other materials, either for new appliances or for something else entirely.
Think back to science class as a kid. One day, if you were lucky, your teacher pulled out this beautiful silvery liquid to show the way that it could collect on surfaces, be manipulated, and then group back together easily at room temperature. And then, at the end of the display, you were told that although it looked like fun, it wasn't. It was definitely not something you could play with bare-handed because it would get into your skin, then into your bloodstream and from there into your brain.
Or maybe you remember learning about the story of Alice in Wonderland and the dark reasons why the Mad Hatter is mad in the first place.
Yes, we're talking about mercury. Mercury is in many older models of refrigerators; more of them than you might think. Unfortunately, when old refrigerators aren't recycled properly, that mercury does leech out of them and into the ground below. Then it works its way into the water, which then goes into the plants, on into animals... And while it does take time, just like microplastics, it eventually ends up in what you're eating. Even for all of our best attempts at eating organic, or fair trade, or vegan - without taking care of where materials are disposed of, it still circles back around. Everyone - elders from even the most isolated tribes all the way to scientists studying in their labs - will tell you on every level, everything is connected. Unfortunately, that means that if you feed the water table mercury, you will eventually be feeding it to yourself.
A final point to consider is that recycling major appliances or even minor ones as we'll cover in a later post, does not simply benefit you. It doesn't just benefit the planet. It also greatly impacts our economy in a positive way.
With the amount of trash that gets collected just in a single year, there is an amazing amount of job security. You need people to sort everything. You need people to handle the processing. You need people to handle extraction. All of these (and so many more) are necessary jobs that would not exist if not for recycling. More importantly, the industry can stand to grow further, given how little is actually being recycled as of right now.
By recycling your major appliances as a consumer, you are telling the industry as a whole that this is something that matters. You are saying that you want to ensure it continues, and that it is worth their time and resources to see it done more often or more thoroughly.
Not only do you support jobs when you recycle, you also support the creation of a circular economy. When things are broken, they have multiple options. Right now, you might look at it and see there are only two choices: take it to a landfill (and probably pay a fee), or call somebody like us and have it repaired.
But what about when it gets to the point that even our best technicians can't keep your appliances running any longer? It might not be that we don't know how to fix something, but instead that we don't have the materials or tools, or that the parts simply are not being made for this model any longer. At that point, a circular economy says, instead of sending this off to a landfill to become just another piece of garbage (taking up space and not having any use), the next step is to break it down. Take every single piece and material that we can out of this. Instead of having to purchase new, raw materials from a company that's going to rip them out of the Earth, we can reuse what we've already harvested. The circular economy is good for you the consumer, it's good for the economy of the United States, and it's good for the planet! Three wins in one.
Leading the Way: The Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) Program
If you've been paying attention, you might have noticed that at several points we touched on how few people or industries or companies recycle right now. We've also mentioned that recycling does not always mean the best environmental practices.That is where the Responsible Appliance Disposal, or RAD, program comes in.
They are a leader in responsible recycling practices. The RAD program was developed by the US environmental protection agencies partnership, launched in 2006 to protect our ozone, cut greenhouse gases and benefit communities like ours.
The RAD program recognizes partners all over the country who are committed to collecting and disposing of old appliances using the best practices. These partners are going well beyond what is currently required by federal law.
They take on the responsibility to recover things like insolation foam out of end-of-life appliances. They also collect the less efficient models of appliances from the secondary market. From here they work with recyclers to ensure that the materials are handled properly and broken down safely to comply with federal law.
Together, we've uncovered the immense potential of appliance recycling and its profound impact on our world. As you embark on your journey towards a more sustainable lifestyle, remember that Appliance Rescue is here to support you every step of the way. When your faithful appliances are in need of care, trust our expert technicians to breathe new life into them, ensuring they serve you for years to come. Let's make recycling a part of our daily lives and embrace a future where both our planet and your appliances thrive. Join us in this eco-conscious mission, one repair at a time.
You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call ((214) 599-0055). You can also connect with us on Facebook.
Additional Resources For Things We’ve Mentioned Throughout :
https://www.epa.gov/rad/responsible-appliance-disposal-rad-partners-affiliates-recyclers
Additional Reading:
https://appliance-rescue-service.com/blog/appliance-disposal2023
The Labyrinth of Limescale
Understanding, Locating, and Conquering the Calcified Culprit
Scale, it's a word that carries an air of mystery and intrigue, a term that defines simplicity and demands a closer look. While it might seem like a dry term, the realm of scale is a multifaceted puzzle, filled with mineral deposits, intricate chemistry, and solutions waiting to be discovered. In this article, we’ll begin to explore the enigmatic world of scale, unravel its mysteries, understand its origins, and uncover the methods to combat it.
Unraveling the Enigma of Scale
The term "scale," according to Dictionary.com, is described as "a coating or incrustation, as on the inside of a boiler, formed by the precipitation of salts from the water." It's not the most straightforward definition, is it? However, Wikipedia offers a more tangible explanation: "Limescale is a hard, chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It often accumulates inside kettles, boilers, and pipework, especially in areas with hot water. You can also find it as a similar deposit on the inner surfaces of old pipes and other places where hard water has flowed."
Courtesy of MSDinc
It doesn’t sound that scary does it? But if you’ve dealt with it in your home you know that it’s a pain in the neck to try and combat. So, what does all of this mean? When rainwater goes into the ground, it dissolves minerals in the rock and carries them into your home's piping. In essence, scale is a stubborn buildup of minerals, primarily calcium carbonate, that tends to show up in various nooks and crannies of our daily lives, particularly in water-related installations.
Where Does This Mysterious Culprit Emerge?
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Having delved into the nature of scale, let's explore where this frustrating substance tends to make its presence known. Brace yourself; scale can appear almost anywhere where water gathers. We're talking about pipes, showerheads, faucets, fixtures, the bottom of your water heater, the bathtub, the toilet, sinks, and even tiles in wet areas. It doesn't stop there; it can also find its way into small appliances like coffee makers and kettles, and even humidifiers. In short, scale has a knack for infiltrating and establishing its presence wherever moisture is abundant. If your home has hard water, such as if you’re living off a well, or at a country house, you’re in even more trouble as scale will show up in your dishwasher, your refrigerator, your steam oven, and your ice maker.
The Quest to Descale: An Odyssey of Solutions
Faced with this challenging issue, the question naturally arises – how can one rid their living spaces of this unwelcome guest? Vinegar and citric acid often serve as the first-line, natural solutions, calling back to simpler times when household remedies reigned supreme. Yet, the stubbornness of scale has given rise to an entire industry, offering a plethora of products and methods for descaling.
A simple online search for descaling products can bury you with in a mountain of choices. You'll find hardware stores offering innovative DIY installations and retail giants like Walmart providing pre-packaged solutions. Don't forget the trusty old CLR Rust Remover, a tried-and-true choice found on the shelves of Lowe's. There are dozens of options, and all of them have people who swear by them.
Two of our favorite techniques for descaling are vinegar or ice & salt.
Vinegar is a technique that takes a bit of time to see it work, but it’s effective. For your dishwasher, your washer or your coffee maker, you’ll want to run varying amounts through at least once, before rinsing them with an empty run of just water.
Dishwasher - Take a dishwasher-safe container and fill it with white vinegar. Set that on the top rack of your empty dishwasher and run a regular cycle to disperse the vinegar throughout, making sure that you don’t add any detergent to the machine.
Washer - Add 1 cup of white vinegar to an empty washing machine and run it as normal.
Courtesy of Wikimedia commons
Coffee Maker - For a 12 cup pot - Pour in 4 cups of undiluted vinegar and 6 cups of water to an empty reservoir. Let that sit for 30 minutes and then run a full brewing cycle. Dump the pot, and run the 2-3 more brewing cycles of just water until the smell of the vinegar is gone.
What if you need a cup of tea right now though? Or you need to boil water right now and your kettle is the fastest method? In that case, you can dump a large cup of ice into your kettle, pour ⅓ c of water and ¼ c of salt into the kettle. Swirl the kettle around vigorously until your ice is melted, and pour it out. If you regularly descale your kettle, this should do the trick. If not, you might need to repeat the process another time or two.
The Diverse Descale Demands
It's essential to remember that not all scales are created equal, and the methods to combat them should be equally diverse. Items that can be submerged, like dishes, glasses, showerheads, and removable faucet parts, can be soaked in vinegar or cleaning chemicals overnight and then cleaned to remove the scale. An effective trick is to run vinegar through your dishwasher on an empty one-hour cycle, a solution that has proven itself through personal experience.
Additionally, there's a thriving market for spray-on descalers, catering to those searching for quick, hassle-free solutions. The array of choices in this category can leave anyone feeling somewhat bewildered.
Conquering the Scale Beast: A Whole-House Approach
While we've explored individual solutions and targeted remedies, there's a compelling case to be made for a comprehensive approach to scale eradication. The idea of descaling your entire household's plumbing might sound like a formidable task, but it promises long-term freedom from scale's tyranny. A comprehensive guide from Landmark Home Warranty suggests such a technique, offering a detailed blueprint to tackle the scale epidemic at its roots. We can’t say whether it works or not, having not tried it ourselves, but if anyone out there has, we’d love to hear!
But what about the major appliances in your home? Your dishwasher, your water heater, and your washing machine are all at risk of falling prey to the scale. These appliances are not only essential but often expensive to replace. When scale infiltrates their systems, it can lead to decreased efficiency, increased energy consumption, and even costly breakdowns.
If you're facing issues with your major appliances due to scale buildup or any other problems, Appliance Rescue Service is here to help. Our team of experts specializes in appliance repair and maintenance, ensuring that your appliances run efficiently and smoothly. Don't let scale disrupt your daily life. Reach out to us at our website or give us a call at((214) 599-0055), and we'll take care of your appliance concerns. With our help, you can keep your appliances running like new and enjoy peace of mind in your home.
Additional Reading
Why Aren’t My Dishes Getting Dry?
Dishwasher Tips: Help Your Dishwasher Clean Better – Just in Time for the Holidays!
Say Goodbye to 'Dumb' Appliances: Samsung's Bold Move in 2023
Samsung To Stop Shipping ALL ‘Dumb’ Appliances At End of 2023
Have you ever pondered the enigma of 'dumb' appliances? It's a question that has sparked bewilderment in the minds of many. To decode this enigmatic term, we must understand that a 'dumb' appliance is, in essence, an unconnected relic in the digital age—a machine estranged from the realms of Wi-Fi and the Internet of Things. But rewind the clock a decade, and these 'dumb' companions were our household norm, silently serving our daily needs. It's only with the internet's transformative power that we began to glimpse the possibilities of a smarter home. The riddle unravels further when we consider the information these appliances can unearth about us. Let's embark on a journey through the labyrinthine world of 'dumb' appliances and the audacious move by Samsung that is set to redefine our homes.
What Are ‘Dumb’ Appliances
Bespoke Refrigerator Courtesy of Samsung
So what are dumb appliances, this is our first concerning question. The answer is that a dumb appliance is any appliance that is not connected to Wi-Fi, or the Internet of Things, or is able to report back to its manufacturer in some fashion. Up until the last decade or so most appliances in the home were ‘dumb’ appliances and that was precisely the way that everybody expected them to be. But then with the advent of the internet, we realized that appliances could be hooked into the internet to make our lives easier. That gave us the rise of the smart appliance. What really separates a dumb appliance is the information that it is capable of collecting about you.
Why is Samsung Stopping, and What To Expect
As of December 2023, Samsung will no longer be shipping dumb appliances. There is no wiggle room on this. This is a hard and fast date announced by the company so that, as of 2024, all new appliances will be connected. The reason for this is that they want to be able to offer improved functionality, more efficient service calls, and a more efficient home. Imagine a home where all of your appliances are connected through one centralized system. Samsung wants to be able to offer you a central point for controlling everything which will, according to them help in cutting down on your emissions energy use, and even water use.
Navy Steel Finished Smart Range from Samsung, Image Courtesy of Samsung
This is part of a bigger sustainability and energy-conscious play that the company is making. It’s not just about connecting your appliances for the sake of connecting them, and you, back to Samsung, but instead, it’s about being able to enable smarter and more personalized controls.
What Does This Mean For The Rest Of The Industry?
This is going to mean two different things for the industry. First, as we head into 2024 and more people realize that it is no longer possible to buy dumb appliances from Samsung, other companies will see an initial boom in their sales. There's also going to be a rush to buy up older appliances as long as it's possible to find them which will cause those prices to go up over time as well. However, going forward it would not be surprising for other companies to follow Samsung's lead and begin offering only smart appliances. Samsung, as always, is looking ahead to the future and looking to see how they can control the market as any company of their size would reasonably do.
LED Lit DIshwasher, Courtesy of Samsung
The question becomes what will other industry leaders do. Will they create smaller lines within their offerings that are all online intelligent connected devices or will they follow the trend that Samsung is setting and only offer intelligent appliances? The thing to keep in mind and we’ll dive further into this in a moment, is that your data is another source of revenue for these companies whether it is malicious or not, it is a source of monetization that they will take advantage of. And whatever Samsung can get away with, it will.
What Is The Outcome For Homeowners Of A Fully Connected Home?
Smart Appliances: The Pros And Cons
The pros and cons will always need to be considered with any change. In this case, it is the fact that major appliances being connected has potential. If you can cut down on your resource bills when inflation is going up, why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you if your refrigerator can keep an eye on your food to prevent spoilage and keep things just the right temperature so that your food stays good longer? Or if you can create a custom setting for your dryer so that it only runs for a few minutes knows what you need and will stop when it's done, why wouldn't you? This is what Samsung is trying to sell you. The AI Energy Mode in the Samsung SmartThings app wants to make sure you use the most eco-friendly settings for the best results. Two examples that have been cited are being able to suggest shutting your blinds to reduce the power consumption of your AC or being able to detect the type of fabric for the clothes in your dryer. This would allow your dryer to understand not only the length of a cycle needed but also the heat setting.
The downside is the various costs of the appliance. There’s the initial cost of purchasing a brand-new appliance upfront. It is the higher repair cost because it takes time and training to be able to understand what the different readouts mean for a smart appliance. It also means having to give up control over your information and how it's utilized. By bringing a smart appliance or a series of smart appliances into your home some pros and cons must be weighed.
Repair Costs & Reasons Why A Smart Appliance Costs More
Courtesy of Samsung
Let's tackle repair costs first right now repair costs are calculated based on the price that it takes to purchase the part, any shipping costs, and the amount of work and labor that is required for the technician to remove the old part and install the new one. Although not always considered, it is a skilled trade that takes learning and understanding, and that time just like the time of your CPA or the person that you hire to care for and create your landscape, is valuable.
Now, let's take a look at changing over and adding in more chips to your appliances. Bringing in more complex pieces means having more pieces that can break along the process. It also means having more things that you have to look up and break down in order to understand exactly what's happening. Just because you can say oh, the appliance it's this piece that's going wrong, doesn't mean that it is automatically easy to fix. Your technician now has to know which company they need to get hold of; they need to know which pieces work in what way and what name it has because, naturally, no two appliance companies can call their parts the same thing; that would be too simple! Your technician has to be able to ensure that it's not an electrical error or a coding error and is, in fact, a hardware error, which will then be able to be fixed. What this boils down to is that your technician's diagnostic time is going to take longer and the amount of time that it takes to figure out which parts have to be replaced takes longer. As each step gets longer, the amount of time that you, the homeowner, are charged also gets longer. As much as none of us want that to happen, it is unfortunately, what does happen with adding smart appliances in and that’s before we even get to going and changing out any of the parts.
Your refrigerator is still going to require a compressor. Your dryer is still going to need a heat pump. Those things aren't changing, it is merely that other steps are being added. It may also, although it has not been proven yet, mean that you can only get help either directly from the company that you purchase your appliances through Samsung, LG, Bosch, etc., or from their chosen licensed technicians. This isn't a guarantee, merely a possibility that we have seen before. Where companies will require certified technicians that only they can license which then means that you the homeowner have to pay more. Again, this is something that we really don't want to have happen.
Data Safety In a World of Samsung’s Intelligent Appliances
Your data safety, believe it or not, your phone which you are most likely reading this on right now, is collecting data about you all the time. It might be where you're living, it might be the coffee shop you're in, it might be how long you last spent looking at Facebook. But unless you have very strict settings and you take the time that most people just don't want to, to either read the terms of services or to very carefully restrict all data usage, the various Internet-connected objects within your life are connecting, collecting, and utilizing your data.
Think about when was the last time you read the terms and services? For a website? Or even for an app your kid downloaded. Did you read through all of the legalese to see what was required and allowed by you downloading or buying it? The appliances that you purchase from Samsung from now on will be constantly doing it.
According to Consumer Reports, they tested Internet of Things appliances across many major brands: Samsung, LG, and Whirlpool just to name a few. They used 12 different appliances across five brands and four appliance types to see how ‘chatty’ they were. The good news is that Consumer Reports didn ‘t find any security vulnerabilities in the products and all of the data that was sent or received was encrypted. The downside was that all of them were constantly collecting and sending data back to the manufacturer. The appliances would send anywhere from 3.4MB to 19MB of data back to their manufacturer per week. You might think “that's nothing. That's a few photos maybe”. Except all of these pieces that were collected? They were sent as text. These were text messages that were sent, which means that they were measured in kilobytes of information if not bytes. And the tests were only using the appliances 1 time per day. (Think of how many times you open your refrigerator in a given day!?) What this breaks down to is that in one week one of these appliances sent between 24,000 to 135,000 messages back to their manufacturer. That's everything from on-off cycles, location, door opening and closing, usage, even your date of birth. When we say every bit of information they can, we mean it.
Like we said up top, this isn't meant as a way for Samsung to do something nefarious with your information, as far as we're aware anyway. However it is a new way for them to make money, and ultimately if you're using their tools, you don't have a choice in it as of the current state of the legal protections on your data and data collection.
While Consumer Reports did reach out to all of the manufacturers that they tested, only Kenmore was willing to talk to them. They gave a detailed rundown on what data their appliances were testing. They gather up data on all osrts of things from power status, door open/close, filter status, cycle details, temperature information and energy usage. Because of the connected app, we know that LG and Samsung both go further, collecting your ZIP code, your phone numbers, your date of birth, your geolocation and more. These aren’t related to the product performance and service, so the only obvious answer is market analysis and monetization of your data.
As we venture into this new era of connected homes, the implications are significant, both for homeowners and the wider industry. We find ourselves at a crossroads, where questions abound and answers remain elusive. Yet, one thing is clear: data has become a valuable commodity, and it's a factor we cannot ignore. Our homes, once a bastion of simplicity, are now evolving into hubs of innovation and convenience, leaving us in a state of perpetual curiosity. This journey is just beginning, and the path ahead holds many unknowns. Should you encounter issues with your appliances, whether smart or 'dumb,' you can count on Appliance Rescue Service to provide reliable solutions and assistance. You can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). Whatever the changes might bring to home appliances, we are here for you.
Additional Reading
Smart Appliances Or Bamboozling Buzzwords?
Smart Home - Getting Started (2022)