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Original poster

How safe is it to run appliances overnight?

43 replies

MilkTart · 05/10/2022 11:48

We have economy 7 and our washing machine, dishwasher and dryer have a delay setting. With the price of energy being so high I'm keen to save money where we can. I'm worried about putting them on overnight though in case of fire.

Am I being silly? Is there something can get that would alert us if there is an issue? We have smoke alarms but a fire would have to be fairly well established to set those off I imagine!

What does everyone else do?

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 05/10/2022 11:51

I wouldn’t,, my relation is a Fireman he advised me against it.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/10/2022 11:53

There's always advice against doing this, but I do wonder what the risk actually is, given that many appliances have a delay setting.

Both our dishwasher and washing machine do, plus there's the timer function on the oven that I've never bothered to learn how to use.

If they don't intend for it to be used overnight or when you're out, what is it for?

Interestingmauve · 05/10/2022 11:57

I know you're not supposed to, but my thinking is I have a regularly checked smoke alarm, so really, what's the difference between fire at night and fire during the day?

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Sunnysal · 05/10/2022 11:59

We set the dishwasher to come on at midnight every night. It's always been fine,

Bluevelvetsofa · 05/10/2022 11:59

I think the recommendation is that you try to avoid peak times, so maybe run things in the evening, rather than overnight. I don’t have Economy 7, so don’t know whether that’s any use.

Shareornotwhocares · 05/10/2022 11:59

I do mine overnight. I figure I’m more likely to crash my car on the way to the store than they are to go
up in flames

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 05/10/2022 12:02

My dishwasher went up in flames within seconds so I don't do it. Apparently it's not unusual. Thank goodness I was in and it was in the day. Never seen so much black smoke.

Bouledeneige · 05/10/2022 12:02

Surely appliances are no more likely to burst into flames at night than in the day. And I've never ever had an appliances catch fire my whole life day or night. I wouldn't think twice about it - often set my dishwasher, washer or dryer going before going to bed or when I'm going out.

FourTeaFallOut · 05/10/2022 12:04

Always set the dishwasher off before I go to bed. And set the timer on the washing machine to finish when I wake up.

NippyWoowoo · 05/10/2022 12:04

This is exactly what I do. Set machine to a wash/dry setting. Also have a fan on for the whole night I sleep and a dehumidifier on a timed setting to go for 3 hours during the times.

No point getting much cheaper night rates (12p per kWh for me) and not make use of it

Hugasauras · 05/10/2022 12:05

I would but we have our appliances in a utility room extension with external walls at the other end of the house from the bedrooms and we have a fire alarm in there. I don't think it's really any different from running it while we are upstairs, really - we would be notified at the same time.

We actually had our carbon monoxide alarm go off while we were asleep (faulty boiler) and we were up and out super fast (DH in a towel!) until we realised it was the carbon monoxide alarm and not fire,

If I had E7 I would for sure. We had an EV tariff previously and I ran all our appliances at 1am on the delay setting.

I take it you have storage heaters, OP? Just checking as quite a lot of people have found themselves on E7 when they shouldn't be!

NippyWoowoo · 05/10/2022 12:06

Bluevelvetsofa · 05/10/2022 11:59

I think the recommendation is that you try to avoid peak times, so maybe run things in the evening, rather than overnight. I don’t have Economy 7, so don’t know whether that’s any use.

Where I live, night rates don't kick in until 1am so I'm already sleeping by then. Most economy 7 meters switch over some time between 12-2

Treesuphooray · 05/10/2022 12:09

‘It’s never set in fire yet’ really isn’t a good assessment of the risk! If appliances regularly set on fire in all our houses we wouldn’t have them!

but imagine your appliance does set on fire at night. By the time your smoke alarm sets off and wakes you there are flames at the bottom of your stairs. You and the kids are bleary eyed, coughing on smoke.

Could you get out?

In the day you are likely to spot a fire more quickly and to be more able to get out safely.

dont take the chance. It only takes the once.

purplecorkheart · 05/10/2022 12:12

I don't, my reasoning is that if I put it on during the day or evening that we are downstairs and it is easier to get out if there was a fire rather than if we were upstairs asleep.

Awakened22 · 05/10/2022 12:18

For me, it would depend on the walls/doors between the appliances and my get out route. In an annex/utility not below the bedrooms with solid walls and a couple of doors…probably so long as I was confident in hearing the smoke alarm whilst asleep. In an open-plan downstairs area…no way!

RoseHarper · 05/10/2022 12:23

Please please dont. A fire through the day you are awake, its daylight, you can get out quickly and/or others are about to assist. In the dead of night you will be disorientated, its pitch black, neighbours etc are asleep. Fires spread incredibly quickly, it really isn't worth the risk. The risk is low, I agree, but it's still a completely avoidable risk.

user26189065 · 05/10/2022 12:25

We had economy 7 and used to time stuff to come on about 6 or 7 am. so not middle of night, depends what time your economy 7 hours are, ours didn't change until 8:30

teaandcats · 05/10/2022 12:26

My parents’ dishwasher caught on fire while in use. Luckily my mother was home and nearby so she dealt with it before it became a catastrophe.

the man who took it out and installed a new one told her he would never run any sort of appliance while not present because he sees this situation all the time. It’s surprisingly common.

Original poster
MilkTart · 05/10/2022 12:28

@Hugasauras

I take it you have storage heaters, OP? Just checking as quite a lot of people have found themselves on E7 when they shouldn't be!

It's funny you should ask that as no, I don't. I have an E7 meter but have always been on a single rate tariff. When my supplier went bust and I was moved to Shell, they set me up on an E7 tariff and have completely ignored my requests to change it 🙄.

Thought I'd see if I could actually save some money with it before harassing them some more!

I think I need to find out what my switching times are. There is usually someone downstairs from 6am so there might be a safety/money saving sweet spot to be had here!

OP posts:
Willdoitlater · 05/10/2022 12:28

We used to do this until our dishwasher and washing machine were both recalled due to fires.

Bigoldmachine · 05/10/2022 12:29

It’s not only the fire risk to consider.

my friend put her washing machine on before going to bed. It flooded the whole downstairs so when they went down in the morning they stepped in inches of water. Claiming through the insurance has been an absolute nightmare and over 6 months on they’re still not sorted. It’s enough to have put me off using the washing machine when I’m not in / awake.

Hugasauras · 05/10/2022 12:30

Even with running all the appliances overnight I found we barely even with a dual tariff and that was a 7.5p night rate, so I think if you don't have storage heaters or an EV, the higher day rate removes any benefit of those cheap overnight rates. But it depends if you're at home during the day or not I suppose!

Original poster
MilkTart · 05/10/2022 12:32

I work from home so I'm here most of the time. Going to try getting Shell to change my tariff again I think.

OP posts:
Zingy123 · 05/10/2022 12:34

Not safe. A family at my DC school lost everything to a house fire that started from an appliance that was on over night.

Blowyourowntrumpet · 05/10/2022 12:35

My economy 7 times currently finish at 8:45 am and I'm always up really early, so I use the washer and dryer early in the morning. Don't have a dishwasher

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