Almost everyone owns numerous appliances that can make life easier by saving time and effort. The right appliances, such as dishwashers, cooking stoves, and room humidifiers or dehumidifiers, can also help us live healthy and more comfortable lives. But like any mechanical or electrical thing in the home or office, appliances sometimes wear out, get broken or damaged, or stop working as the manufacturer intended. That’s when appliance repairs can be helpful.Â
Appliance Repairs are More Popular Than Ever
Appliance repairs are becoming more popular now, because more people are staying home and using their appliances more frequently, since there is now a sustained strong trend of working from home. As a result of getting more use, appliances are also working harder and that can accelerate the timeline for needed maintenance and repairs. So that’s a major contributor that helps explain why appliance repair people are very busy these days.But another really compelling reason is that people are trying to do things themselves instead of hiring a pro, in order to save more money and to learn repair skills so they can be do-it-yourselfers. There are also some appliances that may be less expensive to replace than to repair. You will be able to determine if that is the case by either doing diagnostic work yourself or by having an appliance service technician evaluate the issue and provide you with a written cost estimate.Â
Repair versus Replacement
Repairing instead of replacing an appliance is usually much cheaper and more easily done. Before considering how the appliance will be repaired, first determine if you want to do it yourself or whether it’s a better and more safe and efficient idea to hire a professional repair person or appliance technician to do the job. Usually repairs are the most prudent way to go for major appliances, which is why sticking to a regular maintenance schedule to keep them in tip-top condition is always important. Since qualified technicians are experiencing an uptick in their business, it’s recommended that you develop a working relationship with one in your area. Then they can plan ahead to maintain your appliances whenever needed, like every year or two.
Some of the Most Common Repairs
The most common appliances that need repair include clothes washers and clothes driers, dishwashing machines, and refrigerators. Cooking stoves often need to be repaired too, and the same goes for items like food freezer units, water heaters that supply the home with hot water, and humidifiers or dehumidifiers. One thing to keep in mind is that figuring out what is wrong in order to fix the appliance is often the most complicated part of the process. Just as holds true when a car is not working properly or making a funny noise, diagnosing what is the root cause of the problem can be the trickiest part of solving the problem. Oftentimes a home appliance will just stop working, because it is not getting power from its motor, or if it needs water to work it may have a clogged or blocked water line. A stove or oven, on the other hand, may need to have the pilot light checked if it is fueled by gas, and a blown electrical fuse can cause electrical appliances to stop working. Many repairs happen when a part breaks inside the appliance or just wears out. That’s when you may detect such things as water leaking from a fridge, a water heater no longer heating your shower water, or a clothes washer or drier that doesn’t get the clothes clean enough or dry enough. The good news is that almost all of these common problems and many others can be fixed at a price point that is much more reasonable than having to toss out the appliance and buy a new one.
Typical Do It Yourself Repairs
Some of the DIY repairs that many homeowners do involve simpler fixes like cleaning the ignition ports on a stoveand replacing light bulbs that burn out inside fridges. If all of the burners on a gas stove don’t light but some of them do, you might try to give the ports a good cleaning with a stiff brush. Oftentimes they just get clogged with food debris and that can remedy the problem. If a water heater isn’t working as it should, check the pilot light to be sure it’s on, as described in your owner’s manual that you got when you bought the water heater. If a washing machine stops in the middle of cycling through its various stages of washing and rinsing, and there is a lot of water standing in it, it could just be overfilled with clothes. Too many wet clothes can weight a washer down and makes it hard to spin as it should. Try removing some and seeing if that works.Â
When to Hire an Appliance Repair Professional
But exercise caution before ever attempting to fix an appliance or even diagnose the trouble by yourself. If the remedy is not an easy one explained in the owner’s manual, play it safe and call a qualified repair technician. When in doubt regarding any gas appliance, call the gas utility company to come to the home and check the light pilot lights – which they will typically do for free. Otherwise there are risks involved by taking the do-it-yourself approach, and it can also end up costing you more time and money in the end. For example, it is recommended that only a professional try to fix problems with the refrigerant system that flows through a fridge. The same goes for working on a front-loading washing machine, because they have lots of small parts that are easy to lose or misplace, as well as electrical connections that need to be checked with utmost safety. You also want to make sure that whatever repairs are done do not void your purchase warranty. That’s why most appliance repairs should be done by someone authorized by your appliance’s manufacturer. Then if needed, and if it’s still under warranty, the manufacturer may reimburse you for repairs.
