DIY Appliance Repair Tips

Wait! Before you hire an appliance repair Pennsylvania for help, you can keep your appliances in good shape with the troubleshooting tips in this post.

1. Smelly Washing Machine

The presence of a unpleasant smell in your washer defeats the entire purpose of the appliance! If you are attempting to wash your clothes so they are fresh and clean, but your unit isn’t cooperating, run an empty cycle in warm water with two cups of white vinegar and a half-cup of baking soda to remove the odor. This issue often occurs in front-loading washing machines. To prevent future smells, leave the door open in between washes to let it dry out.

2. Inefficient Refrigerant

A room-temperature refrigerator is never a good sign. A warm refrigerator definitely will not keep beverages cold or refreshing, and the food on the inside could also be in danger of rotting! In a lot of cases, your refrigerator will not need professional repair; instead the inside could just need a cleaning. Or the coils on the rear of the unit are overdue for cleaning.

Unplug the refrigerator and pull it out from the kitchen wall before cleaning the coils. If you do not see instant cooling improvement, it’s time to call a professional appliance repair service in Pennsylvania.

3. Clicking Igniter on Stove

If the igniter on your gas-powered oven clicks and clicks and the burner will not light, look to be sure your burner cap is tightened and properly aligned. You may possibly notice this issue if you have recently had a boil over or liquid spill on the top of the stove.

If that is not the case, the cause is probably a dirty igniter. To clean , remove the burner lid and wipe away any debris. You can use a pin to pick debris from the grooves. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, it’s safest to not disassemble a lighter unless you have the proper training; call on a professional appliance repairman to diagnose the issue.

4. Broken Garbage Disposal

A garbage disposal has self-protection with its own overload trip. If it becomes clogged, overheats, runs for too long, or has some other problem, your garbage disposal may just need to be reset rather than fixed. You should be sure the power switch is OFF. Then, find the reset switch on the disposal unit under the kitchen sink and press the button. If the switch does not stay in, just wait a few minutes and then try again. Now, turn on the water from the faucet and then press the button on.

If the garbage disposal in the sink is clogged with debris and you hear nothing but a humming noise rather than food grinding, you may need to twist the disposal blades using a hex key to clear the jam. Then, press the reset button to get the garbage disposal running again. If these tips don’t get things working like normal, do not allow the temptation to put one of your hands down in the system to solve the problem. Be smart and arrange service with a professional appliance repairman in Pennsylvania.

5. No Power from Outlet

In a bathroom or kitchen, your electrical outlets must be equipped with GFCI capabilities in order to protect against harm in wet areas. If a GFCI electrical outlet is not generating power, push in the red reset switch to see if that restores juice.

If not, or if you’re trying on a standard electrical outlet, be sure that a breaker has not been tripped in your breaker box. If you’re unsure if a circuit breaker is tripped, switch it so it is in the OFF position and back onto the ON position. But remember, safety by wiring is a must. Should you have concerns, call a professional technician.

6. Wobbling Washing Machine

A shaking washer will often produce a loud banging and isn’t a ideal process to clean clothing. If your washing machine is suddenly shaking, the unit might be in trouble. To repair this issue, rotate the legs of the washing machine to lower or lift all corners until it’s straightened out. One other possible scenario is that the washing machine is off balance. Crack open the top and move around the clothes so that they’re more dispersed within the drum of the appliance.

Trying this should help the washing machine to not have to work as hard. If you do try to rearrange the laundry a couple of times without luck, do not ignore the issue. You could have a loosened drum or motor mount, which is easy enough for a professional technician to fix. But continuing to run the washer with this issue might break some of the other components and result in a more costly repair down the road.

Call for Help

If these quick fixes are able to solve your problems, you can schedule service from Carter’s Appliance Repair!

OTHER RESOURCES:

Appliance Repair Cost
Appliance Safety
Emergency Appliance Repair
Repair or Replace Appliances
Refrigerator Parts