Last updated 11 months ago
Routine maintenance helps your appliances perform more efficiently and with less energy—these savings are a huge benefit for any household. Use the following resources to monitor and mitigate energy use by your appliances. These steps will also help you save extra cash on appliance repair.
Last updated 11 months ago
An appliance’s energy use is calculated in daily kilowatt hours (kWh), a measure of the wattage used by an appliance throughout the day. Appliances with the highest wattages should be prioritized for repairs, maintenance, and upgrades. Keep these power hogs healthy to help minimize energy waste and monthly bills:
- Fridge and Freezer: Your fridge expends massive amounts of energy by displacing heat and keeping your foods cold. Plus, refrigerators typically operate around the clock. Since fridges consume over 1,000 kWh each year, it’s extremely important to keep your fridge in top shape. Your freezer uses almost as much energy annually—over 800 kWh. Thankfully, there are steps that homeowners can take to mitigate that energy use. Keeping fridges and freezers full, for example, is an easy way to minimize cooling costs.
- Washer and Dryer: Both your clothes washer and dryer average over 850 kWh of energy use each year—the process of heating water, cycling water, and tumbling clothes is extremely energy intensive. Homeowners can lower this energy use by following a few simple strategies. Clothes dried on a line or washed in cold water, for instance, can make a huge difference on your monthly bills. Homeowners should also consider upgrading their units to Energy Star-certified models. These energy-efficient appliances may even earn government rebates.
- Oven and Range: Your kitchen is full of energy-demanding appliances. However, none of these appliances are as energy-intensive as the stove. Both electric-top ranges and interior stoves use massive amounts of energy to reach high temperatures. Regular maintenance is the best way to limit power consumption by these appliances; leaks or dirtied coils will cause to your oven to waste energy when heating food.
You can be a savvy homeowner by knowing where energy costs are going—this information makes it easier for you to adjust appliance use throughout the year. If you suspect these appliances are guzzling energy because they require tune-ups, it’s time to call an appliance repair company.
Last updated 11 months ago
Nothing’s more annoying than a busted or broken-down appliance. In fact, a broken clothes washer or refrigerator can interfere with your plans for the entire day. This video from Angie’s List shows homeowners how to respond to a broken appliance efficiently.
This clip outlines some steps for homeowners who need appliance repair. You will hear tips for how to choose a company, use proper appliance settings, and clean appliances. Watch this video for helpful appliance troubleshooting tips for homeowners from Gary Miller of Mr. Appliance.
Regular appliance maintenance offers more than convenience. Efficient appliances consume less energy and often require less to fix. That’s why building a relationship with an appliance repair services company is so important—routine visits from a trusted expert will protect your household from serious appliance breakdowns.
Last updated 11 months ago
Homeowners depend on refrigerators to preserve their fresh groceries, keep dairy products from spoiling, and crisp their fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, refrigerators become useless if they can’t keep food below a safe temperature. This appliance repair guide can help you determine why your fridge isn’t performing properly.
- Electronic Problems: New refrigerators depend on computers to manage their temperature. These features are convenient and accurate but can sometimes cause confusion for users. If a fridge has been recently installed, for example, it may not have been switched out of its diagnostic routine. Other electronic issues stem from the homeowner’s unfamiliarity with fridge controls. Dual-control modules, for instance, are very confusing at first glance. Your fridge may also need a day to stabilize after settings have been changed.
- Improper Loading: The items in your fridge can actually affect interior temperatures. As a result, a fridge full of food and closed liquid containers cools much better than an empty appliance. If your fridge has cooling problems, consider filling it up. However, too much food can be an issue as well. Excess bulk can stop a fridge door from closing completely and hamper your fridge’s ability to cool. Review the contents of your fridge on a weekly basis in order to evaluate this potential cause of problems.
- Mechanical Obstructions: Cooling problems may also be related to the refrigerator’s core components. Dirty compressor coils drop the appliance’s efficiency. Proper cooling can also be affected by ice blockage or other obstructions to airflow. These maintenance problems can actually make it impossible for the fridge to reach top performance levels. Contact a professional for help if you suspect these problems are hampering your appliance.
Your family depends on the fridge for fresh, safe, and delicious food. That’s why refrigerator maintenance and repair should always be a top priority in your household. Consider calling an appliance repair company if your fridge is on the fritz.
Last updated 1 year ago
Like all appliances, washing machines operate much more reliably if they receive regular, preventative maintenance. By regularly inspecting parts and performing a few simple washer repairs, you can prevent more serious damage that would require professional washing machine repair.
- Monitor the Hoses
Water enters your washing machine through tubes called fill hoses, which are typically made of rubber. If these hoses rupture, water can burst out and flood your home. By periodically examining your fill hoses as part of regular washer repair, you can spot weaknesses in the rubber and replace hoses before they burst. If you are concerned about your fill hoses breaking, you can replace the standard rubber ones with durable stainless steel washing machine hoses.
- Adjust the Legs
Washing machines use powerful rotations to clean the clothes inside; this causes washing machines to vibrate while in operation. However, if your washing machine vibrates particularly violently, it could cause damage to the sensitive electronics inside. You can typically correct this excessive vibration by adjusting your washing machine’s legs to ensure that the machine is completely level. If this doesn’t solve the problem, call a washing machine repair service.
- Clean the Lint Trap
Many washing machines send lint directly down the drain, but some capture it in lint traps. Cleaning this trap reduces strain on your machine and makes your clothes come out cleaner. The location of the lint trap varies by appliance brand—Maytag washing machines typically collect lint within the center agitator, while others use lint filters located near the top of the basin.
- Clean the Bowl
If your clothes are starting to smell moldy or not fresh after a wash, it may be time to clean the bowl of your washer. To easily clean your washing machine frugally with environmentally friendly products, pour two cups of vinegar into the bowl and run the machine with hot water. You may also substitute lemon juice instead of vinegar. There are other machine cleaning products as well.
Home washing machine repairs can address simple problems before they get worse. By practicing preventative maintenance, you can significantly extend the life of your washer machine. If you're considering replacing your home appliance, first consider appliance repair. An appliance repair specialist will be able to tell you if your appliance is worth saving, or if you should upgrade to a newer model.
