DIY Appliance Repair Tips

Wait! Before you get the itch to hire an appliance repair for assistance, you can keep your household appliances running properly with the help of the troubleshooting tips below.

1. Smelly Washing Machine

The presence of a unpleasant smell in your washing machine defeats the point of the appliance! If you’re in the process of attempting to wash your clothes so that they’re clean and fresh, but your washing machine isn’t cooperating, run an cycle without clothes/laundry in hot water with two cups of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of baking soda to eliminate the odor. This problem often happens in front-loading washers. To prevent smells in the future, prop the door open between cycles so it will dry out.

2. Inefficient Refrigerant

A semi-cool fridge in the kitchen is never a welcome sign. A warm refrigerator definitely will not keep drinks cool or refreshing, and the food inside of it might also be in danger of going rotten! In several cases, your refrigerator won’t need professional repair; instead it could just need to be cleaned out. Or the coils on the back of the appliance are overdue for cleaning.

Unplug the appliance and pull it away from the wall before wiping down the refrigerator coils. If you can’t notice immediate cooling improvement, it’s best to call a professional appliance repair service in Tulsa and Oklahoma City for troubleshooting.

3. Clicking Igniter on Stove

If the igniter on your gas oven clicks nonstop and the burner doesn’t light, inspect to be sure the burner cap is on tight and correctly aligned. You may possibly notice this issue if you’ve had a recent boil over or spill on your stovetop.

Otherwise, the reason is probably a clogged igniter. To clean the igniter, first take off the burner lid and dust off any debris. You can use a pin to scrape dirt from the grooves. If that does not fix the problem, it’s smart to not disassemble a lighter for anyone without the right training; call on a professional appliance repair company to determine the issue.

4. Broken Garbage Disposal

A kitchen sink’s garbage disposal comes with self-protection with its own overload trip. If it becomes clogged, overheats, grinds for too long, or has a different issue, your disposal could just need to be reset instead of replaced. Be sure the switch is OFF. Next, find the switch on the disposal under the sink and then press the button. If the button does not stay pushed in, wait 10 minutes and then attempt it again. Now, turn on the water from the faucet and then turn the switch on.

If the disposal in the kitchen sink is filled up with waste and you only hear a humming sound and not food grinding, you could need to twist the blades with a hex key tool to eliminate the jam. Then, push in the reset switch to get the garbage disposal running again. If the tips above fail to get the appliance working like normal, please don’t succumb to the urge to shove your arms down in the blades to troubleshoot. Be smart and set up an appointment with a professional appliance repairman in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

5. No Power from Outlet

In the bathroom or kitchen, the electrical outlets should be equipped with GFCI capabilities to protect against harm in wet areas. If a GFCI outlet is not providing power, press the red reset switch to see if that will restore juice.

If not, or if you’re trying a basic electrical outlet, make certain that a breaker has not tripped in the breaker panel. If you’re not sure if a breaker is tripped, flip it to the OFF position and back onto the ON position. Please remember, safety near wiring is critical. Should you have any doubts, call a professional service.

6. Wobbling Washing Machine

A shaking washer can create quite a startling banging and is not a great way to get clean clothes. If yours is suddenly banging around, the washing machine could be in trouble. To repair this issue, rotate the legs of the appliance to lower or lift all corners until it’s balanced. One other likely case is that the appliance is off balance. Crack open the lid and move around the clothing items so that they’re evenly dispersed in the drum of the appliance.

Doing this could help the washing machine not have to work quite as hard. If you try to arrange the clothing a few times to no avail, don’t ignore the problem. You could have a loosened motor or drum mount to deal with, which should be easy for a professional repairman to fix. But continuing to operate your washer with this problem might damage other parts and lead to a more significant repair down the road.

Call for Help

If none of these suggestions are able to fix your issues, it’s time to schedule service from First Rate Appliance Repair!

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