Handy tricks for helping your appliance repair tech!

We’re in this business to serve you and to do that to the very best of our ability. However, there are ways in which you, the customer, can help your appliance repair tech when he comes to your house.

Refrigerators, Freezers, & Ice Makers: We often encounter customers who are trying to be helpful by unplugging their fridge prior to our arrival at the home. The thinking for these customers is that they want to help the tech by defrosting a freezer, offering a workplace that isn’t cold, and that they can save some on the electric bill by unplugging a machine that isn’t working anyway. However, this is actually counter-productive. Our tech has to see the unit in it’s full non-working state in order to properly diagnose the problem; he needs to see how and where it’s frozen over, how much or little the ice tray is filling, whether the fan is operating properly, and so on. So please, leave those fridges plugged in for at least 24 hours prior to any appointment with us.

Washers & Dryers: One simple way to avoid needing appliance repair is having the dryer vent cleaned every couple years, or yearly if you do laundry daily. This is not a service that we offer, and it is often the root cause of repair troubles. Another way in which you can streamline the work of laundry repairs is to have the laundry area cleaned out and free from extra items (laundry, baskets, etc.). Our laundry rooms often become catch-all spaces (and we’re just as guilty of that as anyone!) but that extra stuff in the way makes it difficult, or even impossible, for the tech to work in the space. If you think the washer is flooding, first check the drain in the wall behind the washer. If that drain is clogged up, it could overflow onto the floor. In this instance, the problem cannot be fixed by an appliance repair tech, but instead needs a plumber.

Dishwashers: A frequent call we get regarding dishwashers is that the unit is not properly drying the dishes. You can potentially fix this issue on your own by ensuring your dishwasher has enough rinse aid (JetDry or other brands) in it. The name of these products is deceiving. While you might think that “rinse aid” would mean that it is a product that helps in the rinse cycle of the dishwasher, it is actually intended to help to remove the water from the dishes in the cycle. Therefore, it’s really more of a drying aid, but we didn’t get the chance to name it! Think of it like using Rain-X on your windshield. Some machines will not run the drying cycle if there is not enough rinse aid, which will leave you with a dishwasher full of wet dishes. Another common dishwasher problem is that the unit is not draining properly. Before you call for repair, check the garbage disposal. If you’ve recently installed a new garbage disposal, check to be sure that the plug was removed. If it wasn’t, the dishwasher cannot drain.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this blog post – it’ll make your life, and ours, easier!