Hey everyone! Thanks for stopping by the Pete’s Appliances blog! Today, we’re creating a blog that will hopefully help you take care of and understand your home’s appliances in a way that helps them last longer and work better.
The truth is, our home appliances are extremely important and relied on. When they stop working entirely or even when they stop performing their function correctly, it’s a major derailment to your busy life. If your oven or stove isn’t working, you need new plans for dinner. If your dishwasher stops draining, you’ll have to wash them by hand. The list goes on.
Now, before we continue — call us right away if you have an appliance emergency. Pete’s Appliances repair services are unmatched in the Boston area, meaning we’ll get your home appliances fixed and functional in no time!
If you’re not currently suffering from a home appliance emergency, keep reading to learn about some advanced information that can help you take better care of and perform minor fixes to your home appliances. If at any point in this blog you’re confused or overwhelmed, just give us a call — we’ll be happy to help you out. Again, these are advanced techniques, so if you’re not comfortable performing these tasks or can’t understand what exactly you need to do, our professional appliance repair experts will be more than happy to take care of you.
Check The Basics
Don’t take this the wrong way, but always start by taking a look at obvious problem-causers. Sometimes, the appliance isn’t getting power, be it from an accidental unplug or a faulty outlet. With something like a washer or dryer, it may be on an uneven surface, which could prevent it from operating. Take the time to inspect the situation, because if the issue you’re experiencing is a result of a simple fix, this can save you time and money! Avoid the headache of running back and forth to the parts store, buying unnecessary equipment, and overcomplicating the appliances issue by spending some time to thoroughly inspect any variables that could be stopping your appliance from preventing effectively.
Stock Your Toolbelt
If you’re looking to undergo a DIY home appliance repair, you’re going to need a complete tool kit. Your best bet is to invest in a full set of standard tools, as you never know what you’ll need to complete a job. However for reference, here are some of the most-used items for appliance repair:
- Screwdrivers — Phillips & Flat Head, Multiple Sizes
- Nut Driver — Set Of Metric And English Measurements
- Wrench Set
- Adjustable Crescent Wrench
- Multimeter (We’ll Discuss This More Below)
- Needlenose and Channel Lock Pliers
- A Putty Knife
- Personal Protective Equipment — Work Gloves And Safety Glasses
- Thread Sealing Tape
Listen For New Or Unusual Noises
A telltale sign that an appliance is failing or damaged is the appearance of a loud, abnormal noise. Most commonly, an abnormal nose coming from your appliance is going to be from a fan or motor that needs to be replaced. If you notice an unusual noise, take note of the sound’s location and try to identify which part is located in that area of the machine. Then, replace the necessary parts if you’re able.
Diagnose Issues With An Error Code
Oftentimes, when an appliance is dealing with an issue, it will display some sort of error code. Before having easy access to what these codes mean via the internet, you’d absolutely have to call an appliance repair expert like Pete’s Appliances to alleviate the issue. However, now you can search the make, model, and error number of the machine you’re looking to repair and get some valuable info as to what needs to be done to fix the issue. Then, if it’s out of the scope of repair you can do, simply call our experts at Pete’s Appliances to get it fixed!
Check For Refrigerant Leaks
With refrigerators, a common issue is a refrigerant leak. That being said, addressing a refrigerant leak is intensive and requires a good amount of research on your end. Before approaching a refrigerant leak, make sure you have an understanding of your refrigerator’s refrigerant cycle, what common problems are associated with your specific system, and how it does its job. Here is a helpful resource on refrigerant systems in general, but again, make sure you know the specifics of the machine you’re looking to repair. By understanding your refrigerators refrigerant system, you’ll be able to approach and address problems.
How Are The Seals And Gaskets Doing?
Sometimes a refrigerator or freezer isn’t staying cold or an oven’s heat is inconsistent because the seals have worn out. It may be an obvious issue with a seal or gasket, or it might be a hardly-noticeable crack in a seal that’s ruining the whole operation. No matter which way you cut it, replacing seals and gaskets are some of the easiest DIY repairs you can do on a home appliance. Just remember to find a replacement part that is made for your specific appliance that’s being repaired.
Are Your Gas Igniters Working?
If you have any gas powered appliances, the last thing you need is a faulty igniter. Fortunately, whether your gas-powered appliance uses an electric starter or a pilot light, it’s usually a simple fix. That’s because gas-powered appliances are extremely durable, and the electric starters or pilot lights are usually the only parts that fail. However, before you take the steps to replace what you believe to be a faulty electric starter or pilot light, check to ensure that there are no debris blocking the starter, and that your starters are properly aligned.
Where Are Your Hoses?
Most of our home appliances move and use water to perform their duties — no matter if it’s a washing machine or dishwasher, it’s going to have hoses, and you’ll need to know where the hoses are if you’re interested in repairing your appliances yourself. That’s because, before parts and components of the machine break or start to deteriorate, you hoses will. Or, they’ll suffer from kinks and leaks, at least. You’ll want to replace any worn out hoses, and you can also use these hoses to hone in on and address any leaks in your machine.
If You’re Serious, Invest In A Multimeter
We mentioned it in the tool section, but it’s so important that it deserves its own section. A multimeter works to inspect the electrical current and other signals in order to diagnose wiring problems within your appliances. For one, this device is important for your safety, as you can learn the status of your home appliance’s electrical system. What’s more, it’s an absolute necessity if you’re going to consider a major DIY appliance wiring project.
Consider The 50% Rule
This tip is actually for those looking to perform repairs on their own and those considering recruiting Pete’s Appliances for a home appliance repair. The 50% rule is simply a guideline to help make a decision when you’re faced with the question, “Should I repair this appliance, or should I just replace it?”
Here’s what you need to know — if your appliance is halfway or more through its average lifespan, you should replace the appliance rather than repair it. Not sure what your appliance’s lifespan is? Check in its manual or online, you should be able to find the information you’re looking for. Furthermore, if an appliance repair is going to cost more than 50% of what it costs to replace it with a new appliance, you should replace it.
Again, this is a ‘rule’ that was made to make everyones’ lives easier. Essentially, it’s intended to save you time and money by avoiding a repair situation that’s going to bleed you dry or just break down again soon after repair.
Pete’s Appliances — The Best Appliance Repair In The Boston Area
We know, this entire blog has been chock-full of information that is intended to help you repair your home appliances on your own. Hopefully, this has been helpful for you, or at the very least insightful. But, we know that for most people, they don’t have the time to acquire the right tools, learn the intricacies of their home appliance, or even the time to actually approach an intensive repair job.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the time, the knowledge, or even the desire to take care of your own home appliance repairs — Pete’s Appliances will take care of you. We specialize in repairing all types and all brands of home appliances in the Boston Area.
If you’re in need of appliance repair in Boston, give us a call today! And if you’re interested in learning more about the repair services we offer by following the links below.