Monthly Archives: April 2019

Appliance Repair: Dishwasher Dos And Don’ts

Do you have a dishwasher? For the unit to last for a long time, you should take good care of it. One of the most effective ways of doing it is by observing a set of dos and don’ts. Here is what you need to do as given by appliance repair professionals:

Do run full loads

The purpose of doing this is to minimize the amount of water that the appliance uses when doing the dishwashing. When you run the unit half full, you tend to spend a lot of water that you shouldn’t.

For you to conserve water, you should always run full loads of the appliance.

While you should run when the unit is full, you should take care that you don’t overfill it. This is because doing so leads to a malfunctioning appliance. You also tend to damage your utensils.

Don’t face all the plates in one direction

How you place plates has a great impact on how clean they get among many other things. One of the mistakes you should avoid making is placing the plates in such a way that they all face the same direction.

The best way of going about it is placing the plates on the bottom rack while they are facing inwards towards the spray arms. When it comes to the small plates, place them in front of the larger ones. This is to ensure that the spray reaches them.

When you are arranging the utensils in the dishwasher, you should arrange them in such a way that you are going to save time when unloading. This calls for you to put the forks with the forks and the knives with the knives.

You should place the handles facing up so that you don’t get poked or punctured as you are taking them out.

Spoons are bound to stay dirty if you place them in a spooning position; therefore, you should insert some of them with the handles facing down.

Do clean the dishwasher

It’s a no brainer that you need to clean the dishwasher. The cool thing is that it’s easy to clean it; therefore, you don’t need to worry about hiring a professional to help you out. All you need to do is to remove all the dishes in the unit and carefully clean the unit. You should also remember to clean the outside.

For you to keep all the parts running, consider running an empty cycle at least once a day. The best time to do it is at the end of the workday.

Don’t wash the dishes beforehand

To make the work easy for the dishwasher, it’s recommended that you remove the excess food that might be on the dishes. Some people go to the extent of pre-washing the dishes.

You don’t have to do this as it would be pointless putting the pre-washed dishes into the dishwasher.

It would be better simply washing the dishes by hand, don’t you think? If you have to remove the excess food materials, you should simply scrape them off—don’t go to the extent of washing them off.

Do use hot water

Most of the dishwashers are connected to the hot water. This water is meant to melt the fat that might be present and at the same time disinfect the machine and plates. Hotter always means cleaner; therefore, you should always use hot water.

If there are plastics in the batch that you are cleaning, you should take care that you don’t use extremely hot water that will cause damage.

Don’t unload from the top to bottom

Did you know how you unload the dishwasher is important? If you unload it the wrong way, you might have to repeat the cleaning process all over again. As a rule of thumb, you should avoid unloading the dishwasher from the top rack. This is because the rack might be containing water that can spill onto the dishes below.

Commercial appliance repair Northern VA professionals recommend that you unload the dishwasher from the bottom. Obviously this way there is no way you can spill the water onto the other dishes.

Oven Repair: 6 Ways To Maintain Your Oven

oven repair

For you to avoid regular oven repair, you should take good care of your oven. The cool thing is that there are plenty of ways of doing it. Some of these ways include:

Pay attention to the blower motor

The blower motor is one of the vital parts of the oven. One of the things you should do is to lubricate it. Is your motor equipped with oil cups? You should open them and apply the right amount of oil to them.

If your unit has ball-bearing motors, you should apply oil at the front and back of the motor.

When you are lubricating the motor, you also should remember to pay attention to the blower wheel and extension shaft set screws. You should tighten the screws as required. You should take care that you don’t overtighten the screws to the extent of crushing the isolation or resilient washers.

Inspect the heating elements

It’s common for the heating elements to burn out from time to time. This leads to reduced power and loss of performance. A telltale sign of a problem with the elements is a drop in oven performance.

One of the ways of inspecting the elements is by using a digital multimeter. You can also check them using an ammeter that checks the amperage of the elements.

If you don’t have these devices with you, you can always check the individual elements manually. When doing so, remember to set the controller to 100%.

Prevent unnecessary heat losses

It’s your responsibility as a homeowner to ensure that the oven is functioning at its level best. One of the ways of ensuring that this is the case is by preventing unnecessary heat loses. Does your oven have a light? You should always use a port plug in the light socket when you aren’t using the light.

The port plug in the light socket reduces heat loss and at the same time prevents the socket from malfunctioning due to the exposure to the heat. It’s common for the port plug to crack or get damaged every now and then. If this is the case, you should repair it or simply replace it if the damage is extensive.

Cool the oven properly

It’s recommended that you let the oven cool by itself, but if you have to speed up the cooling, you should do it properly. The best way of doing it is by using the cryogenic method of cooling. For proper cryogenic cooling, you need to follow a set of tips that include:

  • Don’t use regulators between the carbon monoxide siphon tank and oven
  • Avoid using manifolds at all times. This is to prevent making changes in the cross section of the liquid path that leads to the solidification of the liquid.
  • When cooling, always ensure that you don’t exceed the pressure rating of the solenoid valve
  • You should always use proper ventilation when cooling. This is to prevent suffocation.

Clean the oven regularly

This is a no brainer. You need to clean the oven for it to look good and also last for a long time. At the end of the working day, you should clean the oven. It’s also wise to give the unit a thorough cleaning at least twice a year.

The cool thing is that cleaning the unit is easy. All you need is soap and a moist piece of cloth. When cleaning the insides of the unit, remember to turn off the power to avoid damaging the unit, or even hurting yourself.

Take a look at the burners

What is the condition of the burners? You need to find out about it. At least once a year, take a look at the burners and inspect them for deformities. If they are damaged, you should find out whether you can repair them or you should go ahead and replace them.

When the oven is cooking, you should take a look at the coils. A small spot on the coil that is redder than the rest of the unit means that the piece is about to short out.

You can hire an appliance repair Northern VA professional to help you with the inspection or do it by yourself if you have the time and skill to do it.

Commercial Appliance Repair: Ways To Keep Your Washing Machine In Top Shape

commercial appliance repair

As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to take care of your washing machine. According to commercial appliance repair professionals, there are plenty of tips that you need to consider for you to keep the unit in top shape. Some of these tips include:

Use the right detergent

When it comes to the detergent, you should use one that is made for high-efficiency machines. You should avoid regular detergents as they tend to produce more suds and when you use them for a long time, they build up a film on the drum and hoses. The film becomes a breeding ground for mold.

You should note that some detergents are marked as high-efficiency compatible, but they still produce a lot of suds that are difficult to rinse out.

Even when you get the right detergent, you should take care that you don’t use a lot of it. Just use minimal amounts of it and you will be good to go.

Watch out for fabric softeners

If you need your clothes to be ultra soft, you should wash them with a fabric softener. When using the softener, be on the lookout that you don’t use too much of it as you can end up damaging the machine.

If you can go without the softener, you are better off without it. When it comes to bleach, you also should take care that you don’t use too much of it. High efficiency machines use less water; therefore, when you use too much of fabric softener and bleach, you will have a hard time getting rid of it.

When buying the softeners and bleach, ensure they are of high quality.

Run a monthly cleaning cycle

At least once a month, run a cleaning cycle aimed at keeping the machine clean. For you to do it you need to pour distilled white vinegar instead of laundry detergent into the dispenser then add one cup of baking soda directly into the drum.

The purpose of doing this is to neutralize the pH while at the same time providing a scrubbing action. You should then run the machine on the hottest cycle.

For extreme cases of mildew, you should replace vinegar with bleach and run a few quick cycles with hot water. Does your machine allow a self-cleaning cycle? Follow the instructions given in the manual to the letter.

Keep the filter clean

Every washing machine has a lint filter. Depending on the type of machine, the lint collector is located in the agitator tube, which is the center column of most machines. You can also find it near the top of the washtub. For your machine to run efficiently, you should clean the filter.

At least once every few months, you should take a look at the filters and if dirty, clean them. Sometimes the filters are too dirty or damaged for cleaning. In such a case, you should simply replace them.

Don’t overload the machine

To save time and water, some homeowners load as many clothes in their washing machines as possible. While this might save you some time, it often leads to inefficient cleaning. It also sometimes leads to damage to the washing machine.

For you to keep the unit in top shape, you should avoid overloading it. Even when cleaning the clothes, wash the heavy and bulky items in small loads as these are often harder on the appliance.

Clean the washing machine

While the unit is meant to clean the clothes, it also should be cleaned. For a crisp look, you should clean both the insides and outsides of the machine. You should clean out the washing machine door’s rubber seal using water and vinegar.

Are there hard to clean areas? Use Q-tips to clean them. During the cleaning, get rid of any bits of hair or fabric that you may find. These materials tend to trap odors, sludge, and provide a breeding ground for mold.

Watch out for the small objects

The small objects can easily damage your machine; therefore, you should keep your eyes open for them. To protect your machine, check your pockets for foreign objects such as coins, hair clips, and any others. If they are there, appliance repair Fairfax professionals recommend that you remove them.