Tag Archives: appliance repairs

Why Does a Refrigerator Stop Getting Cold?

appliance repiar

A refrigerator that is not cooling has the potential to ruin your food and incur high energy costs. If left untreated, it may cause irreversible damage to your equipment.

According to the FDA, the recommended temperature for a refrigerator is 40°F or below, while a freezer’s temperature should be 0°F.

If you have turned on your appliance but it’s not cooling, this can be due to several issues. Some of the issues that might be causing this problem include:

The condenser coils are dirty

When the condenser coils on the rear of the refrigerator become dusty or coated with spiderwebs, the device cannot cool effectively. According to appliance repair professionals, one of the simplest maintenance tasks you can perform on your refrigerator is to remove it and clean the condenser coils at least once every six months.

To remove the condenser, unlatch the anti-tip brackets on the cabinet’s exterior bottom front. You should then slide the refrigerator out carefully and clean the coils using a hand attachment from a vacuum cleaner.

When doing it, be careful not to bend or damage the coils.

If you have pets, consider pulling out the refrigerator and cleaning the coils more often, as plenty of fur is lying around.

The fridge isn’t plugged in.

While it may appear obvious, one of the most ignored troubleshooting procedures when diagnosing a faulty refrigerator is to ensure it is correctly plugged in, especially if you are returning after a vacation or lengthy absence.

To fix this, you should check the electrical outlet and ensure the refrigerator is properly plugged in.

Replace the damaged power cord with a new one to guarantee a secure and effective connection.

Also, ensure that the circuit breaker linked with the refrigerator is not tripped, as a tripped breaker can disrupt power flow.

Door gaskets are dirty.

The flexible door seals (gaskets) might get dirty over time due to food or fingerprints, preventing the door from properly sealing. To fix this problem, clean the gaskets with a sponge and warm soapy water.

Also, clean off the areas of the fridge where the gaskets meet.

You should avoid using abrasive cleansers, brushes, scouring pads, flammable substances, or window cleaning sprays, as they can harm the appliance, and you don’t want this.

The thermostat is broken.

When you have this problem, the fridge will be reasonably cool and operational but not as cold as you would want.

Your refrigerator has a thermostat that may be turned up or down to suit your preferences.

Check the thermostat to ensure it wasn’t unintentionally turned down, resulting in a tepid fridge that consumes all the electricity. If your thermostat stops working, you should get a replacement.

There is no power getting into the fridge.

When you open the fridge door, and no light comes on, no power is entering your fridge.

This may sound simple, but make sure the refrigerator is plugged in. And if it is, make sure it is receiving power.

Sometimes, the problem is this easy, so don’t ignore it. Perhaps you bumped the fridge while cleaning, and it came unplugged. If it is plugged in, the outlet may have a problem.

You can look at it by yourself or ask a professional to give it a look.

Food items are blocking the air vents.

Most refrigerators receive chilly air from vents in the freezer area, regardless of where the freezer is located.

Unfortunately, food items inside the refrigerator part of the appliance may be preventing the cold air vent from allowing cold air to pass through.

To fix this problem, find the bulky boxes or bags that may have been accidentally placed in front of the vents, preventing cool air from entering the unit.

Pull those items aside or move them to a different shelf.

You also should check if there is any ice blocking the vent. If so, gently chip it away while checking the device’s temperature.

The fridge doesn’t have enough food items.

Mass (food) in the refrigerator contributes to its cooling. Understocked refrigerators can have temperature difficulties and must work harder to maintain cool temperatures. On the other hand, well-stocked (but not overstocked) refrigerators contain enough mass to maintain cool temperatures.

You should keep your refrigerator roughly three-quarters full of food and liquids to ensure proper air circulation.

You should place a couple of water pitchers in the refrigerator’s empty corners to help it stay chilly.

Do not overfill your fridge because products require air movement to remain properly cold.

The evaporator fan is frozen.

When you are having this problem, you may hear a screaming sound that becomes louder when you open the freezer door.

The evaporator fan is normally situated at the back of the freezer, alongside the evaporator coils, and circulates air as the coils work to remove heat.

To access the fan, unplug the refrigerator and remove the cover inside the freezer, just like you did with the evaporator coils. If it is covered in frost, you must remove and defrost it.

You have placed the fridge in a cold area.

Where you place your refrigerator in a warm or cold environment, such as outside or in a garage, you might impact its cooling ability.

A too-cold garage will confuse the fridge and prevent it from cooling its contents. If the garage is too hot, the refrigerator will work overtime to chill the interior.

Even if the fridge is in good working condition, hot appliances near it, such as dishwashers, stoves, or ovens, can interfere with its cooling.

You should put a heat-insulating material on the refrigerator wall to shield the fridge from the stove’s heat.

When cooking, use your kitchen fan to keep the temperature down.

To keep the refrigerator separate from other hot appliances, refrigerator repair Springfield technicians recommend that you surround it with a bespoke enclosure. This is also a solution for a fridge in a garage with high temperatures.

Should I Turn Off Refrigerator When Not In Use?

appliance repiar

If you are going on vacation for a month or more, you can’t keep your electric appliances running. One of the questions you must be asking is, should I turn off the refrigerator when not in use?

The answer to this question is a definitive yes. Appliance repair professionals recommend you turn off the fridge and unplug it at the wall.

The obvious reason you should shut the fridge is to save power. You don’t want to keep receiving high energy bills you aren’t consuming, are you?

The other reason you should shut the appliance is because you don’t want to keep worrying about what is going on at home.

Although, they are good servants, most appliances are ticking time bombs especially when they run unsupervised. They can fall, catch on fire, among many other things.

When you shut your appliance, you have peace of mind that none of your units can start a fire in your absence.

Besides shutting and disconnecting the fridge, there are several other things you should do when you will be gone for extended periods. Some of these things include:

Defrost and clean the appliance

If you don’t properly clean the fridge before storage, you will create a lot of mess that the fridge will be unusable by the time you are retrieving it from storage.

One major concern is mold that often starts from the food debris and spreads to the other parts of the fridge. There is also the pests concern. Ants and rodents can be attracted to even the smallest food pieces so when you don’t properly clean the fridge, these pests can get into your appliance and cause damage to the electrical components.

To defrost the fridge, remove all the food items and unplug the fridge. This will trigger the defrosting process and you should keep the refrigerator doors open so that moisture can escape from the fridge.

To avoid flooding your floor, strategically place a towel to catch the dripping water.

For peace of mind that the fridge is completely dry, defrost it at least a week before you leave for your vacation.

As the fridge is defrosting, you should clean both the insides and back of it.

Take out the drawers, shelves, and other removable parts of the appliance. Clean and soak these parts with mildly soapy water. For best results, ensure the water is warm. Avoid scalding hot water as it can damage the cold plastic or glass.

Using a mixture of baking soda and water, scrub away any materials that might have built up inside the fridge and freezer compartments.

As much as you want the fridge to be spotless, don’t use chlorine bleach, ammonia, or any other abrasive cleaning solutions as they can crack or even discolor the plastic and stainless steel.

Once the insides of the fridge are clean, turn your attention to the outside. Dust the coils using a brush attachment or run a vacuum cleaner. You can also use a dry cloth.

Store the fridge in an upright position

If you will be moving the fridge from its usual place, use a dolly or hand truck to move it. As a rule of thumb don’t move the fridge while laying on its side.

When you store it, ensure that it’s not in a slanting position—it should always be in a straight position.

The reason for this is to ensure that you come home to a properly functioning compressor.

Keep the fridge dry

The last thing you want is to reverse all the hard work you have put into cleaning and defrosting your appliance.

To ensure that your fridge remains dry and no moisture gets inside, remove the doors on both the fridge and freezer compartments.

According to refrigerator repair Springfield professionals, when you do this, you ensure no seal forms so your appliance is free from molds.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of removing the doors, wedge an object between the door and the compartment frame so that the door remains open.

When choosing the wedging object, ensure that the object is tough and won’t bend or get indented over time hence close the door and cause the damaging seal to form.

Should I Buy Extended Warranty On Washer And Dryer?

When you buy a washing machine, dryer, or any other large appliance, it’s not uncommon for retailers to try to sell you an extended warranty meant to provide you with coverage beyond the manufacturer’s original warranty.

When you have the warranty, you pay nothing if you need to undertake appliance repair or replace the unit.

When homeowners are in this situation, you will hear them asking, should I buy an extended warranty on the washer and dryer?

The answer to this question is no. You shouldn’t buy the extended warranty. This is because, in most cases, you end up not using it, so you lose money. A study by Stanford University showed that most modern appliances are reliable, and most won’t break down within the warranty period.

The study went further to show that even if the appliance broke down, the repair costs are often much lower than the warranty cost, so you lose money if you buy the extended warranty.

Extended warranties are moneymakers for retailers, so avoid them as a homeowner. However, if you feel the warranty is right for you, don’t go for it blindly. Instead, do the following:

Understand the manufacturer’s warranty

Before you commit yourself, first take time to understand what the manufacturer’s warranty contains. Carefully go through it and pay attention to how long it lasts, what it covers, and whether the company will repair or replace the appliance or refund the money when it breaks down.

Some companies will repair the appliance even after the warranty period has extended to provide good customer service, so you don’t even need the extended warranty.

Check whether the credit company has extended the warranty.

When you buy your appliance using a credit card, some credit companies extend appliance warranties for a year or more, saving you money as you don’t have to buy the extended warranty. Before you buy the warranty, contact your card insurer and check whether your credit card provides extended warranties.

Take time to read the extended warranty’s fine print.

Contrary to popular belief, extended warranties aren’t as comprehensive as you think, so with little effort, you can quickly go through the fine print.

When you are reading the warranties, pay attention to exclusions. Studies show that most warranties include lots of exclusions, making them less useful. For example, the extensions might fail to include accidental damage, or the company might be able to deny a claim if you didn’t follow the given routine maintenance instructions.

The warranty might also require you to use a specific service provider, and you might not be in the same area as the service provider.

Carefully go through the fine print and only consider purchasing if the warranty makes sense to you.

Consider how much it would cost you to repair the appliance.

The sole purpose of the extended warranty is to protect you when the appliance breaks down, but do they save you money? Before buying them, do your research and find out how much it will cost you to repair the appliance in the event it breaks down.

A great way to do it is to contact your local repair companies and ask them for their charge sheet.

Invest in a high-quality appliance

High-quality appliances are expensive, but they rarely break down, so you don’t need an extended warranty. Before you make the purchase, take time to learn about the appliance’s reliability by reviewing the product’s consumer report.

When buying the appliance, buy from a company that will take returns on defective items. Some stores with generous return policies will even accept broken items years after the original purchase. These are the companies to buy from.

Buy only when it makes sense.

Avoid buying the extended warranty unless it makes sense. For example, only buy if it costs less than the cost of repairs. You also should ensure the company you are buying the warranty from is reputable.

If you don’t know about the organization’s reputation or feel nervous about giving your information, steer clear and instead settle the washer repair Springfield costs from your pocket.

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.