If you are handy with electrical equipment and test equipment, you could save hundreds doing your appliance repairs yourself. Parts are easy to find online, and there are thousands of help videos all over the Internet. Most people, though, aren’t that way inclined. What they’re up for are a few simple fixes — oversights, adjustments, replacements and the like. Appliance troubles for such reasons are hardly rare.
It’s always nice to be able to catch a little problem and avoid having to spend big bucks calling in a technician. Here are tips to help you troubleshoot for such faults.
If your dryer takes too long
Every dryer comes with a lint catcher that keeps lint from clogging up the interior of the exhaust pipe. Lint catchers, though, begin to clog up with lint themselves in mere days, making it harder for hot air to pass out. Before long, neglected lint catchers take on a thick, mat-like appearance. It can be very hard for a dryer to function well in these circumstances.
It’s basic weekly maintenance with dryers to shake the lint catcher clean. If clean out the lint filter. your dryer is not performing as always, it is the lint filter that you should look at. It isn’t just about efficient function, either. A clogged filter is a fire hazard, as well.
If the icemaker in the refrigerator won’t work
Since the icemaker works with the temperatures made possible by the freezer, it’s important to make sure that the freezer is set to a level low enough. If your icemaker seems to not work well, the culprit could simply be an incorrectly set freezer temperature dial.
Sometimes, you find that your icemaker makes ice, but that the cubes are very small. The reason is usually a water supply pipe to the icemaker at that blocked with gunk. Clearing it out. While you’re at it, you should also look at the saddle valve. It’s a clogged risk.
If your dishwasher seems to be malfunctioning
All kinds of dishwasher problems tend to come about from filters clogged with food particles. You need to look up your owner’s manual, locate the filters and clean them. You should make sure that you keep the dishwasher properly cleaned to prevent such problems. If this is a chore, you can buy a dishwasher detergent that helps dissolve food debris.
It’s important, when you try to fix your appliances, to not do more harm than you’re attempting to fix. Pulling out the refrigerator, oven or another appliance, for instance, can put scratches on your hardwood floor. Thinking before you do anything is always a good idea.