DIY Appliance Repair Tips

Wait! Before you pick up the phone to call an appliance repair Oshkosh for help, you should be able to keep your appliances in good condition with the help of the troubleshooting tips below.

1. Smelly Washing Machine

A gross smell in a washer defeats the entire point of owning the appliance! If you’re trying to wash your clothing items so that they’re fresh and clean, but your appliance isn’t cooperating, run an cycle with no clothes/laundry in warm water with 2 cups of white vinegar and 1/2 cup of baking soda to eliminate the smell. This problem commonly happens in front-loading washing machines. To prevent future smells, crack the door open after washes to let it dry out.

2. Inefficient Refrigerant

A lukewarm fridge is not a good sign. A warm refrigerator won’t keep beverages cold or refreshing, and the food inside might also be close to rotting! In a lot of cases, your refrigerator won’t require repair; instead the inside could just need to be cleaned. Or the coils on the rear of the unit are in need of cleaning.

Unplug the appliance and drag it away from the wall prior to wiping down the coils. If you don’t see immediate cooling improvement, it is time to contact a professional appliance repair company in Oshkosh.

3. Clicking Igniter on Stove

If the igniter on a gas-powered stove clicks nonstop and the burner does not light, inspect to be certain the burner cap is on tight and correctly aligned. You may also notice this issue if you have recently had a boil over or spill on the stove top.

If that’s not the case, the reason is likely to be a clogged igniter. To clean the igniter, first remove the burner cap and wipe away any loose particles. You can also use a metal clothes pin to pick dirt from the grooves of the igniter. If that does not fix the issue, it is smart not to take a lighter apart unless you have the training; in this case hire a professional appliance repair company to investigate the problem.

4. Broken Garbage Disposal

Your garbage disposal comes with self-protection with its own overload trip switch. If it is filled up, overheats, grinds for too much time, or has some other issue, your disposal might simply need to be reset instead of fixed. You should be sure the switch is turned OFF. Next, find the reset switch on the disposal unit beneath the kitchen sink and press the switch. If the button does not stay pushed in, just wait ten minutes and attempt it again. Turn on the water and then turn the button on.

If the disposal is filled with food and you the only noise you hear is a humming sound instead of waste grinding, you might need to manually unwind the disposal blades with a hex key tool to clear the jam. Next, press the reset button to get the disposal grinding again. If the previous tips fail to get the appliance working like it should, please do not give in to the temptation to push one of your arms down in the disposal to investigate. Be safe and set up an appointment with a professional appliance company in Oshkosh.

5. No Power from Outlet

In the bathroom or kitchen, your electrical outlets need to be installed with GFCI capabilities to protect against harm in wet environments. If a GFCI electrical outlet isn’t providing power, press the red reset switch to see if it restores power.

If it does not, or if you’re trying on a typical outlet, make sure that a breaker hasn’t been tripped in your circuit breaker box. If you are not sure if a circuit breaker is tripped, flip it to the OFF position and then flip it back onto the ON position. But remember, safety around electricity is a must. Should you have doubts, call a professional technician.

6. Wobbling Washing Machine

A shaking washing machine will create quite a loud banging and is not a good method to get clean laundry. If your washing machine is abruptly knocking around, the unit could be broken down. To repair this problem, rotate the legs on the washer to lift or lower each of the corners until it’s straightened out. One other likely situation is that the unit is not balanced. Crack open the top and move around the clothes so they’re evenly dispersed in the drum of the washer.

Doing this could help the washing machine to not have to work as hard. If you do attempt to move around the laundry a couple of times without success, do not ignore the issue. You may have a loose motor or drum mount to deal with, which is easy enough for a professional technician to fix. But continuing to operate the washing machine with this problem could damage some of the other pieces and cause a bigger repair in the future.

Call for Help

If these suggestions fix your problems, you will want to schedule service from Oshkosh Appliance Repair!

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