Appliance Troubleshooting Tips

Ok, so you have a Problem with your Kitchen or Laundry Product.   Before you decide to fork out some dollars to have a pro come in, you want to repair it yourself.  I have done my best to construct a simple and easy to follow guide for troubleshooting the basics.  Most repair problems are simple fixes that can be done by the average consumer.

There are cases where it would not be wise to try and fix it yourself without the proper tools and training.  In cases like that, it's ok that you are not able to do it yourself.  That's when you have to make the decision to call someone in to repair it or replace it.

Use the table on the right to select your type of major appliance

There are many things to remember when you are troubleshooting your broken appliance.  Safety is one of the biggest ones.  Always unplug the machine you are working on to avoid the risk of being shocked.

Repair or Replace - This is a Tough one

Age:  How old is it?

The age of a machine is a big factor when you have to make this decision. If you have a 20 year old washer or refrigerator, there is a good chance that the parts are NLA (No Longer Available).  That makes replacing the machine an easy decision.  Age would not be the only factor to consider though.  There are many machines out there I have told customers to have repaired that had some years behind them.  If it needs a simple repair like a lid switch, of course, fix it.  If your talking replacing a motor or some sort of control board or timer, that's where the grey area starts.

Cost Effective: Is it worth putting Money into?

I think a good rule of thumb is in most cases, if the repair is going to cost more than half of what it would be to replace, consider replacing.  Why put $300 into a washer, when you could replace yours with something equivalent for maybe $400 or so.  Now on the other hand, if the machine was worth $1000, then that's another story.

Physical Condition: Has this machine seen better days?

This one here depends on your own personal preference.  If the machine is not so nice in appearance and has been around for a while, some people look for reasons to replace it.  That would include the simple repairs.  But if the way the machine looks isn't a factor (hiding in the basement) then that's not so much a factor in the topic at hand.  Now if your machine is starting to rust and fall apart, that would be another story.  Dents, scratches and stains are usually not something to worry so much about when deciding.  Unless of course it bothers you that much. Like my brother, he can't have footprints in the carpet after he vacuums.  lol.  I say you get the best deals on the Scratch and Dent Models.