What should I check before calling an appliance repair service?
Check five things first: the breaker, both taps, the drain filter, the lint screen and the vent run. They cost nothing to check and they account for a real share of calls that turn out not to need a technician at all. If you have done all five, the fault is real.
One: the breaker, and both halves of it
An electric dryer runs on a double pole breaker, which means it has two live legs. Lose one and the drum still turns while the heat does not, which reads exactly like a dead heating element and is not.
Switch the breaker fully off and back on rather than just looking at it. A tripped breaker does not always sit visibly out of line.
Two: the taps, and the screens behind them
A washer that fills slowly or not at all is often a tap that was never fully reopened after some other job, or inlet screens blocked with sediment. Close both taps, unscrew the inlet hoses at the machine end and look at the small screens in the fittings.
On well or hard water this is a routine find rather than an unlucky one, and it is a five minute fix with an old toothbrush.
Three: the drain filter
Behind the kick panel at the bottom front of most front loaders. It catches coins, hair grips, screws and socks, and a jammed one will stop a machine draining entirely.
Put a towel and a shallow tray down before you open it. There is usually a quart or two still sitting in there and it will not wait politely.
Four: the lint screen, properly
Not just emptied. Run water onto the screen: if it pools on the mesh rather than passing straight through, the screen is glazed with fabric softener residue and is choking airflow even though it looks clean. Scrub it with warm soapy water and a soft brush.
Five: the vent run, end to end
Disconnect the vent hose at the back of the dryer and run the machine for two minutes. If it heats and dries normally that way, the fault is the vent run and not the dryer, and no part on the machine needs replacing.
Then check the flap on the outside wall actually opens when the dryer runs. They seize shut, and birds nest behind them.
When to stop checking and call
Some symptoms are not for working through a list. A burning smell means stop the machine and unplug it, because that is how dryer fires start. Water on the floor means stop using the washer before it reaches the subfloor. A grinding noise that rises with the spin means stop before the bearing takes the tub with it.
And if all five checks came back clean, the fault is real and inside the machine. That is the point at which a visit is worth the money.
Questions
Why is my dryer tumbling but not heating?
Why is my washing machine not filling?
Will you tell me if I do not need a visit?
What should I have ready when I call?
The facts, plainly
- Service
- Washers and dryers only. Top load and front load, electric and gas. No refrigerators, ovens or dishwashers.
- Area
- House calls within 25 miles of Springfield, MO. The machine is never transported.
- Availability
- By appointment only. One technician, so a booked slot is a confirmed slot.
- Pricing
- Not published. The machine is diagnosed first and you get a price before any work starts.
- Credentials
- Licensed and insured, City of Nixa contractor license.
- Brands
- LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Kenmore, Frigidaire, Speed Queen and other major brands.
- Parts
- Common failure parts travel on the van, which is why most repairs finish in the same visit.
- Phone
- (417) 414-0284
Get your laundry day back
Book a time on the calendar, or call and talk it through. Service is by appointment only, so a booked slot is a confirmed slot.