37 Reasons To Have Your Appliances Maintained Regularly

How You Can Avoid Costly Repairs

If you're like most homeowners, you rely heavily on your major appliances to keep your household running smoothly. From refrigerators and washing machines to stoves and dryers, these machines make our lives easier and more comfortable. But did you know that regular maintenance is necessary to keep them working properly? In this article, we'll explore why it's important to have your major appliances maintained on a regular basis. So sit back, relax, and let's get started!

Let’s take a look at what it means to keep your appliances ‘maintained,’ shall we? 

Maintain  - 

To keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity) : preserve from failure or decline.

So, it’s a matter of regular repair to keep your appliances from decline or failure. That makes sense. 

What problems can regular maintenance prevent? 

When we send out our technicians to your home for a top-down maintenance check, they’re going to look at all of your appliances. Your refrigerator, oven, range, ice makers, dishwasher, washer and dryer, everything gets checked. Why? Because everything has small ways that they can go wrong, which, if caught, can prevent an exorbitant repair bill for you. 

Refrigerator Maintenance

When it comes to the refrigerator, many things need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Your condenser coils and fan need to be cleaned regularly so your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to keep cool. You’ve also got the water filter, which should be checked every six months, and some refrigerators also have an air filter that needs to be changed yearly.  We also check the defrost drains, as those also need to be cleaned yearly. The one thing that needs to be checked regularly, but not necessarily messed with, is your door seals. Making sure the seals are still shutting properly means that your fridge will close and cool properly, rather than trying to cool your entire kitchen. (Because that is an electric  bill none of us need.) 

Oven Maintenance 

For your oven, one of the first things that needs to be checked is the temperature. It sounds odd, but imagine if you try to bake a cake at 350*, but your oven is actually at 400* and only reading at 350? That can and does happen. So we check any time we’re called in to ensure that everything is working as it should. We also look at the cooling and convection fans to make sure they’re spinning easily to cool or circulate the air within your oven.  From there, we’ll make sure that the door seals are still good and that the elements aren’t overheating, either due to a fault or summer heat. Finally, if you have a gas oven, we’ll check the igniters. They need to be cleaned regularly to ensure you don’t have a buildup in the line or the oven. As we mentioned in a previous post, it’s best to leave this to a professional so that you don’t accidentally break something and cause a gas leak. 

Stove/Ranges/Cooktops Maintenance 

Your stove or cooktop is checked at the same time, especially if you have a gas version. We want to make sure that the pilot lights are not having issues and that the burner ports and igniters are clean. 

Ice Maker Maintenance 

We’ve mentioned just recently that your ice maker needs regular maintenance, and that includes both free-standing ones and those that are built into your refrigerator. This means that when you ask for a maintenance check, we’ll be looking at them, no matter what type you have. 

For both types, we’ll check the water flow to make sure it’s working as it should and giving you a full ice tray. If you have an in-refrigerator ice maker, we’ll want to check to ensure that there aren’t any Tephlon chips, as that has been noted as a serious health hazard. For a freestanding ice maker, we’ll want to go for a thorough cleaning at least once a year, if not every six months. From there, we’ll also check in on the pressure switch and be sure to clean the condenser coils as well. Those are just as important to your ice maker being able to breathe as they are to your refrigerator. 

Dishwasher Maintenance 

Your dishwasher has one of the longest lists of things that need to be checked, because there are so many parts packed into a small area. We’ll look at your seals and clean them as well, if needed, as well as the filters for your dishwasher. We want to look at the spray arms to ensure they’re not clogged and at the heating element to ensure that it’s still heating and not damaged. The draining process of your dishwasher will also be checked so that you don’t get an unfortunate overflow situation. We’ll also make sure to run a dishwasher cleaner once a month if you schedule that often. 

Washer Maintenance 

Finally moving out of the kitchen, let’s head over to your laundry room. Here, we’re going to take a look at your washer first. We’ll make sure that it fills properly on both hot and cold settings, as well as ensuring that it drains properly. We’ll want to take a look at your hoses to ensure there isn’t any damage or kinks in the line that can lead to issues. We’ll also make sure to clean the door boot and coin trap if your unit has them. We’ll also check on the springs or traps and run a cleaner on a monthly basis. 

Dryer Maintenance 

Our last stop, at least for this tour, is your dryer. Here, we’re not cleaning as much as we’re double-checking everything. We’ll check your venting to make sure that it isn’t obstructed by lint, debris, or clothing that the dryer goblins have stolen. We’ll also make sure that the vent chute and filter are clean and ensure that air is flowing freely through the machine. We will ensure that your dryer is rotating smoothly and without any unusual sounds.

Disclaimer: Although we’ve laid things out in this order, it doesn’t mean that our technicians will go in this order, as it varies on a number of factors. 

With that, which appliance do you think should be checked over most often? Let us know over on our Facebook page! 

If you want to get started on having your appliances regularly maintained, you can reach out to us via our contact page or by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055). 

Why Fall Is the Best Time For a Maintenance Check

3 Reasons Now IS the Best Time

Here's a riddle for you: Why is right now the best time to call and schedule a maintenance check for your appliances? Because it's October!  School is back in session, and everyone has settled into the routine. Now you're no longer trying to get used to the new year.  It's also well before the holidays, which means that you're not running around trying to get everything done.

Not quite following our logic? Let's take a closer look then and see why it might be perfect for you. 

Did You Travel Over The Summer?

Several of our posts in the past have talked about how to close down your house and disconnect everything before you travel.  If you did get to travel this summer, that means your appliances sat there. After you get everything reconnected is a great time to have all of the power cords and interior workings gone over to make sure that nothing was shorted or nibbled on by mice while you were gone.

Are You The Holiday Maven In Your Family?

If you're planning on lots of celebrating over the winter holidays, it's best to do a thorough check now. Taking a little bit of time out of your schedule now means that when it comes time to be prepping for everything, you're less likely to have an unexpected breakdown. It's also a lighter time in our schedule, which means you're not competing with 100 different families in the same situation.

Or Are You Excited For The Baking And Cooking The Cooler Weather Allows For?

If you like to bake more as the weather turns, we're right with you.  Very few of us want to bake or do a lot of food prep during the summer but fall is an ideal time to do those tasks. It's warm enough that you can open up the house but cool enough that you don't overheat. However you don't want your refrigerator or freezer, your stove or your oven, to give out in the middle of all this when you're trying to can several jars of fruit preserves for the next year, and bake all sorts of fresh pies as well. It just wont do. Which is why it's better to check everything over now to make sure everything is clean and running smoothly.

So how exactly does an appliance maintenance check work?

You start by giving us a call or reaching out to us on our contact page. Will work with you to find a time that works for your schedule for when one of our technicians will come to your home. We can either do a latchkey service or work with you to find a time that is best fit for when we can be there when you are. At this stage will also work with you to figure out what you want gone over. Are you wanting us to look at one or two appliances? Are you wanting us to go over all of your appliances?

When the day comes that you've chosen, our technician will come to your home and confirm the service you've chosen. They'll then ask that you guide them to where the appliances are and begin looking them over one by one.

At this point, our experience technicians are looking for anything and everything. Unlike with a repair call, where they'll be looking for the source of a problem and trying to solve exactly that problem, this is looking at everything. Are the power cords frayed or damaged or melted? Are all of the buttons functional? Are there any strange sounds or smells that might alert them to a problem now or down the road. Are there any puddles or signs of water damage? All of this and several dozen more issues are searched for.

After they've gone over everything, our technicians will point out what they found. This is the point when it's a good idea to get a sheet of paper and write everything down. They'll make suggestions on what can be fixed, and what might have to be replaced if anything is that bad. Naturally our hope is that by doing this on a regular basis for you we can prevent anything from getting to the point that it cannot be repaired. Our goal is to keep your appliances and by extension, your home running smoothly for as long as possible.

If we've convinced you that now is the best time of year to schedule an appliance maintenance check for your home let us know on Facebook. Or tell your friends on Facebook.

If on the other hand you're wanting to schedule right now you can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us via our contact page. Wherever you are in the Dallas metro area appliance rescue service is here to help.

How an Appliance Repair Service Call Works in 2021

What we’ve changed to keep you safe.

Table of Contents

Before Your Appliance Repair Service Call

During Your Appliance Repair Service Call

After Your Appliance Repair Service Call

 Have you ever been fed up with how difficult it is to find a good appliance repair service? Or gotten vague answers on what goes into an appliance repair service call? We're fixing that today. Although we've covered what went into them before, that was before Covid-19, which feels like it was forever ago. 

 Before, it was a matter of giving us a call, setting up the appointment and waiting for us to  fix your appliances. Our technicians would come by and talk with you while they worked and figured out what had caused your appliance to break. All of these are still part of the process, but, they're not the only parts. 

Now though, whether it's with us or with others, there are health precautions that we all have to observe. Wearing face masks if a client requests it should be a standard part of how things work, regardless of who you decide to work with, and all of our technicians are well versed in it. For your safety and that of our technicians we do ask that you stay outside of the room while they're working, this way safe social distance is maintained. 

Now imagine that you have the day off and you're trying to get caught up on your laundry. Except your dryer isn't working. It's started making a strange humming sound while it's running, and you can't find anything about it on the internet. Other people have had this same humming dryer issue, but they don't know how to fix it either. What do you do? 

Before Your Appliance Repair Service Call 

- Do NOT Unplug the Appliance(s) 

We appreciate it, we really do, but we need to see and hear the appliance so we can understand what's going on. Unplugging the appliance can mean that we miss specific sounds that help identify problems. In our example, if you unplug it, and all we have to go on is your description of the humming that the dryer is making, we're in trouble. What sounds to you like an "Aahhhhhhaahhhh" might sound to someone else like an "Ooooohhhoooo." Does it make that much of a difference? Surprisingly, yes. Many times a sound or tic of an appliance might not pop up until it has been running for a while. So turning it off is "resetting" it in a fashion. That doesn't mean that it fixes it though. 

- Set Up An Appointment

When you give us a call, we'll work with you to find a time that works. While you're on the phone is the best time to schedule a look at all of your appliances. If our technicians are already at your home, why not roll all of your problems into one visit? By scheduling everything at once, you can save yourself time and money. Rather than having to schedule multiple appointments over several weeks, you have the chance to have everything checked or repaired at once. This means that everything is on one bill, problems can't be given the chance to get worse, and you give up one block of time rather than several. You can also ask for us to do maintenance checks on your other appliances which can lead to discovering issues before they can become serious problems. 

-Clear the Path to Your Appliances

Now that you've got your appliance repair call set up, what's next? Time for popcorn and a movie? Not quite. In order to be able to help, we need to be able to get at your appliances. So before we come to visit we need you to clear away anything around, on top of or behind your appliances. Whether it's just one appliance that you're asking us to fix or multiple that you want us to check on, we need access. If you can go through and move around things so that we can access every side of the appliances, you've made our lives MUCH easier. We're going to be looking for anything and everything during your service repair call so the less there is for distractions, the better it is. Tying this back to our example case, in the event of your dryer making a humming sound, once you take everything off the top of it, it can change the pitch of the sound that your dryer is making. It can become louder, or quieter, depending on what you had on top of it. 

During Your Appliance Repair Service Call 

-Ask Questions About What Happened 

Something is going on in your appliances. You now have a captive expert to ask all of your questions. The more questions you can ask, the better prepared you are for next time and can nip it in the bud. It also means you can ask about other things that bother you about the appliances in question. If you've put multiple appliance calls together you can also ask questions to find out about the others. 

- Request Maintenance Tips 

Just like they can offer explanations on your problems, our technicians can also offer tips for preventative maintenance. What can you do to prevent problems or prolong the life of your appliances? If you have questions about one type of maintenance over another, whatever, we want to hear it. 

-Ask Questions About Your Appliance Warranty

You know the giant manual that came with your appliances? Or the link that you were sent after purchasing it that's full of legal jargon? Yeah, that. 

We know a large number of people don't bother reading them, and we don't blame you! 

But once again, you've got an appliance repair expert at your home. Stay outside the room and stay masked, but ask all the questions that have been bothering you. How long are the motors covered vs the drum? What about the electronics? In the event that we don't know off the bat, we can find out. 

-Ask Questions About Your Appliance Warranty With Us

Yup! Appliance Rescue Service gives you a warranty as well. We've got the full explanation of what that is down below, but if you have questions while we're there? Go right ahead and ask. We want you to be comfortable and trust your neighborhood Appliance Rescue Service.  

After Your Appliance Repair Service Call 

-Feedback & Review

We want to know how we did, not just so that we can fix any issues you have, but also so that we can do better in the future. Did all of your questions get answered? Did our techs remember to give you your written estimate of the work?  We want to hear from you. You can call us at ((214) 599-0055) to let us know or set up an appointment today. Or you can go to our contact page to set one up. We hope to see you all again next week. 

Additional Reading: 

Freezer Deep Dive

Warranty With Us (the Run Down) 

When you book an appointment with us, we will send an expert technician to your home, and give you a complete written estimate that includes all parts and labor required.

Your technician is often able to provide you with life expectancy, preventative measures, and periodic maintenance that may help you decide whether or not to proceed with a repair.

Our diagnostic trip charge fee is $75.00

Each part we install, and its related labor is warranted for 90 days of normal household use. Technicians use factory new parts on all repairs unless you have chosen otherwise.

If any part we install in your appliance fails during your warranty period, simply give us a call! We will quickly replace the defective parts at no charge!

Each part we install, and its related labor is warranted for 90 days of normal household use. Technicians use factory new parts on all repairs unless you have chosen otherwise.

30 DAY WARRANTY ON LABOR

If any part we install in your appliance fails during your warranty period, simply give us a call! We will quickly replace the defective parts at no charge!

What Happens If I Don’t Change My Refrigerator’s Water Filter?

It’s a question we often get from homeowners: What will happen if I don’t change my refrigerator’s water filter? 

The short answer is nothing you’ll immediately notice.

However – you are compromising on water quality, and may over time, damage your refrigerator. Read on to learn more about water filtration in your refrigerator from Appliance Rescue in Dallas, Texas:

Why You Must Change the Water Filter

If your filter light has been red for some time, telling you to change the water filter, but you feel like you can’t tell a difference so it’s fine – then you’re mistaken. Water filters are designed to last about 6 months, and after that point, the filter stops being as effective. This means that pollutants, minerals, and other sediments from the pipes - or things that the water treatment plant doesn’t remove - can find their way into your water supply. You may also begin to notice an odor or slightly odd taste to the water – it’s because the water isn’t being effectively filtered.

Another reason to change the filter? The water will begin to flow more slowly, as the dirty filter clogs and cuts off the water’s ability to flow freely. This can lead to buildup in your refrigerator, damaging components, if left unchecked over time.

How Often Do I Change My Refrigerator’s Water Filter?

Most manufacturers recommend changing your filter every 6 months. Many refrigerators will have an indicator light that will shine when it’s time to change the filter, just be sure to reset it once you change the filter!

If you’re not sure how to change your refrigerator’s water filter or suspect some other refrigerator repair is needed, then call us at Appliance Rescue Service in Dallas, Texas. As a leading appliance repairman in Dallas, we will get your problem solved quickly and courteously. Proudly serving Dallas, Fort Worth, and the surrounding suburbs.