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Everyday Maintenance of Major Appliances
By Appliance Chief | June 22, 2007
You have a lot of appliances in your home, and performing small everyday maintenance tasks can potentially save you large appliance repair bills. Often when someone says “appliance”, it evokes images of blenders and toasters. But major appliances don’t sit on counters. They are refrigerators, ovens and ranges, washers and dryers, air conditioners and furnaces.
Each major unit in your house needs regular maintenance in addition to professional appliance maintenance. With frequent home maintenance it’s often possible to anticipate or prevent major outages which can disrupt your life and create high appliance service bills. There are a variety of routine maintenance jobs that don’t take much time, but will keep your appliances humming efficiently.
Maintaining a Kenmore or Sears dishwasher is typical of the care all dishwashers need. You should watch for mineral deposits that can accumulate inside the dishwasher. Also watch for weakened rubber hoses.
Refrigerators need to always have free air circulation around the coils and condenser. Dirty coils on any refrigerator, whether it’s a Kelvinator or a Whirlpool or any other brand, will seriously impact the ability of the unit to maintain cold temperatures.
Ovens, from the less expensive Frigidaire to the more expensive Wolf, must be kept clean. Baked on food can cause the heating element to overload.
You should make sure the gaskets on dishwasher, refrigerator and oven doors are always flexible and unbroken. Broken seals impact the ability of the unit to maintain cold or hot temperatures. This can quickly shorten the life of the appliance making it work much harder than should be necessary.
Washer and dryers must be kept clean and free of lint and dust also. Always clean the lint catchers every time you wash or dry. Make sure the venting hose on the dryer is properly installed too. This is a frequent problem in homes, because owners forget to look behind the dryer to make sure the venting hose is still connected. An accumulation of lint behind the dryer can become a fire hazard. Also, a vent that is jammed between the wall and dryer can end up shutting off the venting and the moist air has nowhere to go. You’ll know when this happens, because your clothes won’t dry.
Of course, air conditioners and furnaces must be maintained also. Appliance parts for these units can be expensive if something major, like a compressor, stops working. Furnace and air conditioning filters must be changed regularly. When they become clogged with dust, the motors are forced to overwork. Coils must be vacuumed and all outside air circulation vents kept free of debris.
Air conditioners and furnaces, like the Carrier and Bryant, are typical of most units. Ductwork must be kept clean and all hoses and belts kept in working order. Though you can keep air flow free of obstruction, some professional appliance maintenance should be scheduled periodically.
When you need appliance maintenance in LA County, West Coast Chief Repair is locally owned and experienced in maintaining most major appliance brands. We can supply brand new factory authorized appliance replacement parts, check motors and electronic boards, and generally keep your units operating efficiently.
In LA County, regular appliance maintenance is easily scheduled just by visiting www.chiefappliance.com.
Topics: Carrier, Amana, Washer, Sub Zero, Wolf, Payne, American Standard, Range Hood, Refrigerator, Microwave, Ovens, Garbage Disposal, Dishwasher, AC, Range, Heater, Furnace, Dryers |
