An unbalanced washing machine not only fails to clean the clothes properly, but it also makes a lot of noise that makes the washing experience unpleasant. In some cases, the unbalanced load damages the machine.

Have you noticed that your washing machine is unbalanced and are wondering how do you fix an unstable washing machine? There are plenty of ways to go about it, and the beauty is you don’t need to hire a washer repair professional to help you out.

Level the feet

When the washing machine feet are unbalanced, they cause a lot of vibration that is off-putting, so if your appliance is vibrating too much during a cycle, the first place to check is the appliance’s feet.

If some of the feet are too short, turn them to “loosen,” and they will come downward and contact the floor. The vibration should stop when all four feet come into contact with the ground.

Remove the shipping materials.

If you recently installed the washing machine and it’s already vibrating, the chances are high that it’s due to the shipping materials still in place.

In top loading washers, there is usually a shipping bolt at the bottom center of the machine that you are supposed to remove, and if you don’t remove it, the washer tends to vibrate when running a cycle.

Top-loading washers also have three shipping bolts, metal clamps, and spacers at the back of the washer. Some models even have other materials that you need to remove before you run a cycle.

You should refer to the installation instruction for your appliance and ensure that you remove all the shipping materials before using the machine.

Check for overloading

If your appliance doesn’t vibrate and the vibration just started after placing a new load, chances are this is due to overloading. Remove the clothes and run the cycle with a smaller load.

To avoid this problem from coming about in the future, never load the dishwasher more than it’s designed to carry. You also should avoid stocking large items that get spun on one side, causing loud knocking and shaking of the machine.

Leave these items out and hand wash or dry clean them instead.

Watch out for damaged components.

If your appliance is old, chances are the unbalance is due to damaged parts. Some of the damaged parts that will cause vibrations include:

Suspension springs: Both top and front-loading machines have springs that hold the tub to the base or suspend it from the top. Ensure that these springs are connected, and none is distended. To maintain balance, don’t replace only one of the shocks—replace all.

Snubber ring: The snubber ring is made from plastic or felt, and it provides a cushion for the tub of the top-loading unit. When it wears out, the tub contacts the metal base.

Telltale signs that your snubber ring is worn out are dust on the plastic snubber or clumps. If you have the skills, you can replace the ring but if you have never done it before, let the work be done by a professional.

Driver bearings: Some front-loading washing machines have ball bearings between the motor shaft and tub spindle. If the casting wears out and one or more of the bearings get dislodged, the tub vibrates.

Fixing the driver bearings requires high skill levels, so if you have never handled a similar problem before, let an expert do the work. If your unit is old, disassembling it might be too costly, making it logical to replace it.

Check for laundry caught below the tub.

Sometimes the laundry can be caught below the tub or between the agitator and the inner tub, causing the washer to operate off balance with every load you run. According to appliance repair Northern VA professionals, this problem can be brought about by plenty of factors such as a penny, a button that fell off a shirt, a sock, or any other article of clothing.

If you can’t find the source of the problem, you may have to remove the front or top panel and sometimes even the agitator.

To get rid of the problem, remove the offending item and clean out any debris. You should then replace the agitator and panel before rerunning the machine.

The post How Do You Fix An Unbalanced Washing Machine? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Since they use the dishwasher to clean their dishes, many homeowners think they don’t need to clean their dishwasher, so you will hear them asking, do you need to clean a dishwasher? After all, it’s clean all the time, right?

According to dishwasher repair professionals, you need to clean your appliance to get rid of any food and grime that might have built up and can seriously damage the appliance’s filter and pump, leading to expensive repairs.

Thankfully, you don’t need to clean the dishwasher too often (once or twice a year is enough) and doing so isn’t hard, and you can easily do it by yourself.

How to clean the dishwasher

For effective cleaning, you need to follow the cleaning procedure:

Begin emptying the dishwasher, then inspect the spinning arms to ensure that all the holes are open and water flows through them.

You should then clear any debris present using fine pointed or needle-nose pliers. If you don’t have these, use a toothpick or any other similar object. When doing the cleaning, take care not to scratch anything.

Follow it up with wiping around the edges of the door and the gasket using a damp cloth or mild spray cleaner. Use an old toothbrush or a soft household brush to remove debris in the corners and under the gasket.

Once you are done, clean under the bottom of the door. This is a dead spot in most dishwashers, and water doesn’t go here, so it tends to accumulate a lot of debris, so you need to be cautious and ensure you remove all of it.

Take a look at the bottom of the dishwasher around the drain. There will be a grate or grill under the arm, and this is where the wastewater exits.

Pay close attention to the contents here and remove as much solid matter present as possible. Of major importance, pay close attention to the bits of food, gravel, broken glasses, and dishes present and get rid of them.

Are there any hard water deposits or scales on the dishwasher? Get rid of them. To do this, you need to run one cycle of your dishwasher empty with mild, food acid of your choice.

Avoid using bleach and detergents containing bleach if your appliance has a stainless steel interior or door.

Spray the dishwasher’s front with a mild spray cleaner of your choice and wipe it with a sponge or soft cloth. When doing it, pay attention to the controls and the handle. Also, don’t miss the little ledge between the panels as they tend to collect dirt.

Once you are done, refill the dishwasher rinse aid dispenser.

Other ways to keep your dishwasher in top shape

Besides cleaning the dishwasher, there are plenty of other ways you can keep your appliance in top shape. Some of these ways include:

Get rid of the excess gunk

The dishwasher’s cleaning ability will be significantly compromised when you deposit too much food into the system. To avoid this, scrape off any leftover food from the plates before putting them in the dishwasher.

Some homeowners go to the extent of pre-rinsing the dishes to give the dishwasher an easy time, but you don’t have to. Getting rid of the excess food residues is enough.

Properly load the dishwasher.

How you load the dishwasher affects how clean the dishes become and impacts the lifespan of the appliance, so you should be cautious of how you load it.

The right way to go about it is to follow the manufacturer’s recommended loading recommendations. As a rule of thumb, avoid overloading or crowding the dishwasher as it can block the spray arms and prevent the water from reaching all the surfaces.

Use hot water

Hot water cleans the best so ensure that your dishwasher is receiving the hottest water possible.

The best way to tell your appliance is getting enough hot water is to check the water temperature at the kitchen faucet using a meat or candy thermometer.

For proper cleaning, appliance repair Alexandria professionals advise that the temperature should be at least 120 degrees.

The post Do You Need To Clean A Dishwasher? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Imagine this. You have guests over, meaning that you have countless dishes to clean. You rush to the kitchen, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and push the start button. You count on the dishwasher to immediately light up and do the dirty work, but it doesn’t.

Why is my dishwasher not starting? You wonder. According to dishwasher repair professionals, this will happen due to plenty of reasons such as:

There is no power supply

There is no way your dishwasher will work if there is no power supply. When your appliance fails to start when you expect it to, you should check the power plugs. In most appliances, the plugs are hidden behind the cabinets or under the sink.

You should inspect them and confirm they aren’t kicked.

If you can’t access the plug, look at it and ensure that it’s securely in the wall and there aren’t any signs of damage or fraying on it or the cord.

You also should check the circuit and confirm that it hasn’t tripped. Also, confirm that the appliance is properly plugged into the wall outlet.

Take a look at the door latch.

The door latch tells the dishwasher that the door is sealed shut and it’s safe to start the waterworks. Like other parts of the appliance, plenty of things can go wrong with the latch. For example:

The latch can jam: You need to check whether old soap or food gunk is in the door latch itself. If the latch is jammed or clogged with old gunk, there is no way it’s going to click shut. This means that there is no way the switch will trigger the dishwasher to start.

The latch can break: The door latch or latch switch can also break. And when this happens, the door won’t click and hold itself closed anymore. This means that the dishwasher can’t start and run safely. In such a case, you have to replace the door latch and even the switch.

The child safety setting might be on: Some dishwashers have child latches meant to keep the children from accessing the dishwasher or accidentally trapping themselves inside.

If your appliance isn’t starting, check whether you have activated the settings.

The control panel isn’t working.

The control panel of your appliance is made up of buttons, minicomputers, and settings that control the wash cycles. Like other appliances, when something goes wrong with the control panel, the dishwasher is bound to start acting up or even failing to start.

In most cases, you can’t tell when the problem is with the control panel unless you have faced the problem before. And to be on the safe side, let an expert handle it.

You have problems with the internal components.

Your dishwasher buttons, door latch, and control panel can be working properly but fail to start when the essential internal components are broken.

One of the most common parts that fail to work is the thermal fuse.  The thermal fuse prevents overheating of the control board, and when the fuse blows, electricity stops making it to the control board, which comes in handy at stopping fires and burning the electrical equipment in the event of a malfunction.

When the thermal fuse is blown, the dishwasher will hardly start unless you replace it.

Motor start relay

The motor start relay tells the dishwasher motor to start working. In other words, it relays the start signal to the motor. If the start relay isn’t functioning, the rest of the dishwasher won’t get the “Go” signal from the control panel.

Drive motor

The drive motor provides the power to swish the water around the inside of the dishwasher. When the drive motor is out, there is no serious water action which means you won’t have clean dishes, and you most likely won’t get the dishwasher to start.

The drive motor is complex, so it’s good to leave it to an appliance repair Northern VA professional to look at it and find out what is stopping the dishwasher from working.

When hiring the repair professional, ensure that they are experienced and know what they are doing. You don’t want to hire someone that will introduce more problems to your appliance.

The post Why Is My Dishwasher Not Starting? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair