5 Ways to Fix Standing Water in the Bottom of Your Dishwasher  

After every cycle of (most) dishwashers, there should be about 2 cups of water in the unit. If there’s overflow in your appliance, you’ll need to do some investigating. The good news is that puddles at the bottom of your dishwasher aren’t necessarily a reason to call a professional repairman. We’ll look at what you can do to get your dishwasher back up and running (without overspending).

What You Need to Know

Clogs, user error, maintenance issues, broken parts: these are the most common causes of standing water in dishwashers. This means that fixing can be as easy as rinsing off your dishes better or replacing a small (and inexpensive) part. So, if you have too much standing water accumulating in your dishwasher, take these steps:

1. Check the Filter

Even self-cleaning filters will need to be checked every so often to ensure the hoses are intact and the drain basket is empty. If there’s any build-up, it won’t be able to keep the water clean during each wash cycle. Your owner’s manual will have the exact details based on the type of filter you have.

2. Remove the Garbage Disposal Knockout Plug

The garbage disposal can have a lot to do with how your dishwasher drains. Removing the knockout plug will allow the water to flow more freely, so there’s less standing water inside. You can do this with nothing more than a hammer, screwdriver, and pliers. Check the drainage hole to see if the plug is there. If it is, use the screwdriver and hammer to remove it.

3. Unclog the Air Gap

Not every dishwasher has an air gap, but it’s normal for it to become clogged after a while. If you see a small cylinder that has a protective metal casing, you can use a pipe brush and regular soapy water to clean the inside. You may also need to use a drain snake to ensure the whole pipe is clean.

4. Straighten the Drain Hose

The drain hose helps keep dirty water out of the dishwasher. If there are any kinks or folds (or if it’s clogged with food), it can cause standing water. To fix it, you’ll need to turn off the power, locate the hose, and check to see that it’s not twisted or clogged. In some cases, you can use your hands to gently untwist it so the water flows freely.

5. Clean Your Spray Arm

This is unlikely to be the problem, but small bits of food can become lodged in the arm and impede the cleaning process. Cleaning the spray arm is recommended regardless of whether you have standing water, though, and can be done with a toothpick and a combination of water and vinegar.

If all of the above are clear, this is when it’s time to check the drain pump motor, which we don’t recommend you DIY. Sarah’s Appliance Repair is here to help if you need help with getting your dishwasher back up to speed.

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Are you wondering, what should you not do with a washing machine? Well, there are plenty of things. Here are some of these things as given by appliance repair professionals:

Leaving wet clothes inside

With the hectic lives we are all leading, it’s easy to be distracted by other tasks while doing laundry, and we forget a load of clothes in the washing machine. Sometimes we are distracted or even on days that the clothes develop mildew and foul odor.

These are not only bad for your clothes, but the machine as well, which is a double tragedy.

To avoid this, set a timer or reminder on your phone to get a notification when the load is done.

Don’t overload the machine.

When you are in a hurry, it’s easy to want to load the machine with as many clothes as it can carry, so you are done fast. Don’t do this.

You should note that washing machines are designed to wash a certain weight of clothes, and when you exceed, you increase the chances of damaging the machine where the drum spins get damaged, but you also fail to clean the clothes properly.

To avoid damaging your appliance, you shouldn’t overload it. When doing the loading, ensure there is a space between the top of the load in the drum and the top of the drum itself. The space should be around the width of your palm.

Instead of cramming everything into one load to save time, use the quick washing setting for two decent-sized loads. In most modern machines, this will cut the washing time by half so you can wash many clothes without overloading the machine.

Forgetting to sort

Forgetting to sort your clothes not only damages the clothes, but the machine as well. Failing to sort your laundry leads to color bleeding, clothes shrinking and unwanted pocket items floating around during a washing cycle.

To avoid this, sort your laundry before putting it in the washing machine. It’s during sorting when you will find that you have a black permanent marker in your pocket. It’s also when you will prevent the whites from turning grey as you separate the clothes into the colored and whites, and run two loads.

Choose the wrong setting.

Although you can wash most of your clothes using the normal setting and come out perfect, there are a few clothes with special instructions you should be cautious about as they can get damaged when you wash them at the wrong temperature.

Most clothes are made from cotton that shrinks when you wash them for the first time. If the water temperature is wrong, the shrinkage worsens.

To prevent your clothes from shrinking and ensure you are cleaning them at the right temperature, read the label to find out the right temperature you should clean the clothes. You should also use the manual to find the best program to clean the clothes.

If you are worried about your clothes shrinking or losing their shape, wash them in cool water by hand, then dry them on the washing line or airer.

Failing to clean the washing machine

Many homeowners think that the washing machine is self-cleaning, so they don’t need to clean it, but this isn’t the case. Over the months and years of cleaning, the insides of the washing machine get dirty, mold builds up, and this can lead to the machine smelling bad.

To keep your appliance running in top condition and smelling fresh, make it a habit to run a service wash at 90 degrees at least once every month. You can run the wash using a detergent, a specialist washing machine cleaner, or any natural product such as vinegar.

Besides doing this, refer to your manual and see what else is recommended.

You can do the cleaning by yourself, but if you aren’t confident in your skills, you can always hire washer repair Springfield professionals to help out. The cool thing with hiring professionals is that besides running the service wash, they also inspect the appliance and fix any issues that might be present.

Of course, when hiring professionals, hire experienced technicians that know what they are doing. You don’t want someone that will damage your expensive unit, do you?

The post What Should You Not Do With A Washing Machine? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Have you just bought a dishwasher or moved to a house with a dishwasher and you have never used it before? Here is a guide given by dishwasher repair professionals on how to use a dishwasher for the first time:

Load the dishwasher

Everything begins here. After all, there is no way your dishes will get clean if you don’t load them, right?

To give your appliance an easy time, scrape any extra food from the plates before placing them in the dishwasher. Evenly space the dishes with the dirty side angled down towards the water jets, taking not to overlap the dishes, as doing so will prevent the water jets from reaching the insides for thorough cleaning.

Place the right items in the top and bottom racks for pristine cleaning.

For the top rack, load items such as cups, mugs, bowls, wine glasses, and even water bottles. Position the small bowls and plates between the tines and place the plastic container and lids on the top rack to avoid warping.

As you are placing the plastic containers, note that not all plastics are dishwasher safe, so check the bottom of your plastic ware to ensure that it’s safe.

When it comes to the bottom rack, place large kitchenware such as serving platters, dinner plates, stainless steel pots, dishwasher-safe baking dishes, and other heavily soiled dishes.

Position the pots and pans along the sides of the dishwasher or towards the back and add utensils to the dishwasher’s utensil basket. When placing the items in the basket, ensure that the sharp objects such as knives face downward, to avoid injury.

Before closing the dishwasher door, ensure that nothing is blocking the wash arms.

Load the dishwasher detergent

Once the dishes are in place and in their right racks, the next thing you should do is to load the dishwasher detergent.

While detergent dispensers vary depending on the model, you should follow the same procedure regardless of the nature and placement of the dispenser in your appliance.

Begin placing the detergent in the detergent dispenser, then add rinse aid to the rinse aid dispenser up to the point where it says full.

You should then close the lid and press firmly until it clicks shut.

You should note that the detergent you use on the dishwasher significantly impacts the results you achieve, so ensure that you use the correct one. As a rule of thumb, use detergents formulated explicitly for automatic dishwashers.

There are plenty of detergents you can use. From liquids, gels, tablets, packs to powders, you will be spoilt of choice. There is no right or wrong detergent to use—you only need to find the one that works the best for your appliance and use it.

Select a wash cycle

Now you have your dishes and detergent in place, the next task is to choose a wash cycle. Most dishwashers have at least three cycles: quick, normal, and heavy.

Quick: This cycle uses a lot of water, energy, and high temperatures, giving you fast results. Use this cycle when you have lightly soiled dishes and are in a hurry.

Normal: The normal cycle is the most commonly used, and it allows you to clean everyday messes without using extra water. Use this cycle on the day-to-day loads that aren’t heavily soiled.

Heavy duty: This cycle works best for loads that include pots, pans, and other heavily soiled items. As you might be guessing, this cycle will use a lot of water and higher temperatures.

The cycle you choose depends on the size of your load and how dirty your dishes are.

Setting a cycle is easy as all you need to do is use the buttons located on the top or front of the appliance.

Start the dishwasher

After setting up everything, the next thing you should do is to start the dishwasher. Before you fire it on, appliance repair Northern VA recommends you double-check and ensure there is nothing blocking the wash arms.

For your appliance to function optimally, ensure that the water temperature is 120ºF as it enters the dishwasher. Remember that if the water is too cold, it won’t clean the dishes as well as they should. At the same time, if the water is too hot, it might make the baked-in food harder to remove from the dishes and pots.

The post How to Use a Dishwasher for the First Time first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

Did you know the refrigerator ice maker gives obvious signs that it’s time to fix it? Some of these signs as given by refrigerator ice maker repair professionals include:

The freezer gets too warm

For the ice maker to make ice, it needs to be cold, so if you notice the temperature in your appliance being too high, there might be a problem that you need to look into. Even if your freezer is above 10 degrees F, you should be worried.

While the freezer might be freezing food, the ice maker won’t make ice, and in some cases, it might stop making any ice altogether.

To make ice, the freezer should be functioning at 0 degrees F, which is the temperature you should shoot for. Before you contact a repair professional, turn down the freezer and observe the temperature. If it doesn’t drop, get in touch with an expert to find out why the temperature isn’t dropping.

The ice doesn’t taste right.

Sometimes the ice maker will make ice, but it has a weird taste or smell on tasting it. Sometimes it might be due to poor city water supply, but if tap water tastes alright, but the ice still has a weird taste or smell, the problem might be with the ice maker.

Get in touch with an experienced professional to look into the source of the problem and fix it.

Faulty water inlet valve

The water inlet runs from the wall to your appliance and connects via the water inlet valve. This valve can fail to function due to a variety of reasons that include:

• The water pressure might be too low that it doesn’t activate the valve as well as it should
• There might be some mineral build up in the valve or hose that restricts proper water flow
• The valve might fail mechanically

If you are a dab hand at DIY projects, you can try troubleshooting the appliance by shutting off the water to your appliance then disconnecting the hose from the inlet valve.

After removing the hose, inspect it and identify any issues that might be present.

If the problem is due to low water pressure, you will notice the low pressures in some areas of your house, and you should work on increasing it.

The buildup will be visible in the valve and hose if the problem is due to mineral buildup. In some cases, you can remove the buildup, but you are better off simply replacing the valve and getting it working again in other cases.

If the valve has failed, remove the metal bracket securing it to the appliance, and test it with a multimeter.

If you have done everything within your knowledge level and still the valve inlet valve has a problem, get in touch with an experienced professional to help with the troubleshooting.

Loud noises

It’s normal for the ice maker to make some noises, but they shouldn’t be too loud that you hear them from a distance. In most cases, ice makers are loud when dumping ice, but they tend to be fairly silent in all the other cases.

If your ice maker is making constant loud and /or unusual sounds, you must be having a mechanical problem that needs to be looked at by an expert.

No ice

The purpose of the ice maker is to make ice, so when it fails to, it’s obvious that you have a problem that you should look into. Your icemaker will fail to make ice due to plenty of reasons such as blocked water line, electricity problem or any other problem.

If you can’t tell why your unit isn’t functioning, get in touch with an experienced appliance repair Springfield professional to help with the inspection and troubleshooting.

Work with the right contractor

While there are many contractors in the industry you can hire, take your time and hire an experienced one that knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is hiring a contractor and they cause more problems than were originally there.

The post Signs Your Refrigerator Ice Maker Needs Repair first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

A study published in the international journal of consumer studies looked at 200 homes with and without a dishwasher in four European countries. The study was done over two weeks, and during this period, the participants had to record every dishwashing process.

The researchers would interview and observe the participants concerning their dishwashing habits, and after the two weeks, the results showed that homes with a dishwasher used on average 50% less water and 28% less energy than those without a dishwasher.

So to answer your questions, does a dishwasher save water? Yes, it does.

Did you know you can save even more water by doing the right things? Here are some of these things as given by appliance repair professionals:

Use the right dishwasher

Everything begins here. When you are looking for a dishwasher in the market, buy one rated for energy and water efficiency. If this is the first time purchasing the appliance, learn to read the yellow energy guide label.

In most cases, the best appliances are those with the highest energy rating. Unfortunately, they tend to be expensive to buy.

Run a full load

When it comes to cleaning the dishes, don’t put just a few of them in the dishwasher—you should wait until you have enough of them so that you run the unit at maximum capacity. As you can guess, when you run the dishwasher at full load, you spend less water as you don’t have to run another load any time soon.

Some modern dishwashers have half-load programs to encourage homeowners to run their appliances even if they don’t have enough dishes for a full load. While these programs use less water and energy than a normal cycle, the amount of water they save isn’t half of what you would have spent had you run a full load.

Due to this, you should avoid using this program.

To save money, wait to have enough dishes for a full cycle, then select the eco or water-saving cycle. This way you will save water and energy.

Don’t pre-rinse the dishes.

Some homeowners have the impression that they get cleaner dishes and give their appliances an easier time when they pre-rinse the dishes. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessary as you end up spending too much water.

You can scrape off as much food and grease from the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but you don’t have to pre-rinse them.

Most modern dishwashers are powerful enough to remove as much dirt from the dishes, so you don’t need to do the pre-rinsing.

If you have heavily soiled dishes, pre-soak them instead of rinsing them under the tap.

Load the dishwasher efficiently.

Did you know how you load the dishwasher significantly impacts the amount of water the unit consumes? As much as you want to save as much water as possible, don’t overload the dishwasher as this might prevent some of the items from being thoroughly cleaned, and you are forced to redo it, which, as you can guess, means that you have to spend more water and energy.

The right way to go about it is to never load more items in the dishwasher than it’s designed to carry. When loading, load large items at the back and sides of the rack. Don’t place big plates at the front as they will stop the water from reaching the detergent dispenser.

Regularly tune up your appliance.

You will observe all of the above tips, but if your appliance is in bad shape, it will consume a lot more water than it should.

To avoid this, make it a habit to contact dishwasher repair Springfield professionals at least once a year to inspect the appliance and fix any issues it might be having,

To get the best service, ensure that the professional you hire is experienced and knows what they are doing. The last thing you want is to hire someone that comes to cause more problems than were originally there.

Besides hiring a professional once a year, make it a habit to fix the appliance whenever you notice even the most minor problems.

The post Does A Dishwasher Save Water? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

If you are looking to move a refrigerator, you must have heard that you shouldn’t lay it down. If this is the first time you are doing it, you must be thinking, why can’t you lay a refrigerator down? Well, there are plenty of reasons you shouldn’t do it as given by appliance repair professionals.

The theory is that the fluid in the fridge can cause air (gas) lock that prevents the fluid from moving around the system, and the lack of fluid damages the compressor. The fluid gets into the compressor in a liquid state and causes a hydraulic lock in some cases.

Even without considering the inner workings of the fridge, there are simple reasons why you shouldn’t lay the refrigerator down on its back. Even if you have already removed all the food and drinks inside, there is still the issue of drawers, shelves, and doors.

Most of the refrigerator shelves are made of glass, which can easily break due to shifting when moving it.

Refrigerator doors are built with a slight vacuum seal, which isn’t enough to keep the doors closed during the move. This increases the risk of the door opening and getting damaged.

How to move a fridge

To avoid damaging your fridge during the move, plan to move the refrigerator properly. How do you do it? Here is how to go about it:

Unplug the refrigerator

Begin with unplugging the fridge so that it doesn’t hurt you. After unplugging, fold the plug properly, so it doesn’t drag on when transporting it. Folding the plug also prevents it from getting damaged or damaging the other parts of the fridge.

Keep the fridge empty.

The other thing you should do is remove all the items from the refrigerator. Besides adding weight to the fridge, the food items will most likely get spoilt before getting to your destination, so you should remove them.

Don’t stop at removing the food items—also remove other items such as bottles and cans so that the fridge is as light as possible.

Defrost the fridge

Removing all the items in the fridge isn’t enough—you also need to defrost it so that no water spills out during the move.

To defrost the appliance, you need to unplug it from the power source and let it stay that way for hours until there is no frost left.

Defrosting takes time, so you should give your appliance enough time. To ensure that you aren’t in a hurry and all the water drains out before moving, unplug the fridge a day or hours before making a move.

After it has completed defrosting, clean all the leftover food particles, water, and other stuff from the insides of the fridge. This is to prevent the items from reaching areas where they shouldn’t.

Move the shelves out.

When you transport the fridge with the shelves in place, there is the risk of them moving and causing damage. You don’t want this, do you? Remove them from the fridge and carry them separately to ensure that it doesn’t happen. If you don’t want to remove them or feel safer in the refrigerator, use tape to secure them to their respective positions.

Keep the door shut

Since you can’t stand next to the fridge to ensure that the fridge door remains shut the entire time, you should use tape to hold it securely in one place.

Load the fridge properly

Now that everything is securely held in place, the next thing to do is load it in the truck. You might try to load it on your own as it’s empty, but don’t, as chances are it’s already too heavy for you. A good way to go about it is to ask a friend to help you in loading.

To avoid the complications mentioned above, try to keep the fridge as vertical as possible.

Secure the fridge

Finally, once the unit is on the truck, secure it. To prevent it from coming into contact with the truck, refrigerator repair Fairfax professionals recommend you place a sizeable blanket over the fridge. This will protect the refrigerator from dings and dents that could deface the appliance.

The post Why Can’t You Lay A Refrigerator Down? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

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

Most homeowners with stainless steel door fridges have little magnets on their refrigerators meant to decorate the fridge or pass a message.

They bring convenience but is it ok to put magnets on a refrigerator? One popular myth is that the magnets will affect the functioning of the refrigerator, but is this true?

According to refrigerator repair professionals, the magnets used to attach photos or notes on the fridge don’t have a lot of force or power to damage the refrigerator, so it’s okay to have them on your appliance.

While this is the case, you can harm your appliance when you mishandle the magnets. For example, if you are too rough when attaching or removing the magnets from the refrigerator, there is the risk of scratching the refrigerator surface.

Some women have long nails that can scratch the refrigerator surface as they are placing and removing the magnets.

If you want to retain the new look of the fridge, you should avoid using regular magnets. Instead, use plastic or vinyl coated magnets that would scratch the surface.

If you can’t find these magnets, use plastic suction cups with hooks in them and use them to hold up the notes, photos, or anything else that you might want to display on your fridge.

Other refrigerator myths

Besides the myth that magnets are harmful to the fridge, there are plenty of others you should be aware of. They include:

You don’t need a thermometer if the dial is working

While the dial comes in handy at helping you set the temperature in the fridge, it doesn’t mean that the figures shown in the dial are the real temperature in the refrigerator.

Plenty of factors can affect the internal temperature of your appliance, and the only sure-fire way to know the exact temperature inside is to use a thermometer. The ideal cool temperature inside the fridge is 3 and 4 degrees Celsius.

You can place anything anywhere in the refrigerator

If you have been researching about refrigerators, you know that you should place certain items in specific areas of the fridge. For example, you should place the meat and other highly perishable items in the freezer.

The reason for this is because the temperature in the fridge isn’t equal throughout. Certain areas, such as the fridge doors, are warmer, and you should place juice, water, beer, and other items that can withstand high temperatures here.

For your items not to go bad, you need to store them in the right compartments. If you aren’t sure how to go about it, here is a guide to help you out.

You can lock the cold air inside even with the power out

You must have heard that you don’t have to worry even if the power goes out, as the food will be safe as long as you don’t open the fridge and freezer doors. Well, this isn’t true.

If the power is out for less than four hours, most of the food will be okay, but even then, it’s safe to toss the dairy, meat, and leftovers as bacteria might have already started growing on them.

Veggies, bread, hard cheese, and fresh fruits should be alright.

You can keep leftovers in the fridge for as long as you want

The refrigerator is meant to extend the lifespan of the food you put there, but not keep it fresh forever. A good rule of thumb is to keep the leftovers in the fridge for a maximum of four days. If you can’t remember the last time you made the food or had it delivered, it’s time to toss it.

The produce bin doesn’t need cleaning.

Since the produce bin only carries fruits and vegetables, some people believe that it doesn’t get dirty and should not be cleaned.

Appliance repair Springfield professionals advise against it. When you store fresh fruits and vegetables, after some time, you are bound to have some bacteria growing there, and there is the risk of cross-contamination in your refrigerator.

To avoid this, make it a habit to clean the produce bins before loading a fresh batch of fruits or vegetables.

The post Is It OK To Put Magnets On A Refrigerator? first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair