These are 5 of the
most common problems that homeowners experience around the house. The truth is
that many service calls that professionals go to can be avoided if the
homeowner knew what to check before
calling for help. More importantly, an unnecessary service fee can be avoided
and that’s just money in the bank!
Refrigerator not
cooling as it should or not at all. Guess what the #1 cause of this problem
is? Pet hair! If you have a cat or dog there’s an excellent chance that the
problem is nothing more than hair clogging up the coils. They are located
either on the rear of the refrigerator or underneath behind the grille. Enough
hair will cause the refrigerator to actually stop running altogether.
This is a simple fix that you can do in minutes and it
requires nothing more than a coil cleaning brush (available at any home
improvement center) and a vacuum cleaner. Use the brush to reach the coils and
vacuum up the hair and dust. That will almost always fix the problem and will
also save you considerable money on your electric bill.
If the internal overload switch was tripped and the unit is
not working at all you may need to wait an hour or 2 for the fridge to cool off
and reset itself automatically. If this is not the case then it’s time to make
that call.
Washing machine sounds
like a jet taking off during the spin cycle. I’ve had this problem before
and it is nerve racking! The solution is so simple you won’t believe it. All
you need to do is to adjust the height of the front legs under the machine. The
noise that you hear is caused by the machine rocking when the spin cycle is
being used because it is not level. Adjust the legs and your problem is solved.
Trash disposal not
working. Much like the refrigerator problem above a trash disposal unit
will “click off” if it becomes overheated. Most times if you allow the unit to
cool off first you can then just push the “reset” button located on the unit
and it will begin working again.
If that doesn’t fix the problem the most likely culprit is
that something is stuck inside of the unit and is preventing it from turning
properly. Most disposals allow you to manually turn the unit using the proper
sized Allen wrench on the bottom of the unit. Some even have just an ordinary
bolt protruding underneath that you can use a wrench to twist. These 2 fixes
will solve this very common problem 9 out of 10 times.
Gas dryer not getting
hot. This is one I think we’ve all experienced at least once in our lives.
The number 1 cause is that it is not set properly. Most dryers allow “fluff
air” or “no heat” drying as an option and this is often the problem. The second
leading cause is a clogged lint filter. Even though you may clean the filter
regularly it may still have very small particles on it that restrict air flow.
To test the theory simply remove the filter and run water through it at the
sink. If it holds water than it needs a good cleaning with a mild detergent and
scrub brush.
Also, don’t forget to check the outside vent that is
connected to your gas dryer. That also needs to be clear of lint and
obstructions and is a common cause of dryers not drying the clothes completely.
This is the one that everybody forgets!
Gas stove burner(s)
won’t light. This will happen when liquid is spilled on the stove and puts
out the pilot light(s) under the stove top. Each burner has its own igniter and
if it gets wet the burner can’t light. Simply remove the top of the stove (this
usually just “pops” up) and you’ll be able to see which pilot lights are lit
and which are not. You’ll probably find that a good cleaning is in order anyway
and afterwards just make sure that everything is dry before relighting the
pilot light(s) with a match or lighter.
No comments:
Post a Comment