If there is one thing that you can always put money on, it’s the fact that a household appliance will always choose the worst possible time to break down. The washer-dryer will decide to stop working halfway through a big pile of laundry, the refrigerator will give up the ghost just after you’ve done a big grocery shop on the hottest day of the year, and your range oven will break down five minutes before your in-laws arrive on the first Christmas day you’re celebrating in your new home.
While we cannot do anything about the fact that these appliances are going to break down at some point, it always helps to be prepared in case of the worst-case scenario. Whether it’s keeping an eye on the general upkeep and maintenance, having a plumber or electrician that you can trust, or making sure that you have some replacement parts at your disposal, you can ensure that you can be back on your feet in no time to keep your family happy, warm and fed. You can hire a residential electrician in Sydney for general electrical maintenance to avoid breaking down household appliances.
Your Range Cooker
No one wants to be facing a cooker breakdown when you have a hungry family to feed, especially right now when you can’t replace that three-course home cooked meal with a trip to your favorite restaurant. Now, “cooker” covers a wide range of different appliances, from your hob ovens to a range cooker and, surprisingly, it’s actually the latter which is prone to break-downs.
Hobs have a pretty impressive life span and the main thing to do with these, maintenance wise, is to make sure that you stay on top of cleaning them. Of course, you are going to want to make sure that you use the right products to do so, and if you are in any doubt you should refer to the manual or the manufacturer’s website.
Range cooker breakdowns are more common, but again, staying on top of cleaning is one of the most important things that you can do. One of the most common complaints is that the gas burner won’t light, and one of reasons that will come up time and time again for this issue is that food debris has accumulated around it. We’re talking about grease and all those little bits that can get wiped into the corners when you’re doing a quick clean. Make sure you do a deep clean at least once a month to cut down on this risk of this happening.
Other repairs may need a replacement part, such as a burner issue, or a broken igniter or heating element. Remember, if you’re looking at replacing any of these parts yourself to safely disconnect the oven from the electricity and/or gas and to call a professional if you are at all unsure about what you are doing.
Your Washer-Dryer
Anyone with kids knows that we put our washer-dryers through an awful lot. It seems like the dirty laundry pile is never-ending, and because of this it can be easy to let the things we do to keep these machines clean and in good working order can slide. “I’ll take care of that after I do the next load,” we say, and promptly forget about it. The bad news is that there are many different elements in your washer-dryer that can break down and wear and tear is one of the most common causes
Take your water pump for example, which tends to be made of plastic (which as we know is not traditionally that durable) and which has a seal to keep it from leaking. If one or both of these things wear out, you are going to be looking at a big pool of water all over the floor. Over-use can also lead to belts wearing out and seals wearing down and coming loose throughout the machine.
The appliance’s motor can also overheat or start to lose efficiency, and this disruption can cause serious issues. One of the most important things you can do to keep your washer-dryer in good working condition is to make sure you keep an eye on how well it’s functioning and try to spot any problems early enough to avoid anything too serious.
Garbage Disposal
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the main reasons for garbage disposals deciding to break down is because their owners start to get a little careless with what they are putting down there. We get it, it’s supposed to get rid of your food waste for you and it grinds everything up so easily, getting it out of sight and out of mind, so what harm could that bit of plastic really do? Well, when something goes wrong with the garbage disposal, you are going to know about it.
You might notice a particularly unpleasant odor coming up from out of your sink. You might hear a grinding sound when you try and use it that tells you that something is caught. You might start to notice a leak, or liquid collecting in your sink. All that food waste you’ve been trying to get rid of is going to be caught with nowhere to go, and it’s going to get ugly, fast.
Remember to follow the instructions for what you should and shouldn’t put down your garbage disposal unit. Do not put bones, egg shells, pasta, oatmeal and coffee grounds down there because they clog, get caught and block up your unit and wreak havoc. If you do find yourself in a situation where you need to replace your garbage disposal or you’re looking for something to help clean it, check this website. McCombs Supply has a range of parts and replacements for an incredible range of all sorts of household items to get you back in business in no time.
Fridge-Freezer
As we mentioned, household appliances will tend to pick the worst possible time to break down but let’s face it, there’s never a great time for your fridge-freezer to stop working. The potential issues with these units are many (like your ice maker no longer working, for example) but the most serious is, of course, no longer cooling things like they ought to.
There are a few simple checks that you should always do before you start panicking, such as making sure that nothing is pressed up against the back of the fridge and restricting cold air flow, checking that the coils under the fridge are clean and clear, and that the vents are clear. And, while we’re talking about easy solutions, double check that the temperature gauge in your refrigerator has not been knocked or turned down by accident!
Many of the issues that can cause a sudden breakdown in a fridge-freezer come about due to a lack of care and cleaning, so make sure that you keep on top of it. Of course, there are also plenty of health-related reasons why you should be cleaning your fridge! One of the more frustrating facts is that combined fridge freezers are simply more prone to breaking down that separate units as they are working twice as hard. If you have space and the budget, it’s generally worth investing in separate appliances to cut down on this risk. Otherwise, make sure it’s clean!
For more a larger list of appliances and signs that they are breaking down, please see the resource below.
Provided by Gene May Heating & Cooling – experts in ac repair joliet