Appliances in our homes today have definitely become indispensable as they make our lives much easier than we could have ever imagined before. Homeowners have different kinds of appliances from the small ones to some of the most expensive major appliances. The category of major household appliances is especially very important. These are valuable investments for most homeowners, so whenever they develop any problems everything possible must be done to get them back in good working condition.
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Why appliances can’t last long anymore
As appliances become more sophisticated and in addition to their mechanical parts now rely more on electrical components, their life spans have drastically reduced. The electrical components are more prone to failure and therefore the need for regular maintenance and repairs has increased. Think about the heat most cooking appliances produce and how that is likely to affect electrical control boards. High temperatures significantly affect the performance of electrical components, so they are highly likely to fail earlier than normal. But since these electrical parts are essential to the addition of smart features to modern appliances, manufacturers have no choice but to continue making appliances with shorter life spans.
Where an appliance has a lifespan of about 14 years, that doesn’t mean it is without numerous counts of repairs. The manufacturers typically give warranty that only expires after one year of buying the appliance. Extended warranties are available, but most experts will never recommend them. So that tells you to expect even appliances that are relatively new to start developing problems. Regular cleaning and maintenance of household appliances will therefore continue to become increasingly more important. That can at least help to keep the repairman away for a while.
You may fix minor appliance issues yourself
Home appliances can suffer a wide range of issues that can affect their proper functioning. It is the small issues that over time develop into more complicated and technical problems. Since for every minor appliance issue you wouldn’t want to call a repairman only to shell out some bucks you could save, you would definitely want to consider the possibility of fixing those on your own. Most of the minor problems with appliances that will not require use of specialized skills and tools in order to fix can be good candidates for your DIY home appliance repair. You just need to make sure any problem that you attempt to fix is within your technical skills and abilities. Major appliances come with manuals that contain all the appliance troubleshooting procedures and instructions for fixing common problems. You can easily download the owner’s manual online from your appliance manufacturer’s website. Things like parts that you can replace without having to remove the covers of your appliance can be easily done at home as DIY repair.
Let professional technicians handle complex appliance problems
For any appliance repair problem that you can’t fix on your own even with the help of the owner’s manual, you definitely want to get the help of professional appliance repair technicians. The experts are highly trained to handle even the most complicated technical appliance problems. They also come equipped with a variety of tools to make the work much easier. When looking for professional appliance repair services, you definitely want to make sure they are certified appliance technicians with enough experience to repair the brand and type of appliance that you have a problem with. When looking online, make sure the company enjoys great reputation based on the customer reviews they have on their profiles, whether on Google, Yelp, HomeAdvisor, their business websites, or any other reliable online profile. Deal with local appliance repair companies because they can quickly come out to your home, especially when you need same day appliance repair services.
When you call an appliance repair company for help to fix your appliance, make sure to ask the right questions. Give them complete information about the type of appliance you have a problem with, the brand of the appliance, how old the appliance is, if it is on warranty, and when you would like to have it fixed. The appliance repair companies normally provide a limited number of services based on types of appliances, brands of appliances, or even specific models of appliances. Some companies will strictly do commercial appliance repairs and therefore may not help for any residential appliance repair need. Before you get put down on schedule for your appliance repair, make sure to enquire about the charges involved. Typically, appliance repair companies will need to come out and diagnose your appliance to know exactly how much it will cost to fix it, depending on the parts required to replace and the cost of their labor. But one thing they can tell you when you make your call is if they charge a service call fee, and how exactly it applies.
Know which appliances are worth fixing
One of the reasons why it is important to provide complete information about your appliance to an appliance repairman, is to enable them to determine if it makes sense to have your appliance repaired. For example, you may have a problem with your refrigerator and after explaining that to the technician they realize the problem lies with the compressor. Depending on the type of refrigerator or its brand, the technician may advise you to consider buying a new refrigerator if the cost of the compressor is too high. Sometimes when the cost of fixing an appliance is likely to go above 30% or 50% the price of buying a new one, depending on the type of appliance, you may be advised to buy a new one. Also, an appliance that is too old or almost close to the end of its life span, it may not be worth repairing since it might fail more frequently thereafter. Some old models of appliances may even have been discontinued with manufacturers no longer providing their parts. If the repairman can’t find parts in the market, then they can’t fix it. Small appliances like mini refrigerators, countertop microwaves, and stand-alone ice makers are probably inexpensive and therefore the cost of repairing them may not make sense.
Consult The Experts Before Replacing Your Household Appliances
When it’s time to consider replacing your appliances, you want to consult experts like experienced appliance repairmen. They handle different kinds of appliances on a daily basis and they know the most common problems they are likely to fix with most of these appliances. They know which appliances or brands of appliances are prone to developing certain problems that might be too challenging or costly to fix. They may also advise you to avoid foreign brands if finding their parts in the market is a challenge. Similarly, they may advise you to consider energy efficient appliances that could translate to meaningful cost savings.
