Modern household appliances are an absolute godsend. They save us time and money by making household chores quicker and more energy efficient. You can easily save two weeks a year by throwing the dirty pots into a dishwasher. Doesn’t that sound more appealing than washing up by hand?
Unfortunately, as useful as appliances are, they don’t last forever. Most washing machines last little more than five years. Components wear out and things break. The good news is that many common problems with household appliances are not serious and can easily be fixed at home. Read through the following troubleshooting guide to check whether your appliance is likely to be fixable. And if it isn’t, look for a qualified engineer from the Service Force website.
The Appliance isn’t Working
If you go to switch on the washing machine and nothing happens, there is a problem somewhere. Check the appliance. Is there any sign of life? Are there any lights on? If the answer is “no”, check the consumer unit to make sure a circuit hasn’t tripped. Next, try plugging a different appliance into the socket to rule out a problem with the electrical outlet. Last, if the fuse is accessible, check it and replace if it looks black.
Fridges sometimes stop working because the coils are clogged up with hair and dust. Pull your fridge out and vacuum the coils to clean up all that pet hair and dust. This often solves the problem, but if the fridge has overheated, you may have to wait a while for the trip switch to reset and the fridge to start working again.
Once you have ruled out all the obvious problems, you may need to call in a service technician, as the fault is inside the appliance and, therefore, not something you can fix at home.
Water Leaks
Water leaks are incredibly frustrating. Water causes untold damage, especially if the leak isn’t spotted for several days. In many cases, a water leak is caused by a blocked or damaged drain pipe. The first thing you need to do if your dishwasher or washing machine is leaking is to check the outlet hose for blockages or splits. If this isn’t the problem, check door seals for signs of damage.
If a fridge is leaking on the inside, there may be a blockage in the self-defrosting drain system. Look for anything clogging up the line and clean it out.
Frost-free freezers have a drain pipe. Check this isn’t blocked if your freezer starts to leak all over the floor.
The Washing Machine is Jumping Around on a Spin Cycle
Noisy washing machines are hard to ignore. In the worst cases, it can sound as if your washing machine is possessed and trying to attack you. The easiest way to resolve this problem is to adjust the feet to balance the machine once again. This is a five-minute job.
If rebalancing the machine doesn’t do the trick, the bushes and/or bearings might be worn out. You can fix this yourself if you have the tools and some know-how, but don’t attempt this if you have no clue what you are doing.
Gas Burners on the Stove Won’t Work
If your gas burners aren’t working, give the jets a thorough clean with a brush. The jets can easily get blocked when food is spilled on the hob. All it takes is a generous helping of pasta sauce and the ignitor won’t light the gas. A thorough clean should fix this problem.
Always try and diagnose faults before you call in a technician. It might just save you some money.