That sounds like a pretty easy question, right? Well, the answer is not always a simple as an obviously broken appliance. There will be times when the need for an appliance repairman or a new appliance is hidden just a bit and you will need a nudge to either have the appliances repaired or buy new ones.
So, here are some common, and uncommon signs that it is time to call up your local appliance repair technician to give your appliances are checkup:
Not Starting
The most obvious of signs is that you hit the “on†button or switch and nothing happens. Now, for some appliances, such as the garbage disposal, you may be able to do at least some early investigating and possibly even fix the problem on your own. In the aforementioned garbage disposal, you check for obstructions as well as to see if the reset switch has been tripped.
Stopped During a Cycle
You may also have times when appliances start normally, but then stop mid-cycle. I have personally experienced this with a washing machine and dishwasher. You hear the machine go off only to open the lid and see a barrel full of dirty water that has not yet drained. There is some troubleshooting that you can do for some basic issues, but, more than likely, this is something the appliance repair technician is going to have to be called to take care of for you.
Slow Working Appliances
Have you started to realize that your food is going bad long before the expiration date? Perhaps your beverages are not as cold as they usually are and even though you have the temperature set lower, the fridge is unable to hit that temperature. For something like the hot water heater, it could mean that your water is not hitting the proper temperature, causing your dishwasher to underperform as well. Beyond the troubleshooting guides we have published on here, the fix is more than likely something that the appliance repair technician will have to take care of, possibly even a new appliance.
Higher Than Usual Energy Bills
For many consumers today, the driving force behind new appliance purchases is to save money on energy bills. As I have told you before, I purchased new appliances for an apartment I was living in at one point which knocked my bill down by a whopping $35 per month. Within just a few years, the appliances had paid for themselves. While you will see a dramatic difference at the outset, that difference will slowly dwindle as the appliances go through the natural wear and tear of use.
Now, some of these issues can be fixed by an appliance repair technician, such as worn gaskets and such, but other issues are just the natural wearing down of the appliance. Don’t get me wrong, appliances can last well beyond their energy effectiveness, so you may simply bite off the cost rather than take on that new purchase, but as I noted above, oftentimes, that purchase can be recovered in just a few years. Your repairman will be able to tell you if the fix is worth it or if it is time to invest in a new appliance.