By: Jennifer Flaten
Troubleshooting appliances can save you a lot of money. Not everything that breaks in an appliance is expensive to repair, and there are many repairs that you can complete yourself. If you're in the habit of replacing appliances when they break, or having a technician come out for an expensive service call, it's worth the time to learn how to handle these problems on your own.
General Appliance Troubleshooting Tips
- First, always check the power for the appliances. If you are certain that the appliance is plugged in, then your next step should be to check the breaker for the appliance. After you know that power is going to the machine, you can focus on specific problems for each machine.
- Keep your owner's manuals in a place where you can find them. Refer to the troubleshooting chart at the back of the manual. The chart usually has the most common problems and their solutions listed.
- Always unplug an appliance before you open it to work on it or to test switches. Failing to do this can lead to electrocution. Testing some parts of appliances requires the machine to be plugged in. If you're not comfortable doing this, call a technician.
Washing Machines
The washing machine is a very complex piece of equipment. Due to the nature of the machine, several things can go wrong with it.
- If it won't agitate, take a look at the agitator. Are there clothes wrapped around it? Once you remove the clothes snarled in the agitator, the machine will work fine. Screws, nails, change and shoelaces can also bind up the agitator.
- A washing machine gets unbalanced very easily and that will cause it to stop spinning. When the machine is unbalanced, try removing some of the clothes and resetting the spin cycle.
- When the washing machine will not run at all, it usually means the lid switch is bad. Open the control panel and look for the harness plug that feeds the lid switch. Disconnect the harness plug. Using a VOM (volt/ohm meter) on RX1, probe the terminals on the wires leading to the lid switch. Of the three wires on the terminals, two are green and one is not. Probe the two that are not green. The reading should be infinity with the lid open. With the lid closed, it should be zero. If you do not get those readings, the switch is bad.
- A bad timer will also prevent the machine from working. To test the timer, remove the leads off the timer and set your VOM to RX100, then probe the leads. A normal reading is 1,100 to 3,000 ohms. Anything other then that reading means you need to replace the timer.
Clothes Dryer
- First, check the vents. If they're clogged, the dryer won't work properly and you've got a fire hazard on your hands. Remove the blockage and make sure that the lint trap is intact. If you've got a lot of duct work between the dryer and the outdoor vent, hire a professional to clean it.
- A thermostat, heating coil, start switch, timer and thermostat are all electrical components that can fail. Each of these can be tested with a VOM meter and the dryer unplugged. Remove one of the leads from these devices, and probe both terminals with the VOM set to RX1. For switches, you want the VOM to read either zero or infinty in one position, and the opposite in the other. For the heating coil, look for a reading of infinity to make sure it's working.
- A VOM check for voltage at the terminal block will let you know if power is being transferred to the dryer's electrical components. This is one of those tests that must be performed with the dryer plugged in, so it's best left to the pros.
Water Heater
- If you suddenly find yourself without hot water and you have a gas water heater, the first thing you need to do is check the pilot light. If the pilot light has gone out, simply relight it.
- If your electric water heater still has power, or your gas heater has the pilot light on, but the water is not hot, it is a sign that your heating element (electric) or the gas thermocouple is bad. It is possible to replace the heating element or thermocouple yourself, but it's best to have a professional do this if you're not experienced in heater repair.
- For water that is too hot/too cold, you can fix it by adjusting the thermostat on the water heater. A setting of 120 degrees is recommend so the water is neither too hot or too cold. If changing the thermostat doesn't fix the problem, the thermostat itself may have failed.
- A leaking water heater cannot be mended and needs to be replaced. You can either replace it yourself or call in a repairman.
