Avoid Holiday Appliance Disasters

We have all heard the epic holiday horror stories or watched it play out in the movies. You know, heaters that conk out during the coldest week of the year. Ovens that die with a frozen turkey inside. Refrigerators that go on the fritz right after you’ve filled them with Christmas pies. Washing machines filled with towels and sheets that go on strike right before your holiday guests arrive.

During the holidays we put our appliances on overtime, and yet it is a time of year when we can least afford the time and money to fix them if they fail us.

We’ve all heard the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, so why do we not attempt to head off an apocalypse of broken machines that could quickly take the stuffing right out of our holidays. If we all could just set aside a few hours before the holiday rush to tune up our appliances we would most likely save ourselves a lot of problems. As a busy Realtor, Radio Host, Magazine Publisher, Owner/Operator of Real Talk, The Voice of Freedom, wife, and Mom to 4 sons, I completely understand that life gets in the way, and we do not get a chance to do what we need to do around our own home at times. So many of us have stacks of a lot of owner’s manuals for all our appliances, but unfortunately, it is not something that most of us take the time to read until we have a problem. If you cannot find your owner’s manual or purchased a home and they were not left behind for you, sometimes you can find them online through the manufacturer.

How do you know whether you should repair or replace an appliance? A good rule of thumb is that if a repair will cost more than 50% of the value of the appliance, it is probably time to replace it. Now with the internet, YouTube or DIY sites, people are more willing to try repairs for themselves.

Below we will share a few tips from experts in our area to help keep your appliances running smooth throughout the holiday season.

REFRIGERATOR

First things first, clean your condenser. Dust, lint and even dog hair collect there, preventing the refrigerator from releasing heat properly, causing it to run hotter and use more energy and eventually burn out. You will find most condensers just below the kick plate on the bottom. You can easily remove the plate; most will just pop off although some are held on with screws. The condenser looks like a small radiator. Use either a vacuum with a soft tip or a condenser brush sold at hardware stores to lightly remove the buildup.

If you have a water dispenser, it is also a good idea to change your water filter. After time, bacteria can build up and make the water bad from your dispenser or ice maker. Some water filters are down at the lower toe-kick plate, others are inside the refrigerator. You would turn it counterclockwise, unscrew it and put in a new one and tighten it.

After you replace the filter, run a gallon of water through the dispenser to get the air out of the line.

DISHWASHER

Obviously remove anything lying on the bottom inside, or objects like broken glass or a piece of a spoon. Then buy dishwasher-cleaner, available at most stores, and run it through a complete cleaning cycle at the hottest setting. This helps break up the soap buildup and the calcium buildup that might be blocking the flow of water. Most newer dishwashers have filters that can get clogged, and you can easily clean yourself. You will know when it needs to be cleaned when a smell starts coming from the dishwasher.

OVEN

Before you start baking all those cookies and pies, check the heat of your oven with a thermometer you can buy at a hardware store. Leave it in for at least 30 minutes for an accurate reading. If it is off, you can recalibrate your oven settings. Check your manual for instructions. If you plan to clean your oven, clean it at least two weeks before a major holiday meal. This way should a problem arise, it will leave you enough time to get a service person out. Repair services are in high demand around the holidays so the response time can be slower. If you are like my mom and want to make sure your oven stays spotless during holiday cooking, you probably line the bottom of your oven with foil. Some companies will tell you that can be a bad thing to do. The foil can inhibit the air circulation and it can damage the interior finish of the oven, but even worse it could void the warranty.

STOVE

If your cook top coil does not heat, or heats just intermittently, you can replace the burner receptacle for a cost of about $10. Minimally, clean out the area around the burner, and make sure you clean off the burner igniter if you have a gas stove.

WASHING MACHINE

If you have a front-loading washing machine, clean it at least once a year by running a special washing-machine cleaner through a cycle. This helps remove soap buildup, gunk, and odors. If you have a front loader, leave the door ajar between uses to allow the tub to dry out. If you leave it sealed for several days mildew could build up. I am sure you have noticed the odor at times. We could all prevent a lot of problems by not overfilling your washing machines. I am guilty of just adding one more towel!

DRYER

This is so important! Make sure you clean the dryer lint filter regularly, optimally after every load or two. That keeps the air flowing freely. If your dyer is taking longer to dry, it is likely the dryer duct is getting clogged with lint. If your clothes do not dry in two cycles, call a professional to come and clean out the vents. In addition to making it harder to dry your clothes, clogged vents can be a fire hazard. I have heard of so many fires starting due to this simple maintenance item. Even during building inspections, they have found it clogged all the way to the exterior.

FURNACE

There is nothing worse than on the coldest winter night waking up and you are freezing! Not long after, my husband is down in the basement with some not so nice words being thrown around! Our furnaces are really working hard and it is so important to help them out by changing the filter. Why is it important? Dust bunnies, dirt and pet dander will collect in the filter, impeding air flow and stressing the unit. What else can you do to prevent problems and keep it working well? Experts say do not close off more than 15 to 20 percent of the registers in your home. Many people mistakenly believe they will save energy by closing vents into rooms they do not use much. But the effect is to choke your furnace by preventing the air from getting out. If you do not get good air flow into certain rooms, you may want to get your ductwork checked. This could be as simple as your ductwork has come apart and I have even had cases in newer homes where it was never running to certain rooms. You will see the vent and think everything is fine, but the duct work was not connected. I have also seen situations where carpets have been laid over a vent. So, if you have a room that is colder than the rest of your home, you may want to investigate these things. We hope these tips will help you all have a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season with your families.

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