Appliance Repair Guides (Page 2 of 2)

With the fridge unplugged, find the coils (behind the bottom grille, on the back, or up top on some built-ins), then loosen the dust with a long coil brush and vacuum it out.

Switch the unit off, lift the front panel, slide out the mesh filters, vacuum or wash them in lukewarm water with mild detergent, and let them dry completely in the shade before you put them back.

Most refrigerator water filters twist or push out in under a minute, and Whirlpool, Samsung and LG all say to replace them about every six months.

A heat pump that seems to stop heating is often just in its defrost cycle, which Trane says usually lasts 3 to 5 minutes and can send cool air or steam out of the outdoor unit.

Frost in a freezer comes from humid room air getting in, most often through a door that isn't closing all the way or a gasket that no longer seals.

A front-load washer keeps its door locked while there's water in the drum, while the drum is still turning, or while the inside is hot, so a door that won't open usually means the washer hasn't drained.

Most dryers that won't start have a door that isn't fully latched, a start button that wasn't held for 2 to 5 seconds, a control lock that's on, or a tripped breaker.

When a dryer still heats but needs two cycles to finish a load, look at the exhaust vent first: lint buildup, a crushed duct behind the machine or a run that's too long are the usual reasons.

Start with the free checks: a no-heat cycle such as Air Fluff, a tripped half of the 240-volt breaker on electric dryers, or a closed gas valve on gas models.

A high squeal from the bottom of the dryer is usually the idler pulley, a steady thump is often a flat-spotted drum roller or a worn belt, and grinding at the front points to worn drum glides or felt seal.

When a dishwasher won't start, the door usually isn't latched, the control lock is on, or a delay start timer is counting down.

A dirty filter is behind most dishwasher smells: food and grease rot in the mesh at the bottom of the tub.

An empty rinse aid dispenser is the most common reason dishes come out wet, followed by a dry setting that uses no heat.

A clogged filter, a garbage disposer that needs clearing (or a new one with its knockout plug still in), a blocked air gap or a kinked drain hose cause most drain problems.

Dirty dishes usually trace back to a clogged filter, spray arm holes plugged with debris, water that isn't hot enough, or loading that blocks the spray.

Leaks out the front of the door usually come from the wrong detergent (dish soap makes suds that push past the seal), a torn or dirty door gasket, or a dish blocking the door.

An indoor AC unit that drips is usually dealing with condensate that can't drain away: a clogged drain line, a coil that froze because the filters are dirty, or a unit or drain hose that isn't sloped correctly.

An AC that freezes up almost always has too little air moving across the indoor coil, and a clogged filter is the first suspect.

Warm air from an AC is most often a wrong mode setting, clogged indoor filters, or an outdoor unit that has lost power or stopped.