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DIY Garbage Disposal Repair

You may be able to handle some garbage disposal repairs yourself, although serious issues are always best left to an expert. If your disposer isn’t working the way it should, try one of the DIY Garbage Disposal Repair following fixes before calling in a repair person.

Check the Power

If you flip the disposer switch and nothing happens, you simply may not have power. Double-check to see if the disposal is plugged in — the power cord may have become dislodged from its socket below the sink.

If that isn’t the problem, take a look at your electrical service panel. A circuit breaker may have tripped or a fuse may have blown. If your disposal is on a dedicated circuit, you might not be aware of the problem until you try to use your appliance.

Try the Reset Button

If you’re certain that your appliance is getting power, you may simply need to reset the unit.

Disposals are equipped with an overload protection switch that turns the unit off automatically if it runs too long or becomes jammed. This overload protector is typically on the bottom of the disposal facing the floor. On most brands, it’s a small, red button.

If the button is popped out, try pressing it gently to reset the unit. You should hear a tiny click when it resets, similar to the sound the buttons on a GFI electrical outlet make. If the reset button keeps popping back out, unplug the disposer and wait about 10 minutes. Plug it back in and try the reset button again.

If this doesn’t work, or if the reset button continues to pop out, it’s time call an appliance repair technician.

Clearing a Jammed Disposal

Items can become stuck between the impeller blades and the drain hole in your garbage disposal.

You will definitely know if your disposal is jammed or clogged because the motor will hum but you won’t hear the blades turning or grinding. Or, it could begin running and then stop abruptly before you can turn it off. The jam may be caused by a bottle cap or a piece of food, such as a bone or fruit pit.

Begin by unplugging the power cord or turning off the breaker to the disposer. Next, use a flashlight and a pair of tongs — never your hands — to remove any materials stuck in the blades. If you are unable to remove the offending object, move on to the next step and go back for it later.

Look for a hex-shaped hole at the bottom of the unit. Insert a disposal wrench or an Allen wrench into the hole and turn it back and forth in both directions to free the impeller blades. Continue to work the wrench back and forth until you can turn the blades freely. Go back and try to remove the obstruction, if you weren’t previously able to retrieve it.

A Note of Caution

Back in the old days, people often tried to clear jams in their disposer by sticking a broomstick or heavy-duty screwdriver into the blades and compelling them to turn by brute force. Today, this is a very bad idea.

First, it’s dangerous to life and limb. Second, you can permanently damage the appliance and void your warranty. Third, it may be a useless waste of a perfectly good broom. If the wrench approach doesn’t work, you need professional help.

For all of your household appliance sales, installation and repair needs, trust Complete Appliance Repair, serving Woods Cross and the entire Salt Lake City area. Contact us today for all of your garbage disposal repair needs.

Don’t Let Broken Appliances Ruin Your Holidays

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Broken appliances are a major inconvenience any time of the year, but during the holidays, they’re the last thing you want to deal with.

A malfunctioning stove or refrigerator could really throw a wrench into your celebrations and family gatherings. Before the busy holiday season hits, take time to ensure that all of your appliances are in peak condition, and if any are lacking, take action now!

Preventive Appliance Maintenance Any Time of Year

Regular maintenance can help prevent unexpected failures and costly repairs, possibly saving you from dealing with broken appliances at the worst possible time. Routine care can also increase the efficiency of your appliances, saving you money all year long.

Cleaning is certainly an important and effective maintenance task that you can handle. However, you can take some additional steps yourself to keep your appliances performing at optimal levels.

For the refrigerator, you simply need to vacuum the condenser coils and do a periodic temperature check. Your oven also needs an occasional temperature check, and be sure to remove and clean the knobs, burners and racks, too.

For your dishwasher, periodically inspect and clean the filter and pump screen and sanitize the machine. Your laundry appliances also can use some preventive care, so don’t forget to remove and clean the filters, screens and dispensers.

Handle Minor Repairs Before They Grow

As you take care of your appliance maintenance tasks, keep an eye out for any damage or minor problems.

You may need to change the hoses on your washer or the belts in your dryer, for example. Or, you could find that your refrigerator gasket is loose or cracked, or that an oven indicator light is malfunctioning.

While these may not be major issues today, they could turn into big problems at any time. By taking care of these minor repairs now, you can avoid the headache and expense of dealing with broken appliances and inconvenient emergency repair calls.

Be Prepared for the Holidays

Just imagine it: Your oven stops working just hours before out-of-town guests are due to arrive for a holiday dinner. Or, you open your refrigerator to store the hors d’oeuvres and desserts for the evening’s celebration and discover that it isn’t keeping food cold.

Broken appliances can be a nightmare at times like these.

Be ready for the holidays and save yourself the stress of dealing with broken appliances by scheduling professional maintenance and repairs now. Contact us now for an appointment, before the hectic rush of this busy season. You’ll give yourself the peace of mind of knowing that at least your appliances will be well-prepared for the holidays!

Would you like to learn more tips for keeping your appliances working their best? Contact the experienced professionals at Complete Appliance Repair, serving Kaysville and the surrounding Salt Lake City area, and save yourself from the worry and hassle of broken appliances.

Are Luxury Appliance Brands Really Better?

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When it comes to appliance brands, the adage “you get what you pay for” does apply, at least in some cases. Are Luxury Appliance Brands Really Better?

In many cases, the quality and durability of the appliance you choose will depend upon the brand and the available features. But do luxury appliance brands really provide that much more than less expensive models?

First, Consider Your Budget

You first need to decide how much you want to spend on new appliances. Ask yourself these questions:

How high-end do I want to go? If you’re a chef or a baker and plan to use the restaurant-quality features on the professional models, then the extra price is probably worth it.
What if I like the look of the more high-end appliances but don’t plan to use all the features? Many mid-range lines can meet your needs as well as suit your aesthetic sensibilities.

Decide on your layout, then look into the appliances that will fit in your kitchen and your budget.

High-End Cooktops

You have lots of choices when it comes to cooktops. For starters, you can choose gas, electric or induction cooking.

It’s mostly a personal choice, but if you’re choosing a cooktop for its performance, you must also consider its efficiency. Gas will lose about 40 percent of its heat from the flame to the pan. Induction cooktops, on the other hand, loses the least amount of heat.

If you’re in the market for a gas cooktop, consider the BTU rating, which indicates the potential energy and heat output of the burner. High-performance models will offer 9200 BTUs and up.

So in this case, a high-end appliance will likely perform much better for you and probably save energy too.

The Many Choices of Ovens

The crème de la crème of high-performance ovens, no matter what the brand, is the convection oven. Convection ovens circulate heat with a fan, so you can cook your food faster and more evenly. That means food spends less time in the oven, which translates to a tastier, faster dinner for you and your family.

Another consideration is the dual-fuel range, which uses gas for stovetop cooking and electricity for more reliable convection cooking in the oven.

Refrigerators and Freezers

The quality of the refrigerator, one of the most-used appliances in the kitchen, is dependent on the compressor. You can choose from two types:

Single-compressor units where one compressor works to keep the fridge moist and dry and the freezer cold and dry
Dual-compressor units, which cost more but will keep your food fresher for longer by separating freezer and refrigerator compartment operation.

Style, Quality and Durability

Some homeowners prefer luxury brands because they bring high style to kitchen décor. Others enjoy the extra features that allow them to store and prepare food like professional chefs.

Most consumers who opt for high-end home appliances say they appreciate the level of quality and durability that luxury brands offer. Most of these appliances are built using European engineering and precision manufacturing techniques, but does it really make a difference?

Consumer Reports conducted a far-reaching study of reliability, ultimately concluding that Whirlpool, Kenmore and GE are reported to be the most reliable appliance brands.

Whether you are loyal to Viking, Thermador, Miele, Gaggenau, Busch, Sub-Zero or Wolf, Complete Appliance Repair is northern Utah’s locally owned expert in high-end appliance repair. Of course we love our more modest brands just as much, and we carry the parts to fix them all.

No matter what type of appliances you have in your home, the professionals at Complete Appliance Repair will treat them all as though they were luxury appliance brands!

When To Call For Clothes Dryer Door Repair

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Calling an appliance tech to repair your dryer door may not always be necessary.
In some cases, the problem has more to do with how you use the appliance than the existence Dryer Door Repair of an actual mechanical problem. But sometimes the issue needs the attention of an experienced repair person. Read on for some helpful hints for identifying which is which.

Dryer Door Won’t Stay Shut

This is the most commonly reported problem with clothes dryer doors, even for relatively new models. Like many home appliances, dryers are equipped with a safety switch that prevents the unit from operating unless the door is both closed and latched.

Sometimes, however, the door seems to magically pop open mid-cycle, shutting the motor off and (too often) tossing your socks out onto the floor. Before you start propping it shut with a chair or calling for repair, try running a smaller load. The weight of a huge pile of wet clothes is often sufficient to pop a sensitive electronic latch.

The Door Shuts but the Latch Doesn’t Catch

This problem may be the result of one of several different issues. The most common is that the door’s hinges have become bent or tweaked, typically from placing excess weight on the door itself (never drape wet towels or clothes over an open door!).

The inside portion of the door can slightly warp or bend as well, causing the latch parts to become misaligned. Both of these issues can sometimes be solved by adjusting a few screws and maybe adding a shim behind the hinge.

In some cases, the problem may be the latch mechanism itself, which is not a do-it-yourself repair. Many models require the removal of the front panel to access the latch.

Because the door’s mechanisms are connected to the safety switch, working on them involves the manipulation of electrical wiring and sensitive electronic components. Unless you want to zap yourself or void your manufacturer’s warranty, it’s best to let a pro handle this one.

The Dryer Won’t Restart after Opening the Door

You’ve opened the door mid-cycle to check your clothes and found them to be a bit damp still, so you close the door and turn the machine back on to finish the load … and nothing happens. You may have blown a thermal fuse. This fuse acts as a safety mechanism for preventing fires, cutting power to the motor should your appliance overheat.

Sometimes opening the door can cause a spike in the internal temperature that blows the fuse. You’ll have to have the fuse professionally replaced; however, you can avoid a repeat of this problem by keeping the vent and lint trap free of debris and blockages at all times. These can cause a dangerous heat buildup that may actually start a fire, which is much worse than a blown fuse!

Of all the dryer problems you might encounter, the door probably seems like the least troublesome component. Unfortunately, it’s the most vulnerable part of the machine and the first to wear out.

If you’re in the Salt Lake City area and can’t seem to identify or correct the problem on your own, give a call to Complete Appliance Repair. We’ll dispatch an experienced technician in time to handle your dryer door repair.

Is My Microwave Broken or Just Quirky?

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A broken microwave is a huge hassle, but sometimes if you do some troubleshooting, you can get it working again.

Microwave ovens aren’t as simple and straightforward as your stove or your refrigerator, and sometimes you may have simply come upon a quirk in the design or programming. Some models are so complex, in fact, that users never learn all of their options and functions.

Vent Fan Won’t Turn Off

Has the vent fan attached to your built-in microwave ever turned on, seemingly by itself, and refused to shut off no matter how many times you pressed the off switch? Some models come equipped with a temperature-sensing safety feature that activates the fan when it reaches a potentially dangerous level of heat, usually 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once whatever you’re cooking drops below that temperature, the fan will shut off just as mysteriously.

Nothing on the Control Panel Works

You’re ready to nuke your popcorn for family movie night, but suddenly pushing the control buttons renders no response whatsoever. Don’t panic. It’s possible that someone has accidentally activated your model’s control lock.

Designed to prevent kids from cooking their crayons, this feature is usually activated by pressing and holding the designated lock button or combination. Bonus hint: Use this handy feature when you want to clean the keypad without turning the thing on six times.

Bluetooth Devices and WiFi Signals Drop while Cooking

You may not have made the connection yet, but microwaves work within the same spectrum of radio waves as most wireless devices, including Bluetooth, cordless phones and Wi-Fi networks. It’s actually pretty common to lose connection or have interference when someone turns on the oven.

Steam and Condensation in or around the Door

Have you ever looked over to see steam or vapor pouring out around the microwave door while something is cooking? Don’t worry, radiation isn’t pouring out along with it. Most models are equipped with vents designed to allow steam to escape; this prevents the unit from overheating.

On particularly cool, humid days, this phenomenon is likely to be especially noticeable. You also may notice condensation between the double glass panels of the door. This is also totally normal, unless it fails to dissipate within a day or two.

Unfortunately, sometimes the suspected quirks in your home appliances may actually signal a real problem. At Complete Appliance Repair, serving Woods Cross, Utah, and the neighboring communities, we specialize in the sales, installation, repair and maintenance of all types of home appliances.

Call us today if your microwave or other appliance is broken, or if you need a friendly, professional maintenance call.