Tag Archives: appliance maintenance

Don’t Let Broken Appliances Ruin Your Holidays

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.

Learning to Care for Your New Appliances

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They’re finally here, your brand-new appliances. They are shiny and pretty and you can’t wait to use them! But how can you get the most out of any new appliance, and how do you keep it running like new? Like all technology, today’s appliances offer a wealth of features that may not be obvious or intuitive to you, especially if your previous model was older or lacked all the new bells and whistles. Following are a few suggestions to help you take full advantage of your new kitchen appliances, as well as some suggestions for keeping your new machines in like-new condition.

New Refrigerators

Today’s refrigerator models are still fairly basic machines, easy to keep in great condition, thanks to their relatively simple design. Refrigerators use a compressor pump to condense hot refrigerant vapor that circulates through a series of heat-exchanging condenser coils. The air around the coils dissipates the heat and cools the vapor back to liquid. The refrigerant then flows through evaporator coils where it sucks up thermal energy, expands back into a gas and then gets pumped out the condenser coils where it then starts all over again.

The longer a compressor runs, the faster it will wear out, so strive to maintain the ideal internal temperature. All those times your dad told you to shut the refrigerator door, he was right! Clean the door seals with warm, soapy water every three months and run a vacuum with a brush attachment over the fan and condenser coils monthly to prevent dust bunnies from taking up residence. Dust bunnies make terrible pets, after all.

Your New Washing Machine

These are great at cleaning your clothes but not so great at getting rid of the dirt they removed from those clothes. If you notice that your clothes are coming out dingy, it’s time to give your washer a cleaning. For top-load washers, let the clothing tub fill with a full load’s worth of hot water, then add a quart of bleach and let it agitate for a minute before pausing it. Let it soak for about an hour before you resume the cycle. Repeat the process after that cycle is through, but with a quart of white vinegar to remove odors.

For front loaders, dissolve four tablespoons of baking soda in four cups of warm water. Soak a washcloth in this solution and then put some elbow grease into it to get rid of any residue on the inside of the tub. Run a rinse cycle to finish. You also will want to occasionally check the hoses that carry water to and from the washer for signs of wear. Any blisters, cracks or sponginess means it’s time to replace!

Getting the Most from Your New Appliances

If you don’t have the time or patience to sit down with the manual and teach yourself how to use and care for your new appliances, consider scheduling a service call with your favorite appliance repair tech. Better yet, instead of purchasing your new appliances from the local big box store, contact Complete Appliance Repair in Salt Lake City, Utah. Providing appliance sales, installation and training in northern Utah, your technician can install and teach you everything you need to know about your new appliances.

Regular Refrigerator Maintenance Saves Energy and Money

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Refrigerator maintenance requires only a small investment of time and money, but it can potentially save you lots on energy bills. It helps to keep your food fresher and at the proper temperature, meaning less spoilage and waste. But maybe the best part about keeping your appliances well-maintained is that it extends their life and significantly reduces the frequency of equipment failure.

Why Your Refrigerator Guzzles Energy

A refrigerator and freezer need to keep running 24 hours a day to keep food at the right temperature. The required fans, coils, condensers and moving parts make it a power hog. In fact, it uses about 13 percent of all the energy consumed by most homes. Certain practices when storing food can make it work even harder, driving up energy use. Here is a look at how you can save:

Tips for Effective Refrigerator Maintenance

Fill it Up. The fuller your freezer and refrigerator are, the more efficiently they run. Keeping the fridge well loaded also lets you keep more food fresh and cold. If you experience a power outage and your refrigerator and freezer are full, your food will stay safe for twice as long than if it was half full. Just make sure that you leave room for air to circulate.
Keep it Away from Heat. This sounds logical, but the number of refrigerators that are positioned next to stoves, heaters or large windows is surprising. That can cost you plenty, because for every degree above 70 your kitchen is, your refrigerator will use 2.5 percent more energy.
Keep it Sealed. Check the seals and gaskets around your refrigerator and freezer regularly. They deteriorate with age, and if they are dirty, the seals simply don’t work. You can test how tight the seal is by shutting the door on a single piece of paper. If you can pull the paper out without pulling hard, you know your seal needs attention. Though you will have to pay a refrigerator repair person to do the job, it is well worth the price. Damaged seals and gaskets let cold air seep out, which adds significantly to your energy costs.
Clean the Coils. Dust and grime cause the coils on the back and underside of your refrigerator to become inefficient. By vacuuming them every four or five months, you can reduce the amount of energy used by as much as 6 percent.
Cool Your Food. Most food can safely be left on the counter to cool for up to two hours. Do this with hot food before putting it into your refrigerator for storage. If foods are close to room temperature, your refrigerator won’t have to work as hard to chill them.
Use Glass. Glass storage containers are the best conductors of cold, keeping the food at a cooler temperature for a longer period.
Cover Food. When food is not covered, it can release moisture into the interior of your freezer or refrigerator, making the compressor work harder and use more energy.

By following these six tips, you can keep your refrigerator-freezer operating with peak efficiency. Regular refrigerator maintenance will also save you money on your energy and grocery bills. Contact Complete Appliance Repair of Salt Lake City for all of your appliance needs, including regular refrigerator maintenance.

Appliance Best Practices To Avoid Food Contamination

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New studies show that appliance maintenance and methods of use may be more important for your family’s health than previously believed. Regular kitchen maintenance and sanitation practices can help you avoid dangerous bacteria and food contamination. Read on for more information about keeping your kitchen sanitary and contaminant-free.

What is Food Contamination?

When bacteria spreads between foods, surfaces or appliances, cross-contamination takes place. It’s most likely to happen when raw items touch or drip onto other food or surfaces in your kitchen or on your appliances. It may also occur when people touch raw food with their hands then touch something else. For example, if you store raw meat in your refrigerator and it drips onto the cake below it, bacteria will spread from the meat to the cake. When cutting raw meat on a chopping board, bacteria spreads from the meat to the board and knife. If you use the same tools to then chop something else, the bacteria from the meat will be transferred.

Promptly cleaning up any food spillage is critical, especially inside the refrigerator, freezer, oven or microwave. Follow up with an anti-bacterial spray or wipe to prevent contamination. As important as these safeguards are, however, the most potentially dangerous contamination occurs inside your refrigerator, freezer and oven, when proper temperatures aren’t maintained.

Avoiding the Danger Zone of Food Temperatures

The USDA* defines the danger zone for food contamination as any temperature between 40 and 140 degrees. Salmonella, E. coli and staph bacteria grow exponentially in this range, potentially doubling every 20 minutes. If your refrigerator, freezer or range are not properly calibrated and food is allowed to reach the danger zone, you may be putting your family’s health at risk. Take care with storing and reheating leftovers as well, to ensure they are refrigerated promptly and heated through to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

You can help prevent food contamination by purchasing thermometers designed for use in your refrigerator, freezer and oven, checking them regularly to ensure proper temperatures are maintained. For your freezer, the USDA recommends a temperature of zero degrees. For the refrigerator, a temperature range of 15 to 35 degrees is ideal. Electronic temperature “guns” are also an excellent way to verify surface temperatures.

Although you can help avert food contamination with these tips and tricks, the most reliable way to ensure that your appliances keep your food safe is to have them inspected, calibrated and maintained regularly by a professional appliance repair service. Complete Appliance Repair of Salt Lake City is dedicated to keeping your appliances well maintained, to keep you and your family safe. Contact them today to schedule a maintenance check for all your appliances.

Are Extended Appliance Warranties a Good Idea?

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Extended appliance warranties and so-called service plans may sound like a good idea when the salesperson is pitching them to you, but are they really a sound investment? The answer usually depends on whom you ask. Manufacturers’ warranties provide a reasonable level of protection, and extended plans can often be an unwise and expensive investment. Before you agree to buy a protection plan, you may want to do a little fact-checking of your own.

Investigate the Product’s Included Warranty Coverage

New appliances almost always come with a manufacturer’s warranty. In most cases, the item is covered for one year of normal, residential use, as long as the appliance was installed and set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Although the manufacturer’s warranty technically covers only defective materials and workmanship, it’s unlikely that anything else will go wrong. Kitchen appliances are considered to be durable, reliable goods with a low incidence of failure. The arguments you are likely to hear in favor of buying extended protection at the time of purchase are that today’s appliances have more complicated technology, higher failure rates and lesser quality manufacturing processes. While some of that may be true, protection plans are not necessarily the answer.

What Service Plans, Protection Agreements and Extended Warranties Offer

Most extended warranties promise to fix those parts that wear out or fail during the course of normal use, but in many cases, each service call requires that you pay a deductible or service call fee. Most are administered by a third-party service that contracts with local repair companies rather than having a staff of their own technicians. Consequently, you never know what you’ll get in terms of service quality and responsiveness. Most plans have a long list of non-covered repairs, but the protection agreement may offer you a generous 10 percent discount on those services they don’t cover. Charges for service plans can be high, with some programs costing half the price of the appliance itself for a three-to-five-year coverage term.

What You May Not Know about Extended Warranties

Appliance retailers set slim profit margins on major appliances to remain competitive in the marketplace. Service plans are the real cash cows, usually returning a 50 percent (or more) profit to the retailer. For this reason, many use the scare tactic approach to convince you to buy. For the cost of a single service plan on a new refrigerator, you can purchase a full home warranty that offers similar protection on all your home’s appliances, services and systems. If you purchased the item with a major credit card, you may have protection through the credit card company as well. Or, you could schedule your own trusted appliance repair technician to perform annual maintenance for not much more than your trade call fee under most warranty plans.

Complete Appliance Repair of Salt Lake City, Utah, specializes in keeping customers’ costly home appliances in good working order. Their prompt, professional service technicians and fair and honest pricing policies will ensure that you never have to worry about any surprises. With Complete Appliance at your service, you need not bother with expensive extended appliance warranties.