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Mark Klug Amy Church Dishwashwer, Surprise AZ (C) Daniel FriedmanAppliance Troubleshooting & Repairs

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This article series gives links to collections of repair guides, manuals and information for common home appliances.

In these articles we describe simple steps that you can take to get a home appliance working again, or to decide that it's time to buy a new toaster or other device, or that you would be smart to call an appliance repair person.

These quick inspection points and tips are accompanied by links to detailed inspection, diagnosis, and repair for most appliances found in homes, from room air conditioners to washing machines and water heaters.

Page top photo: the Klug dishwasher in Surprise Arizona.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?

Appliance Repair Guides, Advice, Tips & Procedures

Window Air Conditioner that fell (C) Daniel FriedmanFrom room air conditioners to washing machines and water heaters, here we list InspectApedia articles that can assist in the diagnosis and repair of most home appliances.

These articles focus on basic procedures that help spot trouble with an appliance first by simple visual inspection. For each appliance topic we include links to additional in-depth inspection, diagnosis & repair information.

Photo at left: the igniter module for a Jenn-Air counter top gas cooktop. We replaced this item as well as the wiring and individual igniters to cure chronic gas burner ignition problems: endless clicking.

Details of that repair are found at GAS IGNITER DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR.

Article Series Contents

Check These Things First when Troubleshooting an Appliance

Before tossing out your air conditioner or coffee maker and even before calling an appliance repairman for your washing machine, refrigerator, or clothes dryer, here are some things to check:

  1. Electrical power: Is the appliance plugged-in?
    • Is there electrical power where the appliance is connected and is the receptacle itself properly wired?
  2. Appliance instruction manuals often contain a troubleshooting guide: have we found and read the installation and troubleshooting procedures given by the manufacturer for this appliance?

    Often there are trivial problems that are easy to correct but that are not obvious before reading the instructions.
  3. Controls & switches: Are the appliance controls and switches properly set? Is a control or switch acting funny: loose, makes a sparking noise, used to "click" but no longer does?
    • Hidden reset buttons: Is there a reset switch or button on an electric motor or elsewhere on the appliance
  4. Noises or smells: something is burning? Is the appliance making a funny noise or smell.

    Watch out: Unplug the appliance immediately to avoid a fire.
  5. Appliance inspection for electrical problems: do we see something that looks burned when inspecting an appliance circuit board, wire, or switch?

    Watch out: as we cite at DISHWASHER SNAFUS, poking around inside or beneath an appliance may risk electrical shock.
  6. Appliance inspection for leaks: for

    dishwashers - DISHWASHER SNAFUS,

    garbage grinders - GARBAGE DISPOSAL vs SEPTICS,

    water heaters - WATER HEATERS,

    washing machines - WASHING MACHINE OIL LEAKS, do we see or smell oil or do we see water leaking?

Appliance repair parts for sale at the Tuesday Market, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman

Above: gas range and other cookstove repair parts on display at the Tuesday Market, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Antique Rainbow gas stove (C) InspectApedia

Above: an antique Rainbow Gas Stove (photo courtesy of anonymous reader).

Portions of the text in this article and some illustrations are adapted from Carson Dunlop's The Home Reference Book (also available as the The Home Reference eBook) and and are used here with permission. Information in online articles found at InspectApedia.com is © copyright protected but is provided free for your reading or printing.

Please do not make online or electronic copies of our website content.

Appliance Installation & Repair Help Lines for Consumers

Clothes Dryer Inspection & Repair

See the full dryer repair article series now found

at CLOTHES DRYER INSTALLATION & REPAIR

Coffee Makers

Coffee maker Inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides:

Dishwashers: inspect, diagnose, repair

Now found at DISHWASHER INSTALLATION & REPAIR

Doorbell Inspection & Repair

Low voltage transformer powering a doorbell (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.comDoorbell inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides:

If a doorbell is not working I start by checking the following:

Exhaust Fan Inspection & Repair

Exhaust fan repair tips and repair articles got promoted to their very own page,

at EXHAUST FAN REPAIR.

Fireplaces: Gas Fireplaces & Gas Logs

Zero clearance gas fireplace (C) Daniel Friedman

Above: a gas log fireplace insert discussed

at FIREPLACE INSPECTION PRE-FAB

Gas Fireplace Inspection, Installation, Troubleshooting Repair Guides

Fireplace & Woodstove Articles

Fireplace on Church Hill, Stewart Island, New Zealand (C) Daniel FriedmanIllustration: Fireplace on Church Hill, Stewart Island, New Zealand. [Click to enlarge any image]

Garbage Grinders / Waste Disposers

Garbage waste disposer inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides are found

at GARBAGE GRINDER / DISPOSER REPAIR - home

Kitchen Cooktop, Range, Oven Inspection & Repair

Kitchen range or cooktop Inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides are now found

at KITCHEN RANGE COOKTOP OVEN REPAIR - home

Outdoor Gas Heaters

Microwave Oven Inspection & Repair

Microwave oven inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides are now found

at MICROWAVE OVEN REPAIR

Refrigerator Inspection & Repair

Antique GE refrigerator in San Miguel de Allende (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

Our list of refrigerator troubleshooting tips and repair guides, manuals etc. have been moved

to REFRIGRATOR REPAIR

Trash Compactor Inspection & Repair

Trash compactor inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides are now on their very own page

at TRASH COMPACTOR REPAIR

Central Vacuum System Inspection & Repair

Please see VACUUM CLEANER REPAIR for tips on repairing a central vac system.

Washing Machine Inspection & Repair

Clothes washing machine Inspect, Diagnose, Repair Guides are moved

to WASHING MACHINE REPAIR

1950's Appliances Bathrooms Kitchens

Antique GE refrigerator in San Miguel de Allende (C) Daniel Friedman at InspectApedia.com

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Where to Obtain a Printed Copy of the Carson Dunlop Associates' Home Reference Book & Related Inspection Guides or education courses

To purchase a more extensive printed collection of information about home inspection and maintenance see


...

Continue reading at APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

APPLIANCE DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to APPLIANCE REPAIR

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.


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