Before you call
Troubleshooting guides
What a technician checks first, written so that you can check it. A tripped breaker, a full lint trap and a levelling foot all bring a technician out, and none of them need one — telling you that costs us a call-out and earns us the next one.
- Refrigerator not coolingA refrigerator that is running but not holding temperature usually has an airflow problem rather than a dead compressor, and airflow problems are often something you can see. Work through these in order — they are the same first four things a technician checks, and any of them can save you a visit.
- Washing machine will not drain or spinDraining and spinning are linked: most machines refuse to spin until the water is gone, so a spin problem is usually a drain problem wearing a disguise. Almost everything below is reachable without tools.
- Dryer runs but clothes are still dampA dryer that tumbles but does not dry is nearly always an airflow problem, and airflow problems are also the ones that start fires. This is the guide most worth reading before calling anybody, because the fix is usually free and the consequence of ignoring it is not.Includes a safety warning
- Dishwasher leaves dishes dirty or will not drainTwo complaints, one usual cause: water is not reaching the dishes with enough force, or it is not leaving. Both are usually blockages you can reach by hand in fifteen minutes.
- Oven not heating or running off-temperatureAn oven that is out by twenty degrees and an oven that is stone cold are different problems, and the first one is worth measuring before you conclude anything. Ovens drift with age and most people blame the recipe.Includes a safety warning
- Freezer not holding temperatureA freezer gives you more warning than a refrigerator does — softening product, frost patterns, a compressor that never stops. Reading those signs early is the difference between a repair and a freezer full of spoiled food.
- Microwave runs but does not heatThis guide is shorter than the others on purpose. A microwave that turns and lights up but does not heat has a high-voltage fault, and the inside of a microwave is genuinely dangerous. There are only a few things worth checking, and then you stop.Includes a safety warning
- Burner will not light or will not hold a flameMost burner problems are dirt, and most of that dirt is where you can reach it. What follows takes about twenty minutes and fixes the majority of "clicks but will not light" complaints.Includes a safety warning