For most people, fall brings to mind foliage and cooler temperatures. In the world of appliance repair, fall brings to mind several common issues every year, like clockwork. To mitigate your chances of a last-minute repair call this autumn, I’ve compiled some of the most common issues appliance repair techs encounter this time of year, and how to prevent them!
Common Issue: Oven malfunctions during cleaning before a big cooking holiday.
Common Cause: Running a high-heat self-clean cycle, which can reach temperatures above 900°F and has the potential to damage parts of the oven.
How to Prevent: Instead of running the self-cleaning cycle, run a steam-clean cycle instead! Steam cleaning uses lower temperatures and steam to loosen up accumulated oven soils. If your oven doesn’t have a built-in steam-clean function, my instructions on how to steam clean your oven can be found in the fall 2023 issue of BUST (or via the link on my website).
Common Issue: Refrigerator in the garage struggles to keep food cold during cooler weather.
Common Cause: The temperature of the garage where the fridge is installed is colder than the minimum required temperature for the fridge to function properly.
How to Prevent: Most refrigerators aren’t designed to function in temperatures below 50°F, so cooler temperatures may cause frozen items to thaw or perishables to spoil sooner. To store frozen or perishable items in a garage where temperatures go below 50°F, make sure the refrigerator you purchase is designed for garage installation (often called a “garage fridge” or “garage ready”), or that you have a “garage kit” installed (if your fridge’s manufacturer offers one).
Common Issue: Dishwasher doesn’t clean dishes, especially during heavy use.
Common Cause: Rinsing food off dishes beforehand to “help” the dishwasher.
How to Prevent: Scrape food into the trash—don’t rinse! Dishwashers have “turbidity sensors” that detect how much food is left in your water to determine how long to run. Rinsing most of the food off can prevent the dishwasher from running long enough to remove stuck-on food, causing inconsistent cleaning results. Trust your turbidity sensor—the results may surprise you!
