Is It Worth It to Fix an Appliance?
This is a question our appliance service technicians are asked fairly often, and that makes sense—you don't want to throw out an appliance that just needs a bit of repair work to get back in excellent condition, but you also don't want to get repairs that are just not going to be adequate to revive a failing machine. The answer to this question really comes down to a couple of key factors: the age of the appliance and the nature of the issue.
In most cases, technicians at Mr. Appliance can take care of a reliable, cost-effective repair with long-lasting results. There are, however, a few situations where replacement may be the better choice. Suppose an appliance has already passed the length of time that it would normally last, and it is showing multiple signs of malfunctioning. In that case, a repair is possible—but because it's so old, it's likely that another component will soon fail, and you'll need repeated service calls for appliance repair in Edison, NJ. In that situation, you are likely better off going straight to replacement. That's also true if an appliance is suffering from a broken component that is prohibitively difficult or costly to replace.
At Mr. Appliance of Edison, we use the 50% rule of thumb to decide whether or not a repair is actually worth it for you. In simple terms, if repairing your appliance costs half or less of what buying a new one would cost, then it’s better to repair it. If you’re not sure what you should do, we’ll walk you through the right solution during our service call. If we assess that you would be better off buying a new machine, we’ll suggest it without hesitation. Our priority is your satisfaction and not making a quick buck.
What Are the Most Common Household Appliance Problems?
Some of the most common and frustrating appliance failures you’ll face are:
- Smelly washing machine
- Inefficient refrigerator
- Ignition failure on gas stove
- Non-heating gas oven
- Broken garbage disposal
- No power at the outlet
- Leaking dishwasher
- Clothes dryer doesn't get laundry dry
- Wobbling washing machine
If you’re experiencing any of these problems, call us immediately for appliance repair in Edison, NJ. Repair professionals on our team can solve the issue before it turns into a bigger nightmare. To learn more about common appliance issues and how to detect them, check out our appliance troubleshooting guide for owners.
Is It Okay to Install an Appliance On an Uneven Floor?
Generally speaking, this is a bad idea. We get it—some floors are just not perfectly level, especially in an older house that has done a lot of settling over the years or in a basement room with a concrete floor that slopes toward a drain opening. However, an uneven floor can have a significant negative impact on the performance of certain appliances and even cause them to need appliance repair in Edison, NJ. You can avoid that in a couple of different ways.
For example, your washing machine and dryer need to be sitting on a reasonably level floor because their operation causes quite a bit of vibration, and the load needs to be balanced to keep spinning smoothly and efficiently. If a washer or dryer is on a sloped floor, it can cause the machines to work harder and burn more fuel than you have to pay on your utility bills. It can also cause them to "walk" around the room due to the vibrations, which is obviously a bad sign for the machines and anything in their path. The best way to deal with this is typically to have a leveling pad installed before putting the machines in place.
Another example is if you have a refrigerator sitting unevenly on a surface, it can lose efficiency, increase your energy costs and even suffer damage. But if your kitchen floor isn't all that even, don't despair—most refrigerators come with "leveling legs" that can be adjusted as necessary to make sure the appliance is level even if the floor is not. Sitting even and level will help maintain the performance of the unit and avoid unnecessary wear and tear damage.
Is Dryer Vent Cleaning Really Necessary?
It absolutely is. It's surprising how many homeowners don't really understand the importance of dryer vent cleaning to keep their dryer operating efficiently and, much more importantly, to keep their property and household safe. Your clothes dryer uses a vent hose or pipe to remove hot, humid air from drying laundry and vent it outdoors, while lint is supposed to go into the lint trap. But as the months and years go on, lint gets into the vent and blocks the flow of air out of the machine.
That blockage causes the machine to work much harder and longer to dry your laundry, so it's a lot less efficient because it must use more and more energy while at the same time delivering poorer results. But that's not the worst of it. The dryer can create an electrical spark that sets the highly flammable lint on fire, sending flames shooting through the walls of your home on multiple stories. This actually happens far more frequently than most people know—nearly 3,000 dryer fires are reported in the United States every year, causing property loss, injury and even death.
It makes no sense to put your family and home at risk when the risk can be mitigated easily with professional dryer vent cleaning once or twice per year. How often you need dryer vent cleaning will vary based on the needs of your household—a typical family likely only needs it once per year, but if you have a large family or use your dryer more than average, it may be prudent to have it done twice per year.
How Long Does an Edison Appliance Repair Appointment Take?
It makes perfect sense that you want to know upfront the amount of time that you need to block out in your schedule for appliance repair in Edison, NJ. Local residents lead busy lives and don't want their valuable time wasted. However, there's no way to give you an accurate time estimate without knowing more about the work that you need done. Here are three of the main factors that influence the length of time it takes to complete Edison appliance repair services:
- Service Technician Availability: The repair work can't get started until your local service technician has arrived at your property. We understand that your time is precious, which is why we focus on getting there when we say we will and working efficiently without cutting corners.
- Problem Complexity: Appliances are complex machines, and while some repairs are simple, others can be a lot more difficult and time-consuming.
- Necessary Parts: While we do keep commonly needed parts in stock, there are some situations where a part that we don't have available needs replacement, and in that case, it's necessary to wait to have it ordered in.
What Does This Appliance Error Message Mean?
The advent of modern technology means that laundry and kitchen appliances now typically have digital displays to give you information such as the temperature settings, the appliance mode, and so on. As time goes by, you get used to seeing those messages and don't pay them much attention—until a cryptic, strange message appears that you don't understand in the slightest.
These codes often appear with the word "Error" or "Err," followed by a series of numbers and letters. If you still have the manufacturer's handbook available for the appliance, you can look up the error code there to get some idea of what your appliance is trying to communicate to you. But if you're still not sure what's happening or how to make it stop, it's time to call for appliance repair in Edison, NJ. The service professionals at Mr. Appliance have the experience to interpret those mysterious errors and track the problem to the source so we can get it repaired.
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