Troubleshooting Common Appliance Problems

If you were asked to identify the most popular room in your home, you’d likely say the kitchen, and the family’s laundry room might be second. After all, the kitchen is probably where your loved ones spend a lot of their time — from prepping meals, to eating together (and alone) — and let’s not forget all the laundry that gets done seemingly every day of the week.

It goes without saying that you depend heavily on your refrigerator, cooktop, and dishwasher, as well as your clothes washer and dryer. When one of these appliances stops working like it should, you may panic and think that your only solution will be to get the unit replaced or shell out hundreds on a costly repair.

We’ve put together some tips to help you troubleshoot some of the most common kitchen and laundry room appliance problems so that you can stop worrying so much! (Well, about these appliances, at least.)

Problem: Refrigerator doesn’t seem as cold inside as it should be.

First, make sure that the appliance is plugged in. You’d be amazed at how curious those little hands in your home can be if you have kids. After confirming that the fridge is plugged in, check the thermostat’s settings. Again, when you’ve got kids in your home, it’s no surprise that they may have changed the temperature settings.

If you still notice that the fridge isn’t cold after checking to be sure it’s plugged in and the thermostat settings are correct, make sure your vents inside the freezer aren’t being blocked by pizzas, ice cream, or frozen dinners. When the vents are blocked, cold air can’t circulate!

Problem: Gas cooktop burner won’t light.

Nothing’s more frustrating than turning the knob on your gas stove to start cooking dinner for your family, only to find out that the burner isn’t lighting. Fortunately, this problem may have a simple fix. Turn the burner into the “OFF” position, and then unplug the cooktop. Next, remove the burner cap(s) and clean out any burnt or caked on food debris. This could be preventing gas from being able to ignite the burner.

Problem: Dishwasher won’t drain.

This is another common kitchen appliance problem that (hopefully) has a simple solution! Let’s face it, we all get in a hurry from time to time, and may not be as diligent as we should be about clearing food from plates and cookware. When the dishwasher runs, all this debris can clog the drain in the basin of the unit.

With the dishwasher “OFF,” clear out any food debris that could be blocking the drain. It may be helpful to have a trash can nearby so you can easily discard the mess without having to carry it across your kitchen.

Problem: Clothes washer doesn’t spin.

Have you noticed that your washer doesn’t seem to be completing the spin/agitation cycle? This could be the result of you overloading the unit. Too many clothes in the washer could prevent the machine’s agitator from being able to move while the machine is in use.

Problem: Clothes are taking forever to dry.

If you’ve noticed that it’s taking ages for your clothes to dry, you’ll want to check your lint filter. If the filter is full of lint, and if your dryer hose is blocked, it could prevent your clothes from being able to dry in a normal amount of time. Not just that, but extra lint in your dryer hose could become a fire hazard. When the dryer is in use, the lint inside the hose gets extremely hot and could ignite. Make sure you are cleaning the lint filter after every use, and also clean your dryer hose often. How often you should clean it depends on how much laundry your family does.

Want more helpful homeowner tips?

Check out our homeowner blog often as we frequently update it with helpful tips, tricks, and advice! Have questions or want more information about our available protection programs in your area? Click the “Live Chat” tab on the right side of the page during standard business hours to speak with a knowledgeable customer service representative.