Have you tried turning it off and on again?

This simple advice is tried, tested, and true: your problem might go away if you turn it off and on again.

If something doesn't seem right with your appliance, turn it off or unplug it for a while and let it rest. Plug it back in and see if that fixed the problem.

Who knows, it may just fix everything!

DIY Troubleshooting

There are many things on appliances that you might be able to fix yourself. The trick is to know what you need to fix. Luckily, that could be an easy fix.

Find out the make and model of your appliance. Once you have that, look up the owner's manual for it. There is almost certainly a section on troubleshooting in the manual.

Follow the steps to determine the error code, and look up the problem online. If its a bit more complicated than you'd like to handle, just give us a call and we can work with you on fixing your appliance!

Ignition Lighting?

Gas powered appliances depend on some sort of ignition process in order to work.

Often times these igniters can get covered with soot and buildup.

If your appliance isn't working, you might just need to clean the igniter. Regardless, once a months its a good idea to check on the igniter to see if it needs cleaning.

50% rule

Appliance repair can get very costly, often going into the hundreds of dollars. Is it worth keeping an appliance that is so costly to repair?

A good rule of thumb is the 50% rule.

The 50% rule is simple: If your appliance is 50% through its life or repairs will cost 50% of what its worth, its a better idea to get a new appliance.

We are open to buying your broken appliances to use as parts and sell you a new one!

The Dollar Test

Refrigerators work hard, and often they work harder than they have to. The seals on fridges often wears out, leaving the cold air the ability to escape.

A good test to see if you need to replace this seal is the dollar test.

The test is simple: take a dollar and close your fridge on it half way in the fridge. If it stays, the seal is fine. If it slips, you need to replace the seal.

a good seal lowers energy bills and keeps your food chilled and ready to eat!

DRYER OVERLOAD!

As a young adult, I went over to my grandmother's house to do my laundry. I didn't want to be an imposition to her, so I tried to stuff the machines to the brim. One day, my grandma walked by the dryer as it was running and heard it "moaning and groaning". He opened it up and found that it was much, much too full to run effectively.

A dryer needs enough space for air to circulate over all the clothes. If you overload it, it ruins the motor, leaves your clothes with a musty or burnt smell, and wastes energy.

Don't clean under you oven's knobs

While we all know a clean oven is a happy oven, you shouldn't clean under the knobs. The knobs to your oven are a part of an electrical system that tells the oven how much to heat it's coils.

When you put water on an electrical system, it could short circuit it, electrocute you, or both.

If a short occurs, then it'll be a service call for us to come out and fix it for you.

If its an electrocution, a hospital trip or funeral would be in your future.

The best plan of action: don't clean under your knobs!

Tips for loading your dishwasher the right way (Part 2)

The dishwasher is a valuable modern appliance. It allows us to clean our dishes quickly without much thought. However, its important to know how to use it the right way to ensure your dishes are as clean as they can be. Here are some tips to help your dishwasher wash dishes!

6. Place silverware face down
This makes it so the sharp parts aren't touched, which are also the parts you eat with.

7. Use only when full
Don't use your dishwasher if its only half full. Doing so waste time, money, and water. Run a load when its all the way full.

8. Unload from the bottom first
If you unload the dishes on the top rack first, it may leave water drops on top of dry dishes and leave spots on them.

9. Clean, clean, clean!
Periodically run an empty load with white vinegar. This is a dissinfectant that kills fungi and bacteria that could grow from builtup left over food particles.

Tips for loading your dishwasher the right way (Part 1)

The dishwasher is a valuable modern appliance. It allows us to clean our dishes quickly without much thought. However, its important to know how to use it the right way to ensure your dishes are as clean as they can be. Here are some tips to help your dishwasher wash dishes!

1. Load bowls and cups upside down
You don't want the dish water collecting in them

2. Leave some space between dishes
Aater and heat need to make even contact with the entire dish in order to properly clean them. This can't happen if they're touching other dishes.

3. Fragile and small stuff up top
The top rack isn't as intensive with it's cleaning cycle. THis will keep fragile and small dishes safer from breaking.

4. Angle dishes
Angling your cups as much as you can will make it so water won't puddle on the top of your dishes.

5. Don't load cups on top of the tines
Tines are the things that hold the dishes in place. These are made to have dishes between them instead of on top of them. Putting dishes on top of them could break both the dishes or the tines over time.

Sure-fire way to ruin your washer

Having laundry the size of Everest in a pretty common thing. The laundry just never seems to end!

You may want to try to pack your washer to get rid of all of it quick. You must resist this temptation! Overloading a washer may cause flooding and may ruin your motor.

Slow and steady wins the race, and keeps your washer alive!

When was the last time you replaced your water filter?

Your tap water can have more than just water in it. It may have herbicides, pesticides, heavy metals, benzene, and a bad taste to it.

Luckily, there's a very simple method to getting all of this out: Change your water filter. Your water filter needs to be changed every 3-6 months to ensure that it's filtering properly.

When was the last time you changed yours? Is it time?

Washing Machine Hoses

You should inspect your water hoses to your washing machine at least once a year. Make sure that they're securely connected  and are free of cracks, or bulges.

If there is any damage present, contact us immediately and we'll help you get it fixed before it floods your house!

Freezer Gaskets

With the heat going full force, freezers are working overtime.

If your freezer's gaskets (the rubber seals) have gunk in them, are cracked, or otherwise not working, it could mean that your freezer is sucking energy or slowly thawing your food.

If you need help replacing them, give us a call today!

A Gas Stove MUST

Gas stoves tend to live longer than their electrical counterparts by a couple years. However, they only do if you do this one thing to them:

CLEAN THEM!

Debris and spills build up can prevent the gas from burning the right way, and create more wear and tear on the stove.

When cleaning, make sure the gas is off and you take all the proper safety precautions.

Summer is in full swing!

Summer is here and it feels so good!

If you're reaching into the freezer to enjoy a popsicle, you may see a lot of ice building up in there.

This ice prevents your appliance from running as well as it could, and this makes it use up more electricity.

To correct this, take all of the food out of the freezer and put it into a cooler on ice. Unplug your freezer and leave it open. Let all of the ice dethaw. Once it has, wipe up excess water. Then sanitize it all down before you plug it back in.

Enjoy your otter pops this summer!

Warning signs of a clogged dryer vent

Each year there are 2,900 house fires caused by a dryer that has been improperly maintained which resulted in 31 injuries and 5 deaths. There is a great need to make sure that your dryer vent is clean, because it is life threatening if it's not. You should clean your vent out at least once a year, and clean out the lint trap every time you use the dryer. Here is a quick list of some signs that you need your vents cleaned out:

• The top of your dryer is hot when in use
• clothes take a long time to dry
• There is a burning or musty smell when dryer is in use
• Your clothes smell burned or musty
• Your clothes are unusually hot after being dried
• You can see lint coming out of the vent from outside
• Excessive amounts of lint are caught in the lint trap
• The room is hot when the dryer is in use
• Dryer just stops working
• The exhaust termination ( the flap where the airflow goes outside) doesn't open when dryer is on
• For gas dryers there's a carbon monoxide leak

If your dryer vent is clogged it should not be delayed. Give us a call today at 208-344-6700

Is the self clean cycle on your oven enough?

Having your oven clean itself is a very tempting chore to do, or in this case, not do. You can just switch it on and it takes care of itself, right?

Unfortunately, the self-cleaning oven feature isn't as effective as a good old fashioned scrubbing. It just can't be beat.

If you're wanting to put some elbow grease in, make sure the oven is unplugged and the racks are taken out. This might also be a good time to check to see if the seal on your oven is damaged.

This simple maintenance may help keep your oven staying hot for years to come!

Looking sharp!

Did you know that garbage disposal blades dull with time? It makes them less effective at chopping up food bits.

One of the easiest ways to keep them sharp is to put ice down the disposal while its running.

This sharpens the blades and keeps them working great!

For an added bonus, throw some lemon down there to keep it smelling fresh!

Things to do before the repairman arrives

There are a few things that you should keep in mind before the repairman arrives at your house to fix your appliance. It will make life easier for both you and for the repairman.

Time
We tend to be pretty good about our appointments, but sometimes things run over or under time. Its a good idea to have some extra time before and after the appointment set aside in case this happens.

Know what's wrong
Be able to communicate how your appliance isn't working, and how it may be on the fritz. If you have the make and model of the appliance before you call us, we can be even more prepared.

Watch where you're going!
We might need to get some equipment in and out, and maybe even the appliance. Make sure there is a cleared path for us to get around.

Down, boy!
Make sure your animals are put away. it is safer for you, us, and them. We want to make sure there aren't any accidents!

Payments
Its a good idea to ask how much repairs might cost. If you ask us before hand, we would be happy to give you an estimate.

Summer is almost here!

We're starting to use our air conditioners more and more! How ready is your air conditioner for the summer season?

It might be a good idea to get your filter cleaned or replaced. Remember: You should be doing this at least once or twice a month for your air conditioner to run most effectively.

If you're unsure how to change your filter, our friends at Antlerdreamer have made a great video on how to do this here.