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!

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!

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 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.

Do not slam the doors!

Doors on any appliances such as washing machine, dryer, fridge, freezer, or dishwasher can be broken with relatively little effort. If you slap the doors it could break the lid's switch or latch. Some replacements for something like this could cost upwards of $200.

Instead of taking care of the problem after the fact, take precautionary measures; don't slam the doors!

The Miracle Cleaner

So many cleaners have very harsh chemicals. Some that even encourage you to wear a mask, have flowing air, or take very frequent breaks from using it. There is one that cleaner that we always recommend that has none of the negative side effects: white vinegar.

The thing that makes vinegar such a good cleaner is the acetic acid. It helps clean away dirt, grime, and germs.

Its safe to clean your washer, dryer, fridge, oven, freezer, microwave, or just about anywhere else. If you're into green and safe chemicals, it the perfect option to switch to.

Is your freezer squealing like a pig?

There could be a couple of things that this is, but one of the most likely things is your freezer fan motor has gone out. This is a bit trickier to do yourself, so give us a call and we'll help you fix it in no time!

What We Do

Besides being the best appliance repair service in the Treasure Valley, we also sell a variety of top quality appliances that come with a warranty and a lifetime service agreement. Here are some examples of what we sell:

washers

dryers

washer and dryer sets

top-down fridges

side-by-side fridges

freezers

ovens

If you're in need of any of these, come into our store to get the best deal in the valley!

The Dangers of Lint

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 2,900 fires are started because of dryer lint every year. Those fires are responsible for $35,000,000 in damages, 100 injuries, and 5 deaths.

Instead of letting that lint build up and burn your house down, clean it out and use it for when you go camping! Lint works as a great fire starter.

Seals

Seals are an important thing in large appliances. From fridges, freezers, ovens, and every dryers they are essential to ensuring that your appliance performs effectively.

If your seal is broken or otherwise needs replacing, call us and we'll get you fixed in no time!

REMINDER: Now is the time!

Now is the time of the year when your dyer vents have been filling up and need cleaned out! Letting your dryer go much longer will clog it with lint, making it harder to dry, wasting electricity, and heating flammable lint. For a great tutorial on how to clean the lint out, go here.

Summer is upon us, and our freezers are feeling it!

With hotter temperatures, comes higher energy bills to keep your freezer running at it's best. However, those bills can be lowered by making sure your freezer is working properly. Here's 3 tips to get your freezer working at it's highest efficiently.

Clean Coils

Cleaning the coils is essential to having any freezer running effectively. Besides getting the occasional dust out of the way, you should also unplug and wash the coils with warm, soapy water at least once a year.

Defrost

If your freezer ends up accumulating an inch or more, it is time to defrost. Ice any thicker makes the freezer retain bad smells, not keep things as cold, and wastes a lot of electricity. To defrost, unplug and remove everything from the freezer and keep all of it as cool as possible in another fridge or freezer. Keep the freezer unplugged and defrosting till the ice is gone. After that, wipe it dry.

Air Circulation

For a freezer to run its most efficiently, it needs to have enough for air circulation to go all the way around it. This makes it so that the coils don't get dust faster, and need to be defrosted less often.

4 Tips on How to Dry Your Clothes Faster

1. Clean out your lint

Lint build up is the #1 thing that prevents effective drying. Keep it clean to dry your clothes fast!

2. Wring out your clothes before you put them in the dryer

No use in drying it in the dryer when you could take a lot of the water out yourself.

3. Put dry towels in with a load

This makes it to where the towels absorb much of the water. Divide and conquer the water!

4. Make your dryer vent hose shorter

This one is a bit more labor intensive, but could help tremendously. The shorter the hose, the more efficient your dryer becomes. 

4 Simple Water Heater Maintenance Tips

1. Keep it clear

As cluttered as the garage might be, its a good idea to keep items away from your water heater. 

2. TURN THE WATER OFF!

This water is HOT! You don't want to be tinkering with the water heater and accidentally give yourself 2nd degree burns. Make sure you turn the water off before you start fixing the water heater!

3. Type

The first solution to any problem is identifying it! To do this, you should make sure you know what kind of water heater you have. There are natural gas, electric or propane, tank-type, and tankless-types. 

4. Drain

Debris and sediments can build up in your water heater, which causes them not to work as well over time. Once a year its a good idea to drain your water heater.

Refrigerator Tips (part 2)

6. Clean your Coils
The condenser coils at the back of the fridge are important to keeping your food cold. Make sure that there isn't any built up dust around them! Check your coils at least a couple times a year.

7. Frosty - no man!

If the frost in your freezer is 1/4 inch thick, its time to do something about it because your freezer is working waaay harder than it needs to. Thaw out your freezer and get that frost out for a nice reset button!

8. Put a lid on it!

Don't put containers of liquid in the fridge without a lid. The moisture will get in the air of the fridge and will make the compressor work harder than it has to, and not to mention frost and/or condensation.

9. A clean fridge is a happy fridge!

The last tip is another no brainer, clean your fridge! Build up in the fridge can cause your fridge to work harder than it has to, and it can cause problems for other food products as well.

Refrigerator Tips (part 1)

1. We have the meats!
Store seafood, chicken, and all other meats on a bottom shelf. This prevents their juices from dripping down onto your other food.

2. Overload!
Don't overload your fridge. The air in fridges must circulate, and if it can't do that, food wont be properly cooled.

3. Chill
Try letting food naturally cool before you put it in the fridge. Putting in hot food just means your fridge has to do double duty to get it cooled!

4. We are closed.
An obvious tip is to keep the doors shut as often as possible. Keeping the doors open for a half hour while you're trying to figure out what to eat lets all of the cool air out and your fridge will have to start over with cooling it.

5. Smell ya later!
To combat odors, fill a clean old sock with activated charcoal. Activated charcoal absorbs smells and prevents them from spreading. Its used in fish tanks to filter the water and keep the smell down. It can do the same for your fridge!

Wahing Machine Tips (Part 2)

5. Use the right amount of detergent

Don't listen to the detergent packaging, follow the washing machine's manufacturer's manual. If you have soft water, you may also want to reduce the amount of soap you use.

6. Keep it clean!

Residue can build up in the machine. Clean the inside once a month to prevent residue buildup.

7. Clean the dispensers

If you have a dispenser for your soap or softeners, clean that out once a month as well. Build up here can cause a loss of function, so make sure it stays clean as a whistle!

8. Squeaky clean!

Detergent can spill on the outsides and get in cracks that can cause problems with internal functions. If there is a spill, clean it up!

9. Rust?

If paint has chipped off, repair the paint job immediately. Otherwise your machine can start to rust!

Wahing Machine Tips (Part 1)

1. Inspect your Hoses
The connections from the hoses to the machine can show signs of weakness, and should be checked a couple times a year. Any cracks or bulges indicate that you should replace the hoses. Most manufacturers recommend you replace the hoses every 5 years.

2. Prevent Flooding
If your machine floods, you want to minimize or prevent water damage. A water shutoff system, which prevents water flow when a malfunction is detected, is a great addition to your machine. Another great one is an overflow pan, which catches any dripping or flooding water.

3. Don't Overload
Loading your machine at the proper limit is essential to preventing any malfunctions.

4. Keep it level
If your machine is on a slant or all 4 legs are not on the floor, it could cause problems and wear out your machine quickly. Take steps to make sure your machine is properly positioned.

An Easy, Energy Saving Tip

According to LG, if your refrigerator is pushed back as far as possible it won't run as efficiently as possible. However, pulling it forward one inch can reduce the energy usage by a significant amount.

How to Clean Your Range Hood Filter

Changing your range hood filter is important to keep the vent working properly. We found a video that will teach you how to clean or replace it!