There are several small appliances that you have at home that seem to need a touch of TLC from time to time. Some appliance repairs you can manage at home, others require a professional, and others aren’t worth your time at all. Knowing how to make the repairs you make safely is an important aspect of any fix-it job.
Here are two jobs that are simple to handle.
Garbage Disposal Basics
It seems that all the new homes have a garbage disposal under the sink. If you use yours as much as I use mine, sooner or later you will need to make some repairs. For me it happened when a friend dropped a glass in the sink and it broke. Pieces jammed into the disposal and I needed to head under the sink to clear out the glass and repair the jammed unit.
First test the unit to see if it is jammed or the circuit has blown. Find the small red button on the body and press it. Try to turn on the unit again. If it works, great, if not, or it hums, you have a jam, time to get busy.
Unplug the cord. Most disposals come with a manual wrench that will allow you to turn the blades one way or another to wiggle a jam free. If you don’t have such a tool you can accomplish the same thing by sticking a broom handle down the drain and moving the grinding disc.
If this fails you will need to remove the unit from below the sink and open it up. This is a bit more advanced, but the disposal motor is held to the upper unit with a coupling ring. This should give you access to the hopper and the grinding area where you can remove any debris. Mine took a few good shakes before all the glass came out. Put the unit back together and viola!
Washing Machine Door Gasket Repair
Another common repair that you will run in to, especially if you have a front loading washer, is the need to replace the door seal or gasket. This piece of rubber keeps water from exiting the machine during use. It is unfortunately susceptible to tears.
- Start by unplugging the washer.
- Find the band that holds the gasket in place on the outside of the machine.
- Look to see if it has any sort of tensioning hardware that needs to be loosened. If it does, loosen it, if not, you can skip this step.
- Using a flat headed screw driver, carefully remove the clamp band.
- Find the inner clamp band and do the same thing on the inside of the machine. This band connects the gasket to the inner drum.
- Remove the old gasket.
- Place the new gasket in place and reposition the clamp bands, inside one first. If the band is difficult to maneuver, apply a small amount of fabric softener over the area to reduce the friction.
- Tighten any tensioning hardware.
Most homeowners can manage simple appliance repairs. A good tool kit, some research and a bit of elbow grease will keep your appliances running well for years to come.
This is an excerpt from the DIY Only ebook. Have you gotten your free copy yet?
{ 0 comments… add one now }