Appliance Repair Guides

A front-load washer keeps its door locked while there's water in the drum, while the drum is still turning, or while the inside is hot, so a door that won't open usually means the washer hasn't drained.

The drain pump filter sits behind a small door or panel at the bottom front of most front-load washers.

To level a washer, set a bubble level on the lid, adjust the front feet until it reads level side to side and front to back, then tighten the lock nut on each foot against the cabinet.

Whirlpool and GE both recommend replacing washer fill hoses every 5 years, sooner if you see bulges, cracks or drips at the couplings.

Most washer leaks come from a fill hose with a worn or missing rubber washer, a drain hose that has slipped out of the standpipe, or, on front-loaders, debris caught in the door boot.

On a new or recently moved front-loader, violent shaking usually means the shipping bolts are still in the back panel.

That musty smell comes from mold and bacteria feeding on detergent and fabric softener residue in damp spots: the front-load door gasket, the dispenser, the drain pump filter and the outer tub.

Most washers that won't drain have a kinked drain hose, a pump filter packed with lint and small objects, or too many suds from the wrong detergent.

A washer that won't spin is usually reacting to an unbalanced load, a low or no-spin setting, too many suds or water it can't drain.

A washer that won't start usually has one of three simple problems: the control lock is on, the door or lid isn't fully latched, or the Start button wasn't held long enough (Whirlpool says up to 3 seconds on many models).

A high squeal from the bottom of the dryer is usually the idler pulley, a steady thump is often a flat-spotted drum roller or a worn belt, and grinding at the front points to worn drum glides or felt seal.

Start with the free checks: a no-heat cycle such as Air Fluff, a tripped half of the 240-volt breaker on electric dryers, or a closed gas valve on gas models.

When a dryer still heats but needs two cycles to finish a load, look at the exhaust vent first: lint buildup, a crushed duct behind the machine or a run that's too long are the usual reasons.

Most dryers that won't start have a door that isn't fully latched, a start button that wasn't held for 2 to 5 seconds, a control lock that's on, or a tripped breaker.

If the motor runs but the drum doesn't turn, or the drum spins with no resistance by hand, the belt has almost certainly broken or slipped off the idler pulley.

Leaks out the front of the door usually come from the wrong detergent (dish soap makes suds that push past the seal), a torn or dirty door gasket, or a dish blocking the door.

Dirty dishes usually trace back to a clogged filter, spray arm holes plugged with debris, water that isn't hot enough, or loading that blocks the spray.

A clogged filter, a garbage disposer that needs clearing (or a new one with its knockout plug still in), a blocked air gap or a kinked drain hose cause most drain problems.

An empty rinse aid dispenser is the most common reason dishes come out wet, followed by a dry setting that uses no heat.

A dirty filter is behind most dishwasher smells: food and grease rot in the mesh at the bottom of the tub.

When a dishwasher won't start, the door usually isn't latched, the control lock is on, or a delay start timer is counting down.

The filter sits in the floor of the tub under the bottom spray arm.

Frost in a freezer comes from humid room air getting in, most often through a door that isn't closing all the way or a gasket that no longer seals.

Most refrigerator water filters twist or push out in under a minute, and Whirlpool, Samsung and LG all say to replace them about every six months.

Unplug the fridge, find the coils (behind the bottom grille, on the back, or up top on some built-ins), then loosen the dust with a long coil brush and vacuum it out.

An ice maker that stops making ice is usually switched off, blocked by a full or misplaced bucket, short of water because of a clogged filter or closed valve, or sitting in a freezer that isn't cold enough.

A clogged or frozen defrost drain is the most common reason a fridge leaks.

Most refrigerator noises are normal: gurgling refrigerant, popping walls, clicking relays and a steady hum from the compressor and fans.

Most warm fridges come down to a control that got bumped, cooling switched off, dusty condenser coils or blocked air vents.

A dead water dispenser is most often a control lock that got switched on, a new filter that isn't fully locked in, or a filter that's overdue and clogged.

Warm air from an AC is most often a wrong mode setting, clogged indoor filters, or an outdoor unit that has lost power or stopped.

An AC that freezes up almost always has too little air moving across the indoor coil, and a clogged filter is the first suspect.

An indoor AC unit that drips is usually dealing with condensate that can't drain away: a clogged drain line, a coil that froze because the filters are dirty, or a unit or drain hose that isn't sloped correctly.

A heat pump that seems to stop heating is often just in its defrost cycle, which Trane says usually lasts 3 to 5 minutes and can send cool air or steam out of the outdoor unit.

Switch the unit off, lift the front panel, slide out the mesh filters, vacuum or wash them in lukewarm water with mild detergent, and let them dry completely in the shade before you put them back.

The model number is on a sticker or metal plate, usually just inside the door or lid: around the door opening on front-load washers and dryers, on the tub frame or door edge of a dishwasher, and on an inside wall of a refrigerator.

A reset means cutting power long enough for the control board to fully shut down, usually 1 to 5 minutes at the plug or breaker, then turning it back on.

Repair is usually worth it when the appliance is well short of its typical lifespan and the fix costs less than half the price of a comparable new one, a rule of thumb Consumer Reports gave for years.