One of the biggest headaches that can come from being a homeowner is if your appliances fall into disrepair. That’s why, as part of your typical home improvement schedule, you should make sure that all of your major ones are repaired or replaced as necessarily. Some appliances can potentially last as long as your home is standing, whereas others might have a lifespan of only a few years of heavy use.
Five sets of appliances in particular that should be part of your home improvement schedule include washers and dryers, air conditioners, water heaters, sump pumps (if you have a basement), and humidifiers if you’re living in a dry climate.
Washers and Dryers
Servicing washers and dryers is typically something that a professional should do if there’s a problem with any part that you don’t completely understand. Obviously, you can do small things like make sure lint traps fit correctly and fittings are sealed, but for things like misaligned parts or internals leaks, those things should be handled by a certified technician. If you contact the store you bought the appliance from, or the brand owner, then they’ll point you in the right direction.
Air Conditioners
Again, when your air conditioner starts to malfunction, there are certain things that you can do, like make sure it’s aligned properly in your window, or cleaning up duct and sealing obvious holes, but for mechanical things like the compressor going bad, or maybe some sort of electrical glitch is happening, that’s when it’s time to call a pro. One thing to pay attention to is that since many air conditioners malfunction at the same time during hot seasons in certain areas, the quicker on the draw you are calling a technician, the better.
Water Heaters
When it comes to water heaters, one of the most common home improvement things you’ll have to do is flushing your water heater. When minerals or other sediment collect on the bottom of the tank, the heating element has to work harder, and you’ll hear a knocking sound when bubbles breakthrough. In these situations, you do not want to fix it yourself and end up in even more trouble. This is when you might want to contact a licensed plumber, like these guys found at Sharp Plumbing & Heating.
Sump Pumps
For people who have basements, you absolutely need to make sure that your sump pump is up to the task. Check that no parts are rusting and that everything is aligned, and also make sure that it’s easy to hook it up to a generator in case of a power outage, like in the case of a bad electrical storm.
Humidifiers
For people in dry climates, humidifiers are a necessity. But one thing about those particular appliances, is that if you don’t clean them regularly, mold can grow inside them pretty easily, and then the dispensing aspect of the machine will be putting gross water out into the environment instead of clean and fresh mist.
