c/appliance-repairers

Walked through a laundromat yesterday and noticed something off about every single dryer

I stopped into a laundromat on 3rd Street to drop off a flyer and I couldn't help myself. Every dryer had a clogged lint trap or a broken vent boot. I counted 8 out of 12 units running way hotter than they should. The owner said he hasn't had them serviced in over 2 years. It just got me thinking how many of these places are ticking fire hazards and nobody calls anyone. Has anyone else ever walked into a random place and spotted obvious appliance problems right away?

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paul346•2d ago

Debate: should we fix it or talk the customer into a new unit?

I had a guy in Austin last month with a 12 year old fridge that just needed a $40 start relay. He wanted it fixed, but his wife was dead set on buying a new one because the ice maker was acting up too. Do you push for the repair to save them money or let them upgrade and take the bigger job?

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danielhenderson•2d ago

I think the whole 'always use OEM parts' thing is overblown

Been fixing washers and dryers out of my garage for about 5 years now. Started off buying only factory parts because everyone in the forums said aftermarket stuff will fail in 6 months. But I had a customer in Bakersfield who couldn't wait 2 weeks for a OEM dryer belt, so I grabbed a $8 universal one from the local supply house. That was 3 years ago and that belt is still running fine on her machine. I've probably put in 40+ aftermarket parts since then and maybe 2 failed early. Meanwhile I'm seeing OEM control boards die after 2 years on brand new Samsung units. Anyone else finding the quality gap between OEM and aftermarket is way smaller than it used to be?

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davis.noah•3d ago

That one customer who watched me fix their dryer for 45 minutes straight

I had a call last Tuesday in Phoenix where a lady's dryer wasn't heating up. I found the thermal fuse was blown and a clogged vent hose. She stood right there in the laundry room the whole time, asking questions like "what's that part do?" and "is this normal?" Her husband came in twice and she shooed him away both times. When I finished and the heat kicked on, she actually clapped and said "you're the first repair guy who explained everything." She tipped me $40 on top of the service fee. Has anyone else had a customer who just really wanted to watch the whole process?

3 comments

danielhenderson•4d ago

Client back in 2019 told me my fridge repairs were too clean

Guy in Cleveland said I spent way too much time making the inside of his fridge look nice after swapping a compressor. Told me just fix the damn thing and move on. At first I thought he was just being rude but honestly he had a point. I was spending 20+ minutes wiping down shelves and organizing stuff that wasn't part of the job. Now I just do a quick wipe and get to the next call. Anyone else had a customer call them out on something like that?

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jake_owens•4d ago

Old commercial fridge guy in Detroit set me straight about capacitor bleed resistors last Tuesday

He said ignoring them is why I fried two compressors this spring, and now I'm wondering how many other jobs I've half-done because I was in too much of a hurry - has anyone else had a quick safety step save them a headache later?

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caseym48•5d ago

Old timer told me to check the damn door seal first

Had a 3 year old Whirlpool fridge that wasn't cooling right. Spent two hours checking the compressor, coils, fan. Replaced a relay for nothing. Then my buddy's dad who's been doing this since the 80s said 'kid, look at the door gasket.' Sure enough there was a tiny tear near the bottom. Taped it up and it cooled fine. Felt like an idiot. Anyone else skip the simple stuff and go straight for the hard fix?

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margaret99•5d ago

Customer complaint about a loud fridge made me check condenser fans first

Last month a lady called me out to her house in Phoenix because her fridge was making a racket. I was ready to dive into the compressor or evap fan, but she mentioned it only happened after 3 pm when the sun hit that side of the house. Turned out the condenser fan blade was warped from heat exposure and just needed a $12 replacement. Now I always ask about timing and sun exposure before opening anything up. Has anyone else found simple questions like that save you a ton of time?

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norag66•8d ago

Customer watched me fix his washer and then tried to haggle the price down

I was at a house in Arlington last Tuesday replacing a lid switch on an old Whirlpool. The guy stood right over my shoulder the whole time, asking questions and telling me how his brother-in-law could probably do it. When I finished and handed him the $85 bill, he asked for a discount because I only used one screwdriver. I mean, seriously, has anyone else had a customer try to talk you down after watching you do the work?

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julia_patel•8d ago

Pro tip: Use a simple leveling trick I picked up at a salvage yard

I was at a salvage yard in Akron last spring digging through old washer parts when an old timer showed me something. He was pulling a washing machine out of a pile and checked the level with a 4-foot bubble level he kept in his back pocket. He said most service calls for shaking machines are just bad leveling and people overthink it. I started carrying a short level on every job since then and it saves me about 10 minutes per call. Now before I even open a machine I check the floor with that level first. Has anyone else found a better way to level machines on uneven basement floors?

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kai914•9d ago

Caught a mouse living inside a dryer last Tuesday

Was out on a call for a noisy Samsung dryer in a house off Elm Street. Pulled the front panel off and a mouse jumped out at me, almost landed on my face. Little guy had made a nest out of lint and chewed through the heater wiring. Took me like an hour to clean all that out and replace the parts. Anyone else ever have animals make a home inside an appliance?

2 comments

leo612•9d ago

That $60 dishwasher drain hose kit was a total waste...

Bought one of those fancy braided stainless drain hose kits for a Samsung install last week. Figured it would be tough and last forever. Nope. Kinked on the first bend behind the unit, water wouldn't flow, and the pump just hummed. Had to cut it out and use a plain rubber hose I had in the truck. Cost me an extra hour on the job and the customer watched me mess with it. Anyone else fall for those 'upgrade' parts that just cause headaches?

3 comments

hart.cora•10d ago

Had a week where I fixed 3 dryers in a row and then got screamed at by a lady over a $15 part

Last Tuesday through Thursday, I did three dryer repairs. Two were just bad heating elements, one was a belt. Easy money, all paid same day. Then Friday I get a call about a fridge ice maker. Get there, it's a $15 water valve and the lady tells me I'm trying to rip her off because she saw the valve online for $11. She wouldn't let me do the work. So I packed up and left. Question for you all: do you charge more for the part than retail price or do you just eat the shipping cost and let them know?

2 comments

terrybennett•13d ago

Worst repair day I've had in years - a washing machine flooded a basement in Denver

Got a call last Tuesday for a washing machine that wouldn't drain. Got there, found a clogged pump filter, cleaned it out, and water started pouring from a hidden crack in the hose I didn't see. Flooded the whole basement before I could shut the water off. Customer was mad, I felt awful, and it cost me $200 to replace the hose and dry out the floor. Anyone else ever had a simple fix turn into a disaster like that?

2 comments

faithwalker•15d ago

Wasted $75 on a cheap multimeter from Harbor Freight

I figured I'd save a few bucks and grabbed one of those $15 meters for my appliance calls. It gave me false readings on a fridge compressor last Tuesday and I spent 3 hours chasing a ghost problem. Anyone else had bad luck with budget testers messing up your diagnostics?

3 comments

julia_carter70•17d ago

Wasted $120 on a used washer dryer from Facebook Marketplace last month

I thought I was being smart saving money buying from a guy in Smyrna. He said both units worked perfect, just needed a new home. Got them home and the dryer wouldn't heat at all, just spun cold air. The washer leaked from underneath after three loads, made a huge puddle on my basement floor. I spent six hours taking them apart trying to fix things, found a cracked drum pulley and a melted heating element. Ended up paying a scrapper $40 to haul them away, so I lost $160 total. Has anyone else had luck buying used appliances or is it always a gamble?

2 comments

norag66•18d ago

Always thought belt tension gauges were a waste of money in our line of work

I was fixing a washing machine for a customer in Des Moines last Tuesday and just guessed the tension on the drive belt like I've done for 20 years. Machine was fine for a day then started slipping again, had to go back and redo it with a gauge I borrowed from a neighbor. Has anyone else had a similar experience where they finally caved on a tool they dismissed for ages?

2 comments

terry_wood51•20d ago

Talked to a dishwasher repair vet at a diner that shook me up

I was eating breakfast before a call last Thursday, and this older guy next to me overheard me griping about a job. He said he's been fixing appliances for 40 years and told me he stopped using OEM parts for most repairs 5 years ago after getting burned too many times. Has anyone else had luck going with generic parts over the real deal?

2 comments

jordan_young•20d ago

Spent 45 minutes diagnosing a Samsung fridge error code that turned out to be a dead spider

Was at a job in Brooklyn last Thursday. Fridge was flashing a 22E error on the display. Pulled the main board, checked all the voltages, traced the thermistor circuit, the whole deal. After all that I found a tiny spider carcass shorting two pins on the connector. Cleaned it off and the code cleared. Felt like an idiot but also kinda proud I found it. Anyone else ever chase a ghost like that only to find something dumb?

2 comments

margaret_jackson73•21d ago

Overheard a tech say he never uses torque specs

Was at a supply house in Denver yesterday. Some guy bragging about how he just tightens until it feels right. On compressors, that's asking for a snapped bolt or a leaky head gasket. I torqued a Copeland scroll last week to spec, no comeback. Anyone else run into issues from guessing instead of using a torque wrench?

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caleb_stone•21d ago

Can we talk about how long I wasted using a multimeter wrong?

For like 3 years I was testing continuity on dryer thermostats with the power still connected. Got shocked twice before a buddy at a shop in Denver asked why I didn't pull the plug first. Felt like a total idiot. Anyone else learn basic stuff way later than they should have?

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amy154•23d ago

Pulled a working washer motor from a 1992 Maytag last Tuesday

Customer was gonna toss it for a new machine, but that old motor still hummed like new. Has anyone else noticed how those 90s models just don't die like the modern stuff?

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piper_reed•25d ago

Figured out a trick for sticky GE fridge ice makers using a heat gun on the mold

After 3 failed attempts with the normal defrost cycle, I zapped the ice cube mold with my heat gun on low for 10 seconds and it popped right free, has anyone else tried this instead of replacing the whole assembly?

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the_piper•26d ago

Had to pick between replacing a control board or just the relay on a dryer last Tuesday

Got a call about a Samsung dryer that wouldn't heat. Customer said it just stopped one day. I pulled the back panel and saw the relay on the main board was clearly fried, but the board itself looked fine otherwise. Decided to swap just the $8 relay instead of the whole $120 board. Fired it up and it ran perfect through two cycles. Anyone else ever risk a component level repair on a board that should be swapped whole?

3 comments

daniel857•26d ago

Stop throwing new compressors at every no-cool call

I keep seeing guys swap a compressor on a fridge that's just got a bad start relay or a dirty condenser coil. Last week I fixed a Whirlpool that had three previous techs replace parts they didn't test. Stick a meter on it first or you're just guessing.

3 comments