Self-Improvement: Fixing Faulty Household Appliances.

Last month, September, was the month when in reality not a lot happens, schools return and the countdown for Christmas begins. With many of us looking to tighten the belts after the summer holiday and ahead of the festive period, more time is being spent within the home resulting in the “to-do” lists of work which needs to be carried around the home increasing, with tasks such as fixing faulty household appliances making up a large proportion of the list.

Putting off such tasks may be the preferred choice for many of us, but following on from September being the official “self-improvement” month, we think that now is the perfect time to learn how to fix those broken household appliances yourself, improving your DIY skills and knowledge, at the same time as reducing your “to-do” list and saving money; that’s what we call a win-win-win situation.

To give you a helping hand at reducing the ever expanding, whilst building up your DIY knowledge at eSpares we’ve compiled a list of three of the common appliances faults you may be facing, along with advice on how to repair them in a quick, efficient and cost effective manner.

Loss of Suction in a Vacuum Cleaner:

With the children back at school, you may have taken an extra day off work to get your house in order; and part of this task will have been the vacuuming. Whilst for many of you this would not have been a problem; there will be a few whose vacuum didn’t want to play ball.

Chances are, if your vacuum wasn’t cleaning like you know it can is because it has lost suction. Thankfully, returning the suction back to your vacuum is an easy task, which in most cases can be done by simply emptying the vacuum and cleaning the filters in warm soapy water.

If after emptying the vacuum bag and cleaning the filters you vacuum still has a lack of suction, a likely cause is damage to the hose, which can either be a blockage or a tear / small hole. Both of these are simple to fix, for example a blockage within a vacuum hose can be cleared by gently poking a large stick which will dislodge any debris which has built up.

Oven Failing to Heat:

Over the last few days you may have noticed that your oven is failing to reach the correct temperature, meaning that your evening meals are taking longer to cook than before. From the outside this may seem like an experience fault to repair, or many of you may be of the belief that you’ll need to purchase a new cooker.

Thankfully, neither of these are true, as the fault is likely to lie with the element which can be easily replaced for less than £50.

To replace the element within your cooker you’ll need to remove the back panel, before removing the baffle plate holding the element in place. During this stage you’ll also need to disconnect the connectors and unscrew the earth wire, before fitting the new element.

For a more detailed step-by-step guide on how to fix the element within your cooker, watch our “How to Replace a Lower Oven Element” video.

Leaking Washing Machines:

Picture the scene, it’s Sunday morning, the coffee is brewing, toast is under the grill and you’ve loaded the washing machine up with the clothes you’ll need for the week; but as you turn the washing machine on water and bubbles leak onto the floor.

It’s not a pretty scene we know, but it is an all too common one and one which can cause a headache for many when it occurs. But the fault can be rectified quicker than you’d think by checking three key areas on your machine.

The first area to check is the detergent drawer to make sure that there are no cracks which water can leak through or that nothing is blocking the draw causing water to overflow. If there is damage to the detergent drawer you’ll need to replace it before you next use your machine.

If, however, the detergent drawer is intact, then the fault may lie with the washing machine door seal. Faults with a door seal are easy to spot and just as easy to be fixed, as the old seal can be pulled out of its grove, before adding the new one.

The third common area where the leak is likely to have come from, if it wasn’t from the detergent draw or the seal that the leak has occurred, then there may be a blockage in your washing machine filter or pump, causing it to overflow.

Thankfully, this is again another easy fix and could be as simple as the filter needing a clean; whilst cleaning the filter it’s also a good idea to check that no damage has been caused to the filter. Should your filter be ok, check the hose at the back of the machine to make sure that it’s threaded correctly and in top condition.

If any of these household appliance faults appear on your current to-do list, instead of putting them off for that rainy day, tackle them today and improve your DIY skills, at the same time saving yourself money in both the short and long-term.

Tags: Household Appliances, Oven Element, Vacuum Cleaner Bags, Washing Machine Spares