Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers descend on the shops in the hope of picking up a bargain. But why go and join the frenzy of sale shopping, when for an even greater saving, you could repair your appliance.

To help you save money we’ve compiled a brief guide on how you can fix the common faults you’re likely to find with those household appliances which are used on a regular basis.

Vacuum Cleaner:

On a weekly basis the vacuum cleaner is used to help keep our homes looking neat and tidy. Regular use of the vacuum cleaner combined with the pressures it faces to collect various dirt and debris can result in a number of faults occurring.

One of the most common faults is a lack of suction, which is often caused by one of four reasons:

1. Bags – if these are too full, split or damaged they’ll reduce the suction. Ideally your vacuum bag should be replaced when it is three quarters full.
2. Filters – although only a small component, filters play a big part in your vacuums performance. If your filters are clogged up they’ll significantly reduce the vacuums suction. Clean your vacuum filters regularly.
3. Blockages – these can occur in various sections of your vacuum. If you’ve got a blockage, switch the vacuum off, locate the blockage and clear it.
4. Motor – if everything else on your vacuum is working correctly, the lack of suction could lie with the motor. Replacing the motor is not necessarily an easy task, but it is certainly do-able, whatever DIY level you’re at, if you follow our helpful “How To” videos.

Cooker:

Your cooker could be considered to be the most important appliance within your home; but this doesn’t prevent it from gaining faults.

Faults with your oven can range from the light bulb within it no longer working, through to the door seal becoming worn or damaged enabling heat to escape from the appliance and therefore hindering the performance of your cooker.

These two faults are relatively straightforward to fix, and we’ve provided easy-to-follow guides within our advice centre.

Another fault you may face with your cooker is a faulty lower element.

From the outside this may sound like a difficult task, but replacing the lower element within your oven can be done for little cost, by following the advice and guidance outlined within our “How to Replace a Lower Oven Element” advice centre article.

Washing Machine:

Whatever the weather, the washing machine will be used on a regular basis which increases the risk of faults occurring. Two of the most common faults which you’re likely to find with your washing machine are:

1) A leaking machine

2) A smelly machine

Curing a smelly washing machine is as easy as giving the appliance a thorough clean, as outlined in our “How to Cure a Smelly Washing Machine” advice centre article. Fixing a leaking washing machine is likely to take longer than curing a smelly washing machine, but it will be cheaper than purchasing a new appliance – and the first step is to locate where the leak is coming from.

Three of the common areas leaks occur from include:

1) Detergent Drawer

2) Door Seal

3) Hose

It’s recommended to check each of these components individually, starting with the detergent drawer to make sure that there are no cracks or other visible signs of damage. If everything looks ok with your detergent drawer, turn your attention to the door seal.

Over time, this can become worn and damaged. Some damage can be spotted just by having a quick glance at the seal. If however, you cannot see any visible signs of damage give the seal a closer inspection.

Again, if the seal looks ok or if the leak appears to come from behind the appliance, then we recommend having a look at the hose. Not only should you check the hose is correctly threaded but you should also check the hose for any holes or splits.

Carrying out these simple repairs on your household appliances, combined with regular maintenance and cleaning will help to save you money in both the short and long term. It’ll also enable appliances to work at their optimum performance for longer.

Tags: Appliance Spares, Black Friday