Blog Posts

Fact: we see an increase in service calls for refrigerators, freezers and dryers on particularly hot days – and in Central Iowa, high temps and humidity are a staple of our summers. While your appliances are built to handle the fluctuations of temperatures, they must work harder to regulate the temperature they need to be at (cue the refrigerator hum). As Des Moines’ Appliance Repair Experts, we wanted to share a few tips on how to help your appliances keep their cool during these sweltering summer days.

Clean Your Refrigerator’s Condenser Coils:

Scenario: It’s a hot afternoon and you’ve promised your kids a Bomb Pop, so they are on their best behavior. You have a bottle of rosé chilling. Life is good… until you find your freezer has failed and your wine fridge isn’t getting as cold as it needs to.

Dust, dog hair and debris are attracted to your refrigerator’s condenser coils like a magnet. The coils are what keep refrigerant flowing. If they become coated with dirt, your refrigerator will struggle to work and will eventually fail. Dirty coils build up heat and combined with a hot day can cause the unit to stop working entirely, leaving you to clean up spoiled food. And yes, even wine fridges have condenser coils.

Clean Your Dryer Vent:

Scenario: It’s the soccer camp’s championship tournament tomorrow, and you’re washing your kid’s uniform for the umpteenth time. But after your normal drying cycle, the uniform is still damp and your laundry room is unbearably hot.

Longer drying times are a sign of a clogged dryer vent. When you’re left with damp clothes after a lengthy drying cycle, it could indicate the air is trapped, keeping your clothes hot and moist. While this is not only inconvenient, it also poses a serious safety risk. If the temperature in your laundry room starts to get as hot as the summer temperature outside, stop using your dryer immediately. A clogged vent prevents heat from escaping your dryer, building up in your laundry room. That is a sure sign that your dryer vent needs to be clean. Lint is extremely flammable, and the heat from your dryer could cause the lint to combust, catching your dryer and parts of your home on fire.

Don’t Let Appliance Issues Go on Too Long:

Hot summer days are hard enough on your appliances. If you’re having a problem with an appliance, it’s most likely a symptom of a larger issue. Running multiple drying or dishwashing cycles will make your appliance exert more power and energy to get the result you want (along with working in overdrive with its malfunction). Call us to get in our schedule before your issue becomes beyond repair.

To schedule your condenser cleaning, dryer vent cleaning, or appliance repair, contact us today!

In today’s fast-paced digital age, it’s easy to succumb to the allure of new technology and the ease of upgrading your appliances at the click of a button. However, there’s something to be said about the value of repairing and maintaining your existing household appliances. In this blog post, we’ll explore two compelling reasons why choosing to repair your old appliance can be the more environmentally conscious and practical choice.

The Pitfalls of New High-Efficiency Models

New high-efficiency appliances are often marketed as more eco-friendly and cost-effective options. While they may use less water and energy, there’s a hidden trade-off that’s not always evident upfront. These models, particularly in the case of washing machines and dishwashers, sometimes struggle to achieve the same level of cleanliness as their older counterparts.

Inadequate Cleaning

Despite their water-saving capabilities, high-efficiency appliances may not always deliver the desired results. Many users report that their clothes or dishes often come out less clean or even require additional cycles to achieve satisfactory cleanliness. This can be frustrating and counterproductive, leading to wasted time, energy, and water.

Multiple Cycles Waste Water

Ironically, the need for extra cycles to compensate for the lack of cleanliness in high-efficiency models can contribute to water wastage. Running multiple cycles not only consumes more energy but also increases water usage. In certain cases, the supposed water-saving benefits of new appliances may be outweighed by the need for additional cycles, making them less environmentally friendly than initially claimed.

The Environmental Impact of Discarded Appliances

The alarming rise of electronic waste is a pressing concern that we should all take seriously. By choosing to repair your old appliances instead of replacing them, you actively contribute to reducing the strain on our environment.

Filling up Landfills

Appliances that are deemed irreparable or are simply discarded in favor of newer models end up in landfills, occupying valuable space and posing environmental risks. These appliances often contain various components and materials, such as metals, plastics, and chemicals, which can be harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly.

Resource Consumption

The production of new appliances requires significant amounts of natural resources, energy, and water. By repairing and extending the lifespan of our existing appliances, we reduce the demand for new manufacturing, thus conserving resources and minimizing our carbon footprint.

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, repairing our old appliances emerges as a responsible and practical choice. While new high-efficiency models promise water and energy savings, their subpar cleaning performance and the need for multiple cycles often negate these benefits. Moreover, opting for repairs instead of replacements helps combat the growing problem of electronic waste and reduces the strain on our environment. By embracing the practice of repair, we can contribute to a more sustainable future while also saving money and preserving the functionality of our beloved appliances. So, the next time your dishwasher or washing machine acts up, consider the greener choice and give it a chance to be fixed. Schedule your repair today!

During the summer, your appliances work extra hard to regulate the ideal temperature it needs to do its job (like keeping your food cold or drying your clothes). As the weather warms up, now is the time to make sure your appliances can handle the heat!

Is the heat getting the best of your appliances? Here are a couple of key indicators:

1. Water leaking inside of your fridge:
    
   If there is water underneath your crisper drawer, your freezer’s defrost drain may be clogged. This water can contaminate your food and can lead to possible water leakage on your floor. Contact a Westside Appliance Repair technician to unclog this drain.
   
 
2. Flakes in your ice:
    
   Specks and flakes in your ice cubes is an indicator that you need to change your refrigerator’s water filter. Black flakes in your ice could indicate your ice maker itself is chipping into the ice.
   
 
3. Clothes that are still wet after a full dryer cycle:
    
   A common sign that your dryer is on its last leg is that the clothes are still significantly wet after being run in the dryer. Often, the dryer will work properly during the first 30 minutes of the dry cycle, but will then fail to continue heating throughout the rest of the cycle.
    
   Lint and debris caught in your dryer vent could also be trapping in moisture and preventing your clothes from fully drying. If your dryer is not currently performing its best, schedule your annual dryer vent cleaning today!
   
 
4. Your refrigerator is warm:
    
   There’s nothing worse than opening your fridge on a hot day to find warm, spoiled food. This can happen even if the attached freezer unit is still working properly. Getting this problem fixed right away is the only way to prevent the spoiling of perishable items.

Westside can provide timely repairs for these problems and more! We have the largest number of appliance technicians in Central Iowa, so we can get your repair done faster. We also have the most experienced appliance technicians in the Des Moines metro.

Our factory-trained appliance technicians are background and drug checked. You can trust that the Westside Appliance Repair technician you let into your home upholds the high values of excellence and respect that our company has embodied for over 75 years. Give us a call or use our online scheduler to schedule your repair today!

When you rely on your dishwasher to do a lot of the heavy cleaning in your kitchen, it’s easy to forget that it too can get dirty! Dirty dishwashers not only lead to poor cleaning efficiency (like your dishes still being dirty after a cycle), but it also impacts the lifespan of your appliance, making it work harder to do what it was built to do and causing additional stress and damage to your machine.

Here are three tips to keep your dishwasher performing its best from the appliance repair and maintenance experts at Westside Appliance Repair:

Are you using the right dishwasher detergent?

If you are only using a gel detergent or a powder detergent, your dishwasher may be missing out on the mix of enzymes its needs to kill off all the bacteria from your food. Dishwasher pods provide a pre-measured tablet of a mixture of cleaning solutions to give your dinnerware the best of both worlds. For a well-rounded clean without streaks or lingering residue, specifically Finish Quantum Ultimate Clean and Shine.

There are some environmentally friendly dishwasher pod brands, however while they may be cleaner for the environment, they are not cleaner for your dishes. Overall, today’s detergents are better for the earth than they were in the past due to a 2010 law that eliminated phosphates as an ingredient. However, specific plant-based dishwasher detergent will not give your dishes the overall shine and optimal cleaning power that you’ll find in other detergents.

Are you using a rinse aid?

Spots of hard water stains on your dishes and glassware make it hard to feel like your newly washed dishes are clean. Using a rinse aid will assist in the drying process by reducing the water tension in your dishwasher so that it will sheen off of both your dishes and your dishwasher’s water tank. A rinse aid also helps your dishes dry faster, so you can shorten your dishwasher’s heat cycle to save energy.

Plastic items such as cups may still be damp when it is time to unload the dishwasher. Plastic does not hold the same amount of heat as stoneware or glass to cause the water to evaporate off them.

Do you clean your filters monthly?

To clean your filter, remove the bottom rack of your dishwasher and remove the cylindrical tube that twist-locks in place on the floor of your unit – that is your filter. It is a catch basin for all the larger food particles that are stuck to your dirty dishes. Some dishwashers have self-cleaning filters, or “hard food disposers” which work like a garbage disposal to help the larger food residue wash down the drain. These filters require less maintenance.

Manual filters and build up over time, leaving your dishes dirty with stray bits of food left behind or an unpleasant odor on your dishes or your machine. Luckily, manual filters are very easy to remove and clean. Once you remove the filter from your dishwasher, hand-wash it thoroughly in warm, soapy water, using a sponge or an old toothbrush to remove stubborn pieces of food. Place the filter back in place, locking it to secure.

If you are experiencing other dishwasher issues, don’t hesitate to call the experts at Westside Appliance Repair at 515-276-8899 or schedule your repair online.