Rather than purchasing brand new appliances, especially when you plan to sell a home, consider an appliance repair project instead. Repairing appliances can be tedious to accomplish on your own, and may require the help of a professional. A repair project will benefit your home’s value as new homeowners will likely prefer different appliances or will replace those that are slightly outdated for more energy efficient models. Certain repairs can be completed yourself, with a bit of instruction, while more involved repairs require professionals. Whether you decide to DIY your dishwasher repair or call a repairman to fix your clothes dryer, better understand the repair projects you can do on your own, and when it’s in your best interest to hire a professional.

Simple DIY appliance repairs

Some appliance repairs are rather simple. For instance, a microwave light bulb can be repaired by yourself and would be unnecessary to contact a professional’s help. Other repair projects, such as replacing thermostats in refrigerators, changing stove and oven elements, or replacing water line hoses in your refrigerator or dishwasher can be DIY repairs. When deciding if you can take on a specific appliance repair project, consider the scope of the project from the materials needed, amount of time you have to complete the project, and your level of acquired skill pertaining to the appliance. A DIY repair can be simple in that it saves you money of hiring a professional and costs of labor, but if you do not have the necessary tools and knowledge to complete the repair, you may end up hurting your home in the process.

Decide whether your appliance is an easy fix-it repair project or under warranty and can be replaced or taken into your local department store. If neither are a possibility, look in to hiring a repair technician to solve your appliance issues for you.

When to hire an appliance repair professional

There are many cases where a professional such as a repairman, handyman, or technician should be hired for fixing or updating appliances. For instance, repairing gas lines for clothes dryers or stoves should be completed by an expert. For your safety, an experienced professional should perform specific repairs, such as a leak or loose connection, which can emit toxic fumes into a home causing illness or even death.

Other repairs that should be completed by a professional include:

  • Balancing a clothes washer
  • Replacing a refrigerator compressor
  • Replacing fuses in any appliance that requires it to be disassembled
  • Replacing electrical cords
  • Rewiring appliances

All projects require a specific set of tools and appliance knowledge. With appliances there are a lot of wires, connections, and circuits within them. The technology used in newer appliances requires the repair-person to be educated with a specific brand and model to complete the operation appropriately. If you find that your repair may include wiring or electric work outside your skill set, consider hiring a professional to ensure safety and protection of your home.

Advantages of hiring a professional

Hiring a professional will add longevity to a failing project. While it may only be temporary, the cost of some repairs is less expensive than even purchasing used appliances. A skilled technician or repairman will assure that the appliance is safe to use again and that it will function properly, even if it’s temporary. Other advantages that go along with hiring a professional for your repair project is that typically a handyman or repairman will continue to service you and your home after the repair is complete. Meaning, most handymen are skilled in multiple areas of home improvement, so if you find a professional you especially like, you can consult the same professional to come back for other repairs in the future. A professional will help you keep your appliance repair on schedule, stick to your desired budget, and work with you in a business partnership to accomplish the goal of improving or repairing your home.

Disadvantages of hiring a professional

The cost of hiring a professional to complete appliance repairs can at times be more than the product is worth. This is where you must decide whether to perform a repair, or find an affordable used option. The repair technician may not be able to fix a failing appliance, especially if it is decades old and some parts may no longer be available to purchase. The decision for you, as the homeowner, is whether to spend on fixing appliances or to replace them with a new or used product. Once older appliances start failing, it becomes a cycle and other systems start to whither. Appliances can be finicky too by periodically malfunctioning without warning. Completing repairs may buy you some time to save money for replacements, but ultimately, consider a repair as a temporary fix.

Before you decide whether to DIY any of your appliance repairs or to hire a professional, it’s important to understand what you want to accomplish with your repair project, how much money you are looking to spend on costs, and the amount of effort you are realistically willing to put into the project. If you have planned your repair and realized it is out of your skilled range, find a professional on Porch to help solve your appliance repair project.

 

Top Image Credit: Hopedale Builders, Inc