Dealing with Dishwasher Issues: A Comprehensive Guide

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by randum_admin

Dishwashers have gained in popularity in UK homes as they have come to be seen as a household “standard”, rather than machines purely for the wealthy. Whereas only around 18% of UK households owned a dishwasher in 1994, by 2018, approximately half (49%) of them did.

However, if you have owned a dishwasher, you are likely to have encountered at least one or two problems with it. So, you might appreciate knowing about some of the most frequent dishwasher issues, and how to fix them.

With that in mind, our experts in residential and commercial property maintenance and repairs at Essential Repairs have set out the essentials of troubleshooting dishwasher issues. In addition, we have explained the preventive steps you can take to help avoid such problems occurring in the first place.

Common Dishwasher Problems

There’s a good chance that you have come across one or more of these common issues with dishwashers:

Dishwasher Not Draining

Sometimes, a dishwasher may fail to drain properly. This can have any of a range of causes.

The dishwasher’s drain may have become clogged with food particles or other debris. Or maybe the dishwasher’s pump – which serves the purpose of transitioning water through the system and out of the drain – has malfunctioned?

Broken or clogged hoses can also cause drainage issues, with water backing up in the system.

Dishwasher Not Cleaning Properly

Of course, as a homeowner, property manager, or tenant, you invested in a dishwasher so that it would clean your dishes. So, if your dishes are evidently still dirty, you should be alert to several potential causes.

You should check, for example, whether your dishwasher is running through its entire cycle – because if it isn’t, a mechanical fault is probably the cause. If, on the other hand, the dishwasher is completing its cycle, you should check whether the detergent cup is releasing the detergent properly.

An overly low water temperature is another possible cause of a dishwasher failing to wash dishes adequately, so you might need to change the setting.

Dishwasher Making Unusual Noises

Also prominent among the most frequent dishwasher issues, is the appliance producing harsher and louder background noise than usual. By scrutinising the exact sound your dishwasher makes, you can begin narrowing down the possible causes.

If the noise is a high-pitched squeal, this might indicate a problem with the seals or bearings. Alternatively, if you’re hearing more of a loud rattling or grinding, this may signal an issue with the spray arms, pump, or door latch.

A dishwasher making humming noises, meanwhile, can often be attributed to troubles with the motor.

Dishwasher Leaking Water

Many of us have had that heart-sinking feeling of seeing a puddle of water on the floor close to the dishwasher; this might indicate a faulty drain pump or a drain hose blockage.

Troubleshooting And Diagnosis

So, you now know some of the most frequent dishwasher issues; here’s how to diagnose and troubleshoot them. Before you carry out any of these checks on your dishwasher, it is crucial to make sure the device is switched off at the mains.

How To Check for Blockages

A blocked filter is a classic cause of a dishwasher failing to drain. The filter is situated at the bottom of a dishwasher, and you should be able to easily pull or twist it out. When you do, clean it by running it under a tap, then put it back into the machine.

Alternatively, a blockage may be caused by the water hose at the back of the dishwasher having been kinked or squashed. So, be sure to inspect this if cleaning and replacing the filter doesn’t work.

Inspecting The Spray Arms

The spray arms are located at the bottom of the dishwasher baskets. You can check them by simply removing them and looking for any blockage or damage.
If the spray arms are dirty, be sure to clean them with warm, soapy water. Any blockages, meanwhile, can be removed by a needle. Damage to a spray arm – such as cracks or missing pieces – will necessitate it being replaced.

Examining The Door Seal

If the spray arms don’t seem to be the cause of your dishwasher issues, a logical next step is to check the upper seal that goes around the top and side of the door. The upper seal may have perished, or there might be dirt and grime clogging it up, which could be preventing the proper closure of the door.

Don’t forget to look at the lower door seal, too. If this is leaking, the removal of the door will be necessary. That’s a task you will probably need to entrust to professionals, such as our providers of West London repairs and maintenance services at Essential Repairs.

DIY Fixes for Common Issues

Not all common issues with dishwashers necessitate the homeowner, property manager, or tenant reaching out to experts such as ours:

Clearing A Blocked Drain

Inspecting your dishwasher’s drain will enable you to identify – and remove – any debris or food particles that may be obstructing it.

Replacing A Faulty Seal

If you need to replace your dishwasher’s upper door seal, it’s relatively straightforward to pull out the existing seal and push in a new one.

To ensure you acquire the appropriate replacement seal, make a note of your dishwasher’s model number, which should be visible on the inside of the door. You should then be able to order the right replacement part from the dishwasher manufacturer or a trustworthy online retailer.

Cleaning The Filter and Spray Arms

Your dishwasher’s manual should provide specific instructions on how to clean the filter and spray arms. It’s generally a case of simply removing these parts and soaking them in warm, soapy water.

Make sure you also know how to correctly put these components back in once you’ve cleaned them. When you replace spray arms back in the machine, you should ensure they are able to spin properly when the dishwasher is fully loaded.

When To Call a Professional

When you are troubleshooting dishwasher issues, it might not be immediately obvious when it’s best to simply get a professional on the phone. So, bear these principles in mind:

Identifying Major Repairs

If the DIY methods above haven’t resolved the problem with your dishwasher, or you keep on having leaks, complex mechanical issues, or electrical problems even after seemingly “fixing” your appliance, this indicates a bigger repair is probably needed.

There isn’t any point taking unnecessary risks when it comes to such specialised work. Reach out to our own renowned providers of local plumbing and gas services at Essential Repairs, by calling 020 3813 1038.

Safety Concerns with DIY Repairs

In situations where substantial repair work is needed, it is best to err on the side of caution.

Not everyone who attempts a DIY dishwasher repair, after all, will be sufficiently mindful of basic safety measures, such as the importance of ensuring the appliance is disconnected from the power supply before work begins.

Dishwashers combine water with electricity, which can be an extremely dangerous blend. So, we would strongly urge you not to take avoidable risks.

Choosing A Reliable Repair Service

It isn’t as difficult as you might think to find a reputable provider of dishwasher repair services.

A good “rule of thumb” is to look carefully at what actual past customers of a given company have said. At Essential Repairs, we have an “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot at the time of typing, with 89% of reviewers having given us a maximum five-stars-out-of-five rating.

Preventive Maintenance Tips

Establishing a routine of checking and cleaning your appliance over time can help prevent many common dishwasher issues:

Regular Cleaning and Upkeep

We touched on the cleaning of filters and drains above; you should make it a habit to keep on with this same cleaning process once a month. Such regular checking and cleaning can help avoid future mechanical failures.

As soon as you notice any potential issues – even “small” ones – arrange to repair them immediately, before they deteriorate into a bigger problem. This will be key to extending the lifespan of your machine.

Best Practices for Loading Your Dishwasher

You should be careful to only load your dishwasher according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. You mustn’t overload it or use excessive detergent.

Also avoid putting non-dishwasher-friendly items in the appliance. Any sharp knives, delicate items, or wooden utensils should only ever be handwashed. If you’re unsure whether certain items would be safe for your dishwasher, look at the labels and manufacturer instructions on these products.

Using The Right Detergent

All dishwasher detergents available today are formulated specifically for use in dishwashers. This means you should never use ordinary washing-up liquid in a dishwasher, as it will cause excess foam, which could bring about a leak.

Conclusion

Educating yourself on the most frequent dishwasher issues and how to diagnose and fix them, will greatly help keep your machine working with minimal fuss, while extending its lifespan. You should also know the classic signs of a given dishwasher problem requiring professional attention, so that you don’t persist with a potentially damaging or dangerous DIY repair.

Keeping Your Dishwasher in Top Condition

Proactively and regularly inspecting, maintaining, and cleaning your dishwasher and its components, as well as reacting in an informed way to any issues as soon as they emerge, will contribute to preserving the condition and operation of your appliance for many months and years ahead. So, you hopefully won’t need to call our repair professionals so often.

Recap Of Key Points

In summary, when it comes to dealing with common issues with dishwashers:

Inform yourself about the most frequent dishwasher issues
Educate yourself on basic dishwasher troubleshooting and diagnosis methods
Learn some effective DIY fixes and the circumstances in which it is best to call a professional
Find out about – and follow – the best preventive maintenance steps to help avoid dishwasher issues happening in the first place.

Do you need to have your own malfunctioning dishwasher looked over – and fixed – by trusted experts in London? If so, please don’t hesitate to book with us online today, or to call 020 3813 1038. Our in-house specialist contractors will get the job done at the right price!

Common Central Heating Faults and How to Fix Them

Posted on August 7, 2024August 27, 2024 by dev@ink-digital.co.uk

In West London, and certainly across the wider UK, central heating is the backbone of any safe, comfortable and warm property! As a result, when your central heating system starts to suffer from faults, it can make the colder months unbearable. In fact, the average temperature during the UK’s winter months is 5 degrees Celsius. Living at this temperature can hurt your joints, and your lungs and increase the chance of injury at home.

Unfortunately, there are many common central heating faults that can reduce the performance and efficiency of your system, whether that is a gas boiler or an electric one. Nonetheless, please don’t panic! Not only do we at Essential Repairs provide high-quality West London property maintenance services when your central heating is not turning on, we offer useful advice on how to fix these faults yourself in this blog post.

Read on for more.

No Heating or Hot Water

Having no heating or hot water is a serious fault in your central heating system. You’re left cold and unable to properly wash, which is problematic in any season – not just the wintertime! Rather than wrestle with this frustration hopelessly, we recommend a few fixes.

First, you should address a potentially damaged thermostat. If your thermostat is set incorrectly or malfunctioning, you won’t receive any heating or hot water at all. Thermostats can be recalibrated and replaced if necessary, a simple and non-disruptive procedure when handled by an experienced engineer.

Secondly, if you own an older boiler – perhaps one from ten years ago or more – the pilot light may have gone out. This can impact your heating. In newer models, ignition issues are a more common cause of no heating or hot water. Other times, air can be trapped in your central heating system, producing a nasty airlock. This can be resolved by bleeding your radiators or repressurising your heating system in accordance with your manual.

When none of these quick solutions turns your heating or hot water back on, and you happen to live within the West London area, it may be time to book with Essential Repairs. Professionals are well trained in dealing with the most tempestuous boilers and can replace what can’t be fixed with ease.

Your Boiler Keeps Switching Off

Worried about your central heating not turning on? Many boilers start to switch themselves off after long-term use, and this can indicate several underlying faults. The first issue could be a faulty thermostat. They can cause the boiler to switch off prematurely without any manual intervention. Another problem could be insufficient water pressure, which triggers safety shut-offs in your central heating system to preserve the condition of your boiler. A boiler’s condensate pipe can also freeze in the colder months, making it shut down completely too.

In other cases, even one malfunctioning pump can prevent water from circulating inside your boiler, causing it to overheat and switch off. Whilst it can be difficult to figure out which of these faults is switching off your boiler, we recommend taking a systematic approach to address each problem, one at a time.

As such, here’s how to fix each one!

Thermostat

Check and recalibrate the thermostat to determine whether this is the problem. If your thermostat is faulty, replace it as soon as possible.

Insufficient Water Pressure

Refill the water pressure system using the filling loop to make sure that this isn’t the issue, or, if it is, that it’s resolved and you can go back to enjoying a safe and warm home.

Frozen Condensate Pipe

It’s easy to tell whether your condensate pipe is frozen, because of its temperature and appearance. If it is, gently thaw it with warm water – not boiling, in case the pipe cracks! Insulating the condensate pipe can prevent this fault in future.

Malfunctioning Pumps

If your pump is making unusual noises, this indicates a major problem, and will be the root cause of your boiler switching off. Make sure to repair or replace the pump with the assistance of an Essential Repairs’ professional as soon as we’re available – which, for central heating faults, is immediately.

Your Radiator Makes Unusual Noises

As we mentioned briefly above, a pump making unusual or funny noises is a clear indicator that something’s faulty with your central heating system. This is the same for your radiators! Problematic radiators in the home will tend to make unusual noises, which may manifest as bubbling, banging or hissing.

These noises are often caused by kettling, triggered by prolonged limescale build-up, which also impedes the function of your radiators by making them overheat. The water inside is literally boiled, creating a major hazard for those with young children or pets that are at a level height with your radiators.

If it’s not down to kettling, then trapped air also creates unusual noises in your radiators. So does pipework that has come loose, or high water pressure. Fortunately, each of these issues can be pretty quickly resolved!

Descaling your radiators with a regular descaling solution resolves the problem of kettling, bleeding your radiators releases trapped air, and securing loose pipes with pipe clips or adjusting your water pressure resolves the last faults in an instant.

Again, if these problems happen to escalate, don’t hesitate to involve a gas-safe engineer – they nip faults in the bud before they become disastrous.

The Boiler is Leaking

Sometimes, a central heating fault is unmistakable. A leaky boiler is hard to hide and rarely goes unnoticed, although the problems triggering a leaky boiler can go under the radar for quite some time. At Essential Repairs, we often see properties afflicted with corroded pipes or joints, which cause system leaks to the pipework, and loose connections within the boiler. Your boiler relies on a complex system of connections to function well. When they become loose, leaks are bound to happen, creating water damage and even turning your central heating off!

Another cause of a leaky boiler can be a faulty pressure valve. As this blog has established, water pressure can seriously affect your boiler – whether it’s too low, or too high. Indeed, excess pressure causes the pressure valve to release water, creating persistent leaks.

Fixing a leaky boiler generally requires professional assistance, but there are two steps you can take before your Essential Repairs’ professional arrives:

1. Identify the source of the leak by checking all visible pipes, joints and connections
2. Release some water from your central heating system to lower the pressure

For help with your central heating, contact Essential Repairs

At Essential Repairs, we satisfy the central heating requirements of every domestic or commercial property in West London. Oftentimes, central heating faults do require a professional resolution to guarantee the continued function and comfort of your home. As certified, accredited, licensed and thoroughly trained experts, we provide comprehensive central heating maintenance and installation solutions, including the ability to resolve leaking pipework and carry out an expert power flush. To discover more about our plumbing and gas services, call us at 020 3813 1038 or book with our Gas Safe engineers, today.

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10 Essential Tips for Regular Appliance Maintenance

Posted on July 31, 2024August 8, 2024 by dev@ink-digital.co.uk

In the UK, it’s common for homeowners to plug in their kitchen or home appliances, and just forget about them! However, the maintenance of these appliances is more important than you might think. Without the proper attention and care, they can suffer more greatly from regular wear and tear, and degrade beyond repair over time.

If you’re not quite sure how to carry out regular appliance maintenance yourself, don’t worry. At Essential Repairs, we have carried out quality maintenance services for years, and offer you our expertise in this blog. Read on for more.

1. Clean Your Appliances Regularly

The quickest way to maintain regular appliances in the home is to clean them! This includes every appliance from your microwave and toaster to your showerhead or bidet. This should be a regular programme of cleaning, too, not just a once-a-year event.

Washing machines, fridge-freezers and ovens should all be cleaned every two to four months. Your kettles should be cleaned every three months, as should your fans and light fixtures. Appliances that receive the most personal use frequently, such as your showerhead, should be cleaned at least once a month.

With a microfibre cloth and the right cleaning solution, cleaning your appliances regularly has many benefits. It prolongs their lifespan and ensures that they perform at a higher, more energy-efficient level. Dirty appliances are also more likely to become dangerous electrical hazards, because of increased dust and lint.

Home appliance maintenance doesn’t have to be challenging, and cleaning is a great starting point.

2. Check and Replace the Filters

Most home or kitchen appliances have filters to maintain proper performance by removing impurities from their systems. But, when these filters are allowed to become dirty, your appliances must work harder to complete the same jobs as before. This costs you more money on your energy bills and increases the need for repairs in future.

To maintain these appliances for as long as possible, we recommend checking and replacing these filters at a minimum of every six months. For air conditioners and furnaces, where debris builds up quickly, you should replace their filters every month. This small act of appliance maintenance keeps your home functioning as it should for a much longer time.

3. Inspect the Connections of Your Appliances

Your appliances function through a mixture of wires, cables and, for some fixed kitchen appliances, hoses.

A consistent power supply is extremely important, which is why wires and cables are needed. Yet, dishwashers and washing machines must also be able to manage flowing water, making hoses an essential part of their installation. As part of the maintenance of such appliances, you must regularly inspect these connections to ensure their safety and functionality.

Wires, hoses and cables can wear out over time and frequent use, causing leaks and reducing the efficiency of your appliances. When it comes to your washing machine, dishwasher or fridge freezer, make a habit of checking for bulges and cracks monthly. Everything should be securely connected to avoid leaks!

These inspections enable you to carry out swift repairs and replacements with the help of Essential Repairs’ experts.

4. Test Your Appliances’ Safety Features

Although you might think of appliance maintenance as a ‘cleaning’ or ‘replacement’ kind of task, this isn’t always the case. Indeed, testing your appliances’ existing safety features – of which there are guaranteed to be many – is also essential.

As an important example, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are featured in every home. You should make sure that they are working properly by pressing the test button on these alarms at least once a month. Replace their batteries on an annual basis, and keep yourself and your family safe.

5. Defrost Your Fridge-Freezer

Frost can easily build up in fridge freezers. The more frost there is, the less efficient this appliance becomes. As such, when it comes to your kitchen appliance maintenance schedule, make sure to regularly defrost your fridge-freezers as soon as the frost becomes around ¼ inch or 0.5 cm thick. Certain fridge freezers are ‘frost-free models’ – this simply means that you need to regularly inspect and clean the defrost drain to avoid clogging.

Frost can also take away some of your fridge-freezer’s storage capacity! There’s not really a way to avoid the build-up of frost over time, but through maintenance tactics such as defrosting, you can manage it properly.

6. Make Sure to Level Your Appliances

It’s essential that you make sure your fixed household appliances are level and stable during their installation. Otherwise, they can cause excessive noise and vibrations during their operation, which causes premature wear and tear. This is especially true for washing machines, dryers and fridge-freezers.

However, we admit that it can be difficult to tell if your appliances are unbalanced if you’re not a professional. Make sure that you always use a level during the installation process to avoid problems in future, and make sure the surface beneath is completely flat.

This decreases the amount of maintenance you’ll need to carry out in future, whilst enhancing the longevity and performance of your fixed appliances.

7. Always Follow Manufacturer Guidelines

Every appliance in your home, from your HVAC systems to your smoke detector, will come with a detailed user manual that contains manufacturer guidelines regarding their regular maintenance and upkeep. While we can offer tips for appliance maintenance in this blog post, we always recommend following the unique manufacturer guidelines that you have been given as closely as possible.

Read the maintenance section of these guidelines back-to-front, and follow the timelines provided for any filter replacements, cleaning and inspections required. This also means that you can maintain your warranty coverage, protecting you against the cost of any future repairs or replacements should maintenance not be enough to preserve the condition of your appliance.

8. Address Small Issues As Soon As Possible

A good rule of thumb when maintaining your appliances is to address small issues that pop up as soon as possible. For example, if your washing machine is making unusual noises, or your toaster suddenly stops working as well as it used to. Small issues such as these can escalate quickly, and increase in cost the longer you leave them be.

In sum, our tip here is to investigate, troubleshoot and resolve problems immediately!

9. Keep A Maintenance Log

Regular appliance maintenance can soon add up. It’s important to keep a maintenance log so you remember what problems you’ve addressed, and when you last maintained your home appliances. Although this might sound time-consuming, it’s very useful. You will never overlook another maintenance task, and you can refer to past maintenance activities if repairs are required.

Always record the date, tasks that you’ve performed, and what parts have been replaced after each maintenance activity.

10. When at-home maintenance isn’t enough, seek professional assistance

Sometimes, at-home maintenance tasks aren’t enough to keep your property in the best condition possible. Whenever you feel out of your depth, don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance.

For West London property maintenance that you can rely on, contact Essential Repairs as soon as possible. Our team members are easily contacted through mobile at 020 3813 1038, or our online booking system. Rest assured, we keep appliance maintenance simple. If you’re concerned about keeping your equipment or appliances in the proper condition, we look forward to offering you more personalised advice.