With the world of home appliances, every quirk can seem like something out of a horror film. When all of a sudden one thing or another happens with your appliance, it may feel as though you are working an episode from The Twilight Zone and start to think that perhaps there is something else haunting the place. But fear not! So have a look at these appliance ghosts that we generally face, and by little know how to counter-attack them from the tip of the iceberg, you can come out as a winner in the battleground knowing the coolest appliance repair methods.
The Case of the Self-Starting Microwave
Imagine you are in your living room and then suddenly, a microwave starts beeping as it powers up. Nobody is in the kitchen, and there isn’t any food at hand. It is one of those rather common appliance problems that make you momentarily doubt reality.
What Causes It?
The reason for this spooky issue is usually either a broken door switch or control board. The microwave may start without you tapping anything. Or a control board malfunction may be telling your microwave system to start up on its own.
How to Repair
This ghost of an appliance can be vanquished by checking the door switch. A loose or damaged one needs to be replaced. If the door switch appears to be working properly, then it is possible that your control board may need replacing. With this, the best option is to contact a professional tech and get it checked out so they can diagnose and fix whatever issue that may be. Any repair work requires taking the microwave apart; in most cases, you will be dealing with high-voltage parts, so always unplug to avoid the danger of electrical shock.
The Mystery of the Phantom Ice Maker
And speaking of weird but relatively common appliance problems, how about a phantom ice maker that continues to make ice even though it is supposed to be turned off? You turned off the ice maker, but new batches of little cubes just keep on falling. Like an ice maker with a will of its own.
What’s Happening?
This spooky situation typically happens when the shutoff arm is stuck or the water valve fails to work properly. The shutoff arm may be stuck in the on position, indicating to make ice, but once more, it is most likely functioning how it should. Or the water inlet valve is leaking, which means that it will flow into the ice maker even when it’s off.
Solving the Issue
First, verify if your shutoff arm moves easily and is not strained to action. Lift and release the arm to see if it springs back. To verify, if the ice maker keeps making ice, then you will need to get a new water inlet valve. Anyway, it is quite a complicated process, and if you feel like stepping out of your comfort zone, know that the professionals are always at hand.
It Takes Life of Its Own — The Story of the Creepy Dishwasher Odor
A dishwasher emitting a wicked smell can easily feel cursed. After having gone through multiple cleaning cycles, the nasty smell just isn’t going away, and your kitchen feels like anything but a welcoming place.
It Smells
While your dishes may be washing (albeit noisily), a putrid smell looms over your kitchen every time you run the dishwasher: an appliance ghost that often emerges from food particles left in the filter, drain, or spray arms.
Over time, these particles will begin to degrade and create a musty smell. Mold and mildew can also grow in the moist, warm conditions of a dishwasher to make matters worse.
Getting Rid of the Sucent Stench
To get this ghastly scent out of there, pour some dishwasher detergent directly onto your dishwasher’s filter. Take it out of the appliance, run warm water under to rinse away any residue and use a brush or other tool available to get rid of accumulated gunk. Finally, clean out the spray arms and its draining line as well for any food chunks that are preventing it from going around properly. You can also run an empty cycle with a cup of white vinegar on the top rack to help clear out any pesky odors. Continual cleaning and maintenance can prevent this unexpected appliance problem from happening again.
The Self-Draining Washing Machine Enigma
Now, imagine this: you put some clothes inside your washing machine, throw in a couple of soap and then turn the thing on only to see that in seconds, all the water disappears from it along with whatever was there.
What’s Going On?
A ghost in the appliance, this can be just a defective water level sensor or an incorrectly functioning pump. The water level sensor is sensing the water level, which may lead to the draining of the machine even if there exists a certain amount of remaining moisture left in the dishwasher. On the other hand, you may be looking at a drain pump that is turned on and won’t finally stop — hence draining in perpetuity.
Solving the Problem
For START: Inspect the water level sensor, and look for any damage to the case or junk that could be interrupting its regular function. If not, the drain pump may fail, and replacement is necessary. If this sounds like more than you can handle yourself, as with any other repairs, contact us so that we may assist in properly fixing the issue.
The Flickering Oven Light Case
An oven light that flickers on and off by itself can seem like a scene from a horror movie. During the time you are baking a cake, and for no darn good reason (that I can tell), that light starts blinking. That is enough to make anyone nervous.
Identifying the Issue
This flickering light is caused by your bulb, socket, or wiring loose….a flash can be helped by a loose lightbulb, as it will only make intermittent contact, and this would lead to the flicker or if the electrical connection is being broken up due to a damaged bulb socket or frayed wire.
To address this random appliance issue, start by fixing issues such as securing the light bulb by tightening it. Check the lamp sock for any signs of damage or wear, as this can also cause flickering. It might require changing the socket or fixing a wire to get that appliance ghost out of your house.
Those unexpected appliance problems can be identified and resolved by staying ahead of the curve, so they do not creep up excitedly in your home as if a specter from beyond. If there’s one thing that’s clear from years of cooking, it’s that no kitchen woe is too great to be fixed—as long as you have the necessary tools and understanding.
