Refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges and ovens: filters, coils, seals and cleaning cycles.
Common failure modes
- Condenser coils blocked by dust
- A dishwasher filter never removed
- A door seal that no longer closes
Procedures
- How to check if your dishwasher drain hose has a high loopA dishwasher's drain hose has one difficult job: get used water out of the tub without ever letting sink water or garbag
- How to check that your stove or range has an anti-tip bracket and won't tip overA free-standing gas or electric range that is not anchored can tip forward if enough weight lands on an open oven door —
- How to check if your oven runs hot or cold, and fix the temperature settingA number on the oven display is not a promise about the air inside the cavity. Many ranges and wall ovens with an electr
- How to clean a greasy range hood filterThe metal filter under a range hood traps grease before it coats your cabinets, and it sits in the path of every bit of
- How to clean the rubber door seal on a fridgeThe soft strip around the edge of a fridge door is the only thing standing between your food and the room. It collects c
- Clean an oven cavity by hand and choose a cleaner that will not damage the coatingThis page shows you how to clean the inside of an oven by hand, without running a self-cleaning cycle. It works through
- How to remove and clean the filter in a dishwasherMost dishwashers made in the last fifteen years filter the wash water instead of grinding the food up, and that filter s
- How to clean the condenser coils under or behind a refrigeratorThe condenser coils are the part of a fridge that dumps heat back out into your kitchen, and on some models they sit in
- Is it safe to run the self-cleaning cycle on my oven?A self-cleaning oven does not use a chemical. It heats the cavity until the baked-on food turns to ash, and that is the
- Decide why a dishwasher leaves a white film or grit on glasswareA dishwasher that leaves glasses cloudy, hazy, or gritty usually has one of two different problems, and telling them apa
- Decide why water is standing in the bottom of a dishwasherWater sitting in the bottom of a dishwasher after a cycle is not always a fault, and that is the first thing worth knowi
- How do I change the light bulb inside my oven?An oven's interior light lets you check on food without opening the door, and like any light bulb it eventually burns ou
- How to change the water filter in a fridge with a water dispenser or icemakerThe filter cartridge behind the grille or inside the fridge is a consumable, and it is the one piece of maintenance on a
- Why has my fridge ice maker stopped making ice?An automatic ice maker that has stopped delivering ice usually comes down to one of five things: the ice maker's own on/
- What temperature should my fridge and freezer be set to?Almost nobody knows what their fridge is actually running at, because the thing on the front is a control and not a gaug
- How long should you wait before plugging in a refrigerator after it is moved or delivered?A refrigerator that has just been delivered or carried between rooms should not go straight onto power. The compressor h
Where this stops
Sealed refrigeration systems and gas appliance conversion are outside this repository.