My Dryer Smells: How To Eliminate Bad Odors

November 7, 2023. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • Austin

If you’ve ever been hit with a whiff of something nasty while doing laundry and thought “Wow, my dryer smells!”, you’re not alone. Having a dryer that smells musty, sour, mildewy or worse is certainly unfortunate, but it’s not uncommon. Still, opening your dryer after doing a load of clean laundry and finding that it stinks can be a shocking experience. What could have caused the smell? Are your clothes ruined—or your dryer? Is there anything you can do to get rid of that unpleasant smell?

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to eliminate bad odors from your dryer. The very first step is to figure out what’s causing the stench. These are the likely culprits:

Something stinky was in your clothes in the washer and transferred with them to the dryer.
Something in the dryer or exhaust vent shouldn’t be there, such as a rat, squirrel or another wild animal that … Read Full Post »

My Dryer Won’t Start: What’s Wrong?

July 31, 2023. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • San Antonio

It’s laundry day. You gather up the dirty clothes, towels and linens and spend hours washing them, only to find the dryer won’t start. There could be a simple reason why your dryer has stopped working. Let’s go through the most common causes behind this issue and how you can troubleshoot them.

If you’ve tried everything and it’s still not working an appliance repair specialist can come to your rescue. The appliance technician will diagnose the issue and have your dryer turning out warm and fluffy clothes again.

Possible Reasons Your Dryer Will Not Start

There are various reasons why your dryer won’t start. Some are easy to diagnose, while others need more detective work. If you can’t get to the bottom of things, you can always let an appliance repair professional take over.

Tripped Circuit Breaker

The first thing you should check if your dryer isn’t running is the circuit breaker. It may have … Read Full Post »

My Dishwasher Is Leaking Water: What’s Wrong?

June 2, 2023. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • Austin

Dishwashers are a necessity in the kitchen. Just load your dirty pans, plates and utensils, and they will all come out squeaky clean. Dishwashers save you a lot of time and effort, but sometimes, they can cause trouble, too. There is nothing more frustrating than a leaking dishwasher. If you are dealing with this problem, here are the most common causes and how to troubleshoot a leaking dishwasher.

Why Is Your Dishwasher Leaking Water?

If your dishwasher leaks, don’t ignore it. It can lead to more severe issues. With some DIY know-how, you can repair the leak and have your dishwasher running normally again. Here are some possible reasons your dishwasher is leaking and how to resolve the problem.

The Dishwasher Door Is Leaking

If there is water pooling directly under the dishwasher door, your appliance might have a faulty rubber gasket. The gasket surrounds the perimeter of the door and creates a tight … Read Full Post »

Garbage Disposal Is Jammed: What Should I Do?

May 10, 2023. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair, Plumbing • San Antonio

A jammed garbage disposal can interfere with a lot of your activities in the kitchen. If there is a humming sound, but the blades are not turning, that is a sign of a clogged motor. Sometimes, all it takes is pressing the reset button to get it running again. But other times, it requires more effort.

Here’s an in-depth guide to help you troubleshoot a jammed garbage disposal and understand why it happens in the first place. If you are having trouble fixing the issue, contact a professional plumber. They have the tools and expertise to get the job done.

How To Fix a Jammed Garbage Disposal

Safety should always be your top priority. While a garbage disposal’s blades are dull, they can cause harm if you don’t practice basic safety measures. Never put your hands inside the garbage disposal, even if you think something is lodged inside.

Additionally, never work while the garbage … Read Full Post »

Why Does My Garbage Disposal Smell?

October 18, 2022. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair, Plumbing • Austin

Your garbage disposal is one of the most important appliances in your kitchen. It helps send any leftover bits of food left on plates or in containers down the drain smoothly. However, your garbage disposal can sometimes smell pretty bad.

So, what causes these smells, and how can you make them go away?

Common Reasons Garbage Disposals Smell Bad

When a garbage disposal is turned on, its blades spin and grind down food waste. This process produces small pieces of refuse and water that are pushed down a pipe to the drain. Over time, these small particles can accumulate and create an unpleasant smell in the garbage disposal.

The most common cause of this smell is grease or food particles gathered around the drain opening. If the disposal is not properly cleaned, this residue can also cause corrosion to the metal parts inside the unit.

There are a few other common causes of garbage disposal … Read Full Post »

Why Is My Washing Machine Leaking Water?

September 1, 2022. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • Austin

It’s never a good thing to find water on the floor around your washing machine. Whether it’s a puddle or a rushing flood of water, you’re facing the risk of expensive water damage. Plus you know that something is broken in one of the most necessary appliances in your home.

The average American household washes up to 400 loads of laundry every year. That’s more than a load a day! With this heavy usage, it’s no surprise that the occasional mechanical problem arises. The loss of a washing machine, even for a few days, can be a huge inconvenience.

A washing machine houses an intricate system of valves, hoses and belts that allow it to fill and drain the water necessary for the washing process that cleans our clothes. When one or more parts of that system stop functioning correctly, gravity takes over. Then all that pressurized water, up to 500 gallons … Read Full Post »

My Fridge Is Leaking Water: What’s Wrong?

July 21, 2022. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • Austin

water on hardwood floor from a fridge leaking water

When you find your fridge leaking water, don’t ignore it. Beyond the simple annoyance of the mess on your floor, a leak is a sign of a problem with your refrigerator that needs attention. The leak could also damage your floors, cabinets and baseboards, which can be very expensive to fix.

Fortunately, there aren’t many different causes of a leaking fridge. Many common reasons why fridges leak are actually relatively simple and inexpensive fixes.

Leaky or Frozen Water Supply Line

One of the most common causes of a refrigerator leak is a leaky or frozen water supply line. If this is the issue, you may also notice other symptoms besides the leak. The fridge’s water dispenser may not work right, or the ice trays might not fill completely.

If you pull the fridge out from the wall, you’ll see the plastic hose running between the refrigerator and the wall. This is … Read Full Post »

My Garbage Disposal Is Spinning but Not Draining

July 14, 2022. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair, Plumbing • Corpus Christi

a garbage disposal that is spinning but not draining

A garbage disposal is one of the most valuable conveniences in the modern kitchen. Mounted below the sink drain, the garbage disposal uses several blades that spin like propellers to grind solid food waste into bits. These small bits are washed away through a grey-water plumbing system.

The garbage disposal reduces waste odors and makes kitchen clean-up significantly quicker and easier.

Until it stops working, that is.

There are a number of reasons that a disposal might stop working. Luckily, most have simple fixes that a homeowner can troubleshoot themselves. More severe issues may require the help of a licensed professional, who can do so quickly and with minimal disturbance.

A garbage disposal that has stopped working will often prevent your sink from draining. And, unground matter in the unit can clog your system until it has been cleared.

Sometimes a garbage disposal will sound like it’s working properly (you can hear the blades spinning). … Read Full Post »

Why Is My Dryer Not Heating?

April 23, 2021. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • San Antonio

Have you started running your clothes through the dryer multiple times? Does it seem like your dryer isn’t even heating at all? If your dryer isn’t drying clothes as well as it used to, there are a number of things that could be causing this problem.

For one, your problem might not have anything to do with the dryer. If your washer isn’t working as it should, then it might not strain enough water out of your clothes before you transfer them to the dryer. When this happens, the dryer might need to run longer to dry out these sopping wet clothes.

Fortunately, there might be some easy fixes you can try on your own to get your dryer working again.

Simple Fixes

You can run into issues if you’re trying to dry different types of items at the same time. For example, towels and clothes. Most clothing items dry quicker than towels. If … Read Full Post »

My Fridge Isn’t Cold but the Freezer Is

March 31, 2021. Posted by Les Stobart in Appliance Repair • Austin

a stainless steel fridge in a white kitchen

It is so frustrating and confusing when your freezer is working, but your fridge won’t get cold. How is this even possible? Well, a few different things might lead to this stressful situation.

Some of the simpler issues that might be causing this problem are things that can happen in any household. For example, if someone left the refrigerator door open. This can cause the vent between the freezer and fridge to freeze over. If this happens, you can take your food out of your fridge and freezer, unplug the unit overnight and then plug it back in. If the door being open was what was keeping your fridge from cooling, then this process should fix your issue.

Something else that might be causing the issue is overloading. Putting too much in your fridge can block the vents and keep the cool air from circulating as it should. It’s pretty rare for … Read Full Post »