If you have to fix an appliance, there are ways to save money on appliance repairs. Nobody wants to be caught in the dead of winter with a furnace that isn’t up to peak delivery performance.
That is why it’s important to repair appliances that don’t work properly, or just don’t work at all.
The best ways to save money on appliance repairs include maintaining your appliances, utilizing warranty plans, and shopping around appliance repair technician quotes. Additionally, you can also self-diagnose and troubleshoot issue yourself and decide whether or not it makes more sense to attempt the repair yourself, or replace the appliance. There are a lot of options to save money on appliance repairs.
Check out these thorough steps and details below on the best ways to save money on appliance repairs.
Best Ways to Save Money on Appliance Repairs
Clearly, if your appliances are worthless, you should get rid of them. There are places that offer free appliance pickup near me which haul away my old ones. If you want to repair them or extend their life, there is a process to follow.
These steps below will walk you through the entire process of how to save money on appliance repairs for your troubled appliances.
1. Follow an Appliance Maintenance Schedule
One of the most important things you can do to save money on appliance repairs is to follow an appliance maintenance schedule.
Maintaining your appliances is important to help extend not only the optimal condition of your appliance, but also the longevity.
Maintain Your Dryer Vent
- One example of the types of appliance maintenance you can do would involve your dryer. By cleaning out your dryer vent, you can prevent a lot of maintenance repair bills.
Everybody knows that dryer vents collect a ton of lint. By removing that lint, your dryer won’t have to work as hard to omit the exhaust air because there will be less lint in the dryer exhaust tube.
That means the motor won’t have to work as hard which reduces overall wear and tear on your dryer.
Maintain Your Refrigerator
- Another example would be to check your refrigerator every so often for standing water.
This recently happened to me where I noticed a bunch of water pooling in the bottom of my refrigerator crisper drawers. The reason for this was because the coils were frozen and the cooling water from the coils could not drain properly. I found this problem while conducting routine maintenance on the refrigerator.
If I had not noticed this problem while performing routine maintenance, the ice would have continued to build on the refrigerator coils and that would have been an extremely expensive appliance repair.
However you can see by conducting preventative routine maintenance, you can save money on appliance repairs.
2. Use a Warranty Plan
This could literally save you thousands of dollars on an appliance repair bill. Warranty plans are a great way to save money on appliance repairs.
However not all warranties are the same when it comes to the warranty terms. Some of the new appliances only come with a 90-day warranty. If your appliance costs $3,000 or more, a 90-day warranty isn’t the best.
Consider Extended Warranties
However there are some options when it comes to warranty plans.
- If you are purchasing a new appliance, you can buy an extended warranty on the spot which most of the time will be your cheapest option for purchasing a warranty at that time.
However you will have to decide if it makes financial sense to purchase an extended warranty.
- If you are buying a $3,000 refrigerator with tons of electrical components, it might make sense to purchase a two or three year extended warranty.
All it takes is just one repair bill and you could be paying hundreds if not $1,000 depending on what the issue is.
If you are buying a $500 washing machine on the other hand, it may not make sense to purchase an extended warranty when you are buying your appliance.
If you are buying used appliances, you can still purchase a warranty plan.
Warranty plans are one of the best ways to save money on housing costs because they cover not only household appliances, but also mechanical systems.
Contact Utility Companies for Warranty Plan Options
A lot of people don’t realize that their local utility company may offer home warranty plans and some of those plans also cover appliances.
- These plan can run anywhere from $5 a month to $50 a month depending on what types of appliances you would like covered.
If you would like to bundle your kitchen appliances with your furnace and air conditioner units, you can do that. Normally the utility companies will provide that as an option.
I personally have one of these warranties through my local utility company. My cost is about $24 a month and it covers my furnace, air conditioner, and my stove. I have used this warranty at least three times and have saved about $2,900 so far on appliance repair bills.
Warranty plans are great ways to save money on appliance repairs no matter if it’s a manufacturer warranty, or a supplemental warranty plan through your utility company.
Either way, you will save money on appliance repairs with them.
3. DIY Appliance Repair
Another way to save money on appliance repairs is to do the repairs yourself. There are all kinds of self-help websites out there including companies that sell the replacement parts.
Some of these companies such as self-help repair companies will help you diagnose what the problem is so you can order the correct part to fix your appliance. I have saved money on appliance repairs this way because I buy the parts necessary to make the repair. I’ll also check YouTube as well for any type of reference guides.
YouTube can be a great resource to walk you through step-by-step on the appliance repair process.
Additionally you can also find appliance repair models and manuals online from manufacturers. You can buy appliance replacement parts online via sites.
Appliance model manuals will also have a part number and a parts list in them. You can use that manual and the part number to buy specific appliance repair parts for your repair job.
4. Note the Problematic Conditions
If you have an appliance that is not functioning properly, be sure to make a note of the conditions that are present.
By noting what problems and abnormalities you are experiencing, you can save money on appliance repairs.
You may experience some of the following:
- Is my refrigerator leaking water inside?
- Why is my washing machine not draining?
- My dryer is on, but my clothes are still wet?
- Why are my dishes dirty after running the dishwasher?
By making a note of these conditions, you can save money on appliance repairs.
Nothing the conditions will help a technician (or yourself) properly diagnose the problem. This will also help you determine if you should attempt to repair the appliance yourself or call an appliance repair technician.
Additionally, you can also check other sources in your house that may be contributing to the problem.
Some of these conditions that may cause your appliance to malfunction would include a breaker that turned off, a blown fuse, or a filter that might need changing. Those are easy fixes and therefore your appliance may not need a repair.
By noting the problematic conditions, you can save money on appliance repairs if the fix turns out to be a simple one you can do yourself.
5. Compare Rates for Appliance Repair Technicians
Comparing appliance repair technician rates is another way how to save money on appliance repairs.
When you hire an appliance repair technician, your cost can vary significantly for the job.
- Some places will charge a flat fee but other places may roll in additional charges.
For example one place may only charge $500 total for repairing your refrigerator.
- On the other hand, a different technician may charge for multiple items. Some of those additional fees that repair technician may charge for would be a service call fee, a parts fee, a disposal fee, and also fees for traveling.
I have seen some appliance repair technicians charge additional premiums for traveling outside of their “service territory” which sometimes is only one County.
So you definitely want to make sure that you shop around and call at least three different places.
- When you call, be sure to state some of the problems that you have been having with your appliance.
Try to be as accurate and as detailed as possible. You can use the checklist that you created up above of the conditions of your appliance that needs repair.
Getting the best quote ahead of time is one of the best ways how to save money on appliance repairs through comparison shopping.
6. Decide Repair or Replace Your Appliance
You should now have quotes from several appliance repair technicians and companies.
It’s now time to decide if your appliance is worth repairing.
- If your appliance is more than eight years old, it may not be worth it to have the repair made.
Given that the cost of the appliance repair may run a minimum of at least a couple hundred dollars, you may be better off to buy a brand-new basic appliance. You can sell a scrap washing machine for money to put towards a purchase of a new one.
- For not much more money than your repair bill, you could buy an entry-level washer, dryer, or refrigerator which will come with a brand new warranty from the manufacturer.
Invest in New Appliances
Instead of throwing your money away on an appliance repair, you could invest that money into a brand-new appliance instead.
You can check out buy now pay later no credit check instant approval no money down as well to finance your new appliance purchase.
Additionally, you can also buy a high end appliance for not much more than your repair bill. Not a lot of people know how to buy high quality appliances with significant discounts.
Check out How to Save Money on Large Appliances for all the different discounts available on high quality appliances (some as much as 40% or more).
The best part of buying a new appliance is that they also come with warranties from the manufacturer.
Additionally, if you end up purchasing a new appliance, you will also have a much more efficient appliance as well.
These are all great options when buying a new appliance and should be considered because its a great way to save money on appliance repairs. You can also catch the best time of the year to buy a refrigerator for additional money off.
7. Use Legit Appliance Repair Companies/Technicians
Another way to save money on appliance repairs is to use legit appliance repair companies and technicians.
It is always important that you should use a reputable appliance repair company.
There are a lot of people on the Internet who claim to be appliance repair technicians, but they are really nothing more than a handyman.
- Sometimes those handyman don’t have your best interests at heart and sadly some of them are just looking to rip you off.
That is why it is important to use legit companies that are insured and have been around for a while.
The signs of a good reputable appliance repair company are that they will have no problem providing a tentative quote over the phone and they will also offer some type of warranty for the repair that they are making.
Going with a reputable appliance repair company is a good way to save money on appliance repairs in the long run.
Use a Repair Technician Instead of a Handyman
Appliance repair companies normally have higher standards for their repair technicians that have to be met versus a generalized handyman.
You know that the technician that the appliance repair company is sending out will be qualified to make the repair.
Appliance repair technicians do just that…work on appliances all the time.
A handyman on the other hand, their skill level maybe subpar compared to others in the industry.
The handyman is just that…somebody that may be able to fix a lot of different things but may not have the in-depth knowledge and skill set that might be needed for some of today’s high end technical appliances.
So you could spend hundreds of dollars on a repair done by a fly by night company or handyman only to have it fail one or two weeks after the repair was done with no warranty for the repair.
That’s why when you go with a reputable appliance repair company, you know you will save money on appliance repairs because their technicians know how to make the repair.
8. Prep for the Technician
Before the appliance repair technician shows up, make sure you prep the area as much as possible. If your washing machine will not drain but you have clothes inside, be sure to remove those clothes before the appliance repair technician shows up.
Additionally, if you have to hire a technician for your refrigerator, you definitely want to prepare for that.
Make sure you get coolers ahead of time and start putting your food in there before the technician shows up.
- If the technician has to wait at your house while you prep the area, that will only add to the service call fee.
So by doing what you can before hand, you are helping out not only the technician but yourself and bank account as well.
Preparing the area ahead of time is another way to save money on appliance repairs before the technician shows up.
9. Annually Inspect Your Appliances
In order to save money on appliance repairs in the future, following an appliance inspection schedule can be key. By inspecting each of your appliances, you are preventing catastrophes and expensive appliance repair bills before they happen.
If you see something that does not look right, investigate it further to see what the issue is. Preventative maintenance can be a huge money and time saver.
And if you notice that your refrigerator is making a loud noise during your inspection but it is 12 years old, chances are it may be better to replace it.
- When you replace it, don’t just toss your old appliance.
You can actually get money for it from other people such as Section 8 landlords and organizations that buy used appliances. Check out our article below.
Related Article: Earn Cash Selling Old Appliances: Who Buys Used Appliances [Near You]
Save Money on Appliance Repairs Systematically
The best way to save money on appliance repairs involves a systematic approach. By going through the systematic process laid out above, you can save money on appliance repairs.
Following the road map above will drastically reduce your expenses for home appliance repair needs.
Maintaining your appliances, warranty plans, and noting problematic conditions of appliances will surely reduce repair needs.
Also using qualified repair companies and technicians, diagnosing the problem correctly, and determining if you can repair the appliance yourself are also important aspects that play into appliance repair savings.
Having broken appliances can be stressful. However, implementing a systematic appliance repair process will take away a lot of the stress that comes with broken appliances.
All it takes is a little bit of time to follow, but the money saved on appliance repairs makes it worth it in the end.
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