Sponsored post with Sears PartsDirect
Owning a home is awesome but it does require regular home maintenance. That means that there are things on your to-do list that people who live in apartments don't have to. Things like yard work, cleaning the gutters, and changing the furnace filters may not be fun but they are part of being a homeowner. Maintaining your things like appliances in your home will not only help them run properly and may also extend their life. Cleaning the lint out of the dryer filter and changing the water filter on the refrigerator needs to be done. Doing simple maintenance on your large appliances yourself will mean not having to call a repairman.
Fixing a dryer with do-it-yourself appliance repair
Even with regular maintenance, your large appliances may need to be repaired. The other day, I was noticing that my dryer was requiring longer dry cycles to dry my clothes. I would set the dryer to run for an hour but the clothes would still be damp. So I decided to do a thorough cleaning of the lint trap. Even with cleaning the dryer filter after each use, the dryer lint can build up in places beyond the filter. So that meant I had to go grab a screwdriver to remove the dryer filter compartment.
While removing the dryer filter compartment is simple to do, it is time-consuming. So, I unscrewed the five screws and took off the dryer filter holder. I was then able to remove some more dryer lint. It is amazing how much dryer lint escapes the dryer lint filter. This excess lint can cause fires so make sure to clean out the dryer lint after each time you use the dryer. Then check underneath the lint filter regularly, about once a month. Then remove the dryer vent hose in the back of the dryer to remove the lint.
Five signs you need to clean your dryer vent
+ Drying clothes take longer. A clogged dryer vent could mean the clothes take longer to dry.
+ A burning smell.
+ A very hot dryer.
+ Lint coming from the dryer vent outside your house
+ You have not cleaned the dryer vent for over a year
The dryer does not heat up
After cleaning my dryer vent, my dryer stopped heating up. So while the dryer tumbled, it did not dry the clothes. My dryer was only 4 years old so rather than replacing the dryer, I decided to see if I could fix the appliance problem myself. While searching online for appliance repair tips, I discovered Sears PartsDirect.
This do-it-yourself appliance repair website had all the information that I needed to feel comfortable to repair my dryer without having to call a repair technician. Sears PartsDirect even had the Dryer Parts that I needed to make the repairs. I loved that I could save money on appliance repairs. Sears PartDirect is a must-have website for homeowners who need appliance repair help. It is a do yourself appliance repair website
Sears PartsDirect offers:
+ Tips to help you figure out what may be wrong with your large appliance
+ Manuals and diagrams to help you locate the faulty part
+ Pictures and videos to help you understand the appliance repair
+ Step-by-step repair guides to help you fix your appliance
+ Articles and videos that show you how to fix your appliance
+ Parts that you need to purchase to fix your appliance
+ Repair technicians if you need help repairing your large appliance
Sears is the handyman resource center
I really liked that Sears PartsDirect had everything that I needed to tackle the job of repairing my dryer. By watching the informative videos on their website, I felt confident that I could first diagnose the problem with my dryer. Then I had a place to order the parts that I needed to fix my dryer. The appliance expert in the videos mentioned several things that could be causing my dryer not to heat up. From fuses to a faulty heating element, the estimate for the total cost for the repair was under $100. So that is cheaper than paying for a service call to my house. That is way cheaper than buying a new dryer.
Sears PartsDirect is the best place for home maintenance tips
Sears PartsDirect has wonderful articles to learn more about how to best do your home maintenance beyond large appliances. These articles provide so many great tips for homeowners. From replacing the water filter on your fridge to changing the blades on your lawnmower, it was like having my dad available to teach me all that I needed to know about owning a home. The best part is being able to buy items that I need like water filters and parts to repair my appliances. I also like saving money.
Update: Thanks to Sears PartsDirect my dryer is working again. See how I fixed it and how I discovered that a built-up of dryer lint may have been the cause of the heating element braking. This could have started a fire as the lint was burnt. To find out how to avoid your dryer breaking and catching on fire read my update post HERE.