Fresh Repair

The timer runs and the motor hums, but the agitator does not move.

Possible causes

• A weak motor capacitor
• A snapped or slack belt
• Clothes jammed under the agitator
• The timer

Solution: Unplug the washer, take out the laundry and check the agitator turns by hand. If it hums when empty, the capacitor is the first thing measured.

You close the lid and turn the timer, but the spinner stays still or turns slowly.

Possible causes

• The lid safety switch
• The spinner brake
• The spinner capacitor or motor
• An uneven load

Solution: Spread the laundry around the drum, fit the inner cover and close the lid firmly. If it still does not turn, the lid switch or capacitor is next.

You switch to drain and the water stays in the tub.

Possible causes

• A kinked or raised drain hose
• A drain valve blocked by lint or a coin
• The drain knob cable

Solution: Lower the hose and straighten it. If the water still does not drain, the drain valve needs cleaning.

A puddle under the washer while washing or draining.

Possible causes

• A cracked internal hose
• The agitator shaft seal
• A drain valve not closing

Solution: Unplug the washer and note when the water appears: while washing or only when draining. That tells the technician where the leak is.

The display shows a letter and number and the programme will not continue.

Possible causes

• The tap or inlet hose
• The drain pump filter
• The door not closed
• A sensor or the board

Solution: Check the tap and hose, and clean the pump filter at the bottom front. If the code returns, photograph it and send it with the model.

The spinner holds less than the wash tub; overloading it strains the motor and brake.

Lint that builds up reaches the drain valve and blocks it.

Unplug it, empty the tub and try the agitator by hand. If it turns freely and the hum continues, the capacitor has usually weakened, and replacing it is a simple repair.

In the manual that came with the washer, because meanings vary by model. If you do not have the manual, send us a photo of the code and the label.

You open the tap and hear the igniter clicking, but the heater does not light or lights and goes straight out.

Possible causes

• Weak batteries
• The gas valve or cylinder
• Low water pressure
• The ignition electrode or flame sensor

Solution: Replace the batteries, make sure the gas valve is open, and open the tap fully. If water is weak throughout the house, the problem is the pressure, not the heater.

The water is hot, then suddenly turns cold.

Possible causes

• The safety timer after about 20 minutes
• Pressure dropping when someone opens another tap
• Batteries running down
• The flame sensor or gas valve

Solution: If it goes out after a long continuous run, that is the timer: close the tap and open it again. If it goes out sooner, try new batteries and higher pressure before an inspection.

The lamp is on or off, but the water does not heat as before.

Possible causes

• The thermostat set low or faulty
• A burnt-out element
• Scale built up on the element

Solution: Check the thermostat setting and the breaker. If there is no heat, the technician measures the element and thermostat; both can be replaced without changing the tank.

The breaker or RCD trips as soon as you switch it on.

Possible causes

• A shorted or cracked element
• Water reaching the electrical connections

Solution: Leave the breaker off and do not switch it on again. This is an electrical fault near water and needs a technician.

Drips from the valve on the inlet pipe, or wetness under the heater.

Possible causes

• Water expanding while heating, which is normal
• A worn safety valve
• A leak from a fitting or the tank

Solution: A constant leak, even with the heater off, needs a new valve. If water comes from the tank itself, repair is usually not worthwhile.

Hot water that is yellow or brown, or has a smell.

Possible causes

• A spent magnesium anode
• Sediment at the bottom of the tank

Solution: Draining and flushing the tank and replacing the anode fix it if the tank is still sound.

About once a year, or sooner as soon as ignition gets slow or the heater starts going out; their life depends on use.

Once a year, with a check of the magnesium anode on models that have one.

After about 20 minutes, that is the safety timer and it is designed that way. After a minute or two, try new batteries and open the tap further. If it still goes out, the flame sensor or gas valve needs checking.

A few drops while heating are normal because the water expands. If it drips all the time, even with the heater off, the valve needs replacing. Never block its outlet.

The motor makes a sound but the blades stay still, and if you spin them they carry on.

Possible causes

• A weak capacitor
• Dry bearings

Solution: This is the most common fan fault, and the capacitor is replaced with the same value printed on it. If the blades are stiff, the bearings need oiling or replacing.

Weak airflow and the speeds feel almost the same.

Possible causes

• The capacitor
• Dry bearings or hair on the shaft
• The speed switch

Solution: Clean the shaft behind the blades. If it is still slow, the capacitor is measured before the motor.

Ticking against the guard, or a ceiling fan that wobbles.

Possible causes

• A broken or poorly fitted blade
• A loose blade nut
• On a ceiling fan: unbalanced blades or a loose hook

Solution: Tighten the blade nut and make sure no blade is cracked. Ceiling fan wobble is fixed by balancing the blades and tightening the mounting.

The oscillation knob is engaged but the fan stays facing one way.

Possible causes

• Broken oscillation gears
• The oscillation motor on remote models

Solution: The gears can be replaced without changing the motor. Do not force the fan head round while it is running.

The buttons on the fan work but the remote does not.

Possible causes

• The remote's battery
• The receiver on the fan

Solution: Replace the battery and point the remote at the display. If the buttons do not work either, the board needs checking.

Dust on the blades reduces airflow and upsets the balance.

Dust that gets into the motor in storage dries out the bearings.

Usually the capacitor has weakened and cannot give the motor its starting push. Replacing it with the same value restores the fan.

On ceiling fans and pricier models, usually yes. On an inexpensive stand fan, the technician compares the rewinding cost with a new fan and tells you.

On No Frost models: food in the freezer is frozen but vegetables below are not cold.

Possible causes

• Ice blocking the air duct from a defrost fault
• The defrost heater or its sensor
• The freezer fan
• Food blocking the air vents

Solution: Move food away from the vents. If there is ice on the back wall, empty the fridge, put towels underneath and switch it off for a day with the doors open; if the problem returns within days, the defrost circuit needs checking.

Ice builds up quickly and the door has become hard to close.

Possible causes

• Normal in a defrost model if defrosting is overdue
• A door seal not closing
• The thermostat left at maximum

Solution: Switch the fridge off and let the ice melt on its own; never chip it with a knife or anything sharp or bring a flame near it, because the cooling tubes are thin and many fridges use a flammable refrigerant. If ice returns unusually fast, the seal or thermostat is the cause.

A puddle under the drawers or in front of the fridge.

Possible causes

• A blocked defrost drain hole
• The tray above the compressor out of place

Solution: Clear the hole at the bottom of the fridge with warm water. If it blocks again, the technician looks for the cause.

The light works but the whole fridge is not cooling and there is no motor sound.

Possible causes

• Low voltage
• The thermostat or relay on standard models
• The board driving the compressor on inverter fridges
• The compressor

Solution: Try another socket and check the thermostat is not at zero. The technician measures voltage and the relay or board before judging the compressor.

Before the ice is thicker than about half a centimetre; thick ice insulates against cooling.

Dust and a wall too close make the compressor run longer and hotter.

Not in a defrost model, where it is normal and needs melting from time to time. In a No Frost model, yes: ice on the back wall means the defrost cycle is not working.

It burns while you press and goes out when you let go.

Possible causes

• Not holding long enough
• A dirty thermocouple tip or one out of the flame
• The thermocouple itself

Solution: Hold for 10 to 15 seconds after lighting. Gently clean the copper tip beside the burner. If that does not help, the thermocouple is replaced.

No clicking, or clicking without the burner catching.

Possible causes

• The cooker is not plugged in
• A wet or greasy ignition electrode
• The ignition unit

Solution: Check the plug and dry the ignition electrode. If there is no spark at any burner, it is the ignition unit.

Long yellow flames instead of short blue ones.

Possible causes

• Burner holes blocked with food
• A misaligned cap
• Jets not matched to the gas type

Solution: Clean the holes and seat the cap properly. If you switched between a cylinder and mains gas, a technician must change the jets.

The oven heats but food cooks unevenly, or the light is off.

Possible causes

• The fan motor
• A blown bulb
• The switch or wiring

Solution: The bulb is changed once the oven is cold and unplugged. The fan motor requires removing the back panel.

The oven lights and goes out a few minutes later.

Possible causes

• The oven thermocouple
• The thermostat
• A door that does not shut properly

Solution: Make sure the door closes. If it continues, the oven thermocouple or thermostat needs checking.

If you wash them, let them dry completely before refitting; water on the ignition electrode stops the igniter working.

A cracked or dried-out hose is replaced straight away with a matching gas hose after closing the valve, and the joint is leak-tested with soapy water, never a flame. On mains gas, have a technician or the gas company do it.

That is the safety system: gas only flows once the thermocouple is heated by the flame. If you need to hold for more than 15 seconds, the thermocouple needs cleaning or replacing.

The indoor fan runs but the room does not cool.

Possible causes

• A dirty filter or evaporator
• The compressor not starting due to the capacitor or voltage
• The outdoor fan
• Low refrigerant from a leak

Solution: Clean the filter and, if you can reach the outdoor unit safely, feel the air coming from it. If it is not hot, the technician measures the capacitor and voltage before the refrigerant.

Water running from under the indoor unit down the wall.

Possible causes

• A blocked or level drain hose
• Ice melting off the evaporator

Solution: Make sure the hose slopes down all the way and its end is not in water. If there is ice, clean the filter and run on Fan until it melts.

The compressor runs for a few minutes, trips, then starts again.

Possible causes

• Low voltage
• A hot or dirty outdoor unit
• The compressor capacitor on fixed-speed models
• The inverter board on inverter models

Solution: Clear around the outdoor unit and shade it from direct sun if possible. Repeated tripping needs current and voltage measured while it runs.

You press buttons and the unit neither beeps nor starts.

Possible causes

• The remote's batteries
• The breaker or plug
• The receiver or indoor board

Solution: Replace the batteries and try the manual power button under the indoor unit's cover if there is one. If it starts that way, the remote is the problem.

In lukewarm water, and dry it in the shade before refitting.

The evaporator, condenser and drain path, before the heat begins.

Yes. An inverter slows the compressor once the room is cool instead of switching off. What matters is that the room reaches the set temperature; if it does not, there is a problem to inspect.

The timer runs out and the water is still cold.

Possible causes

• The magnetron
• The diode or capacitor
• The high-voltage fuse on some models

Solution: Needs a technician to discharge the capacitor and test these parts one by one.

No display, or the fuse blows whenever you shut the door.

Possible causes

• The door switches
• The main fuse
• The board

Solution: The fuse and door switches are inside the casing; replacing them means opening the microwave and discharging the capacitor, so leave it to a technician. The fuse should not be replaced without checking the door switches, as they are usually the cause.

Blue flashes or popping sounds.

Possible causes

• Metal or foil inside
• Burnt grease on the small cover over the waveguide opening

Solution: Stop it at once. That cover is replaced with a piece cut to size, and without it the magnetron gets damaged.

On grill models: microwave heating works but the grill stays cold.

Possible causes

• An open grill element
• The switch or board

Solution: A technician measures the element; if open, it is replaced, and the microwave function keeps working until then.

With a damp cloth once it is cool, without spraying water into the openings.

Running it with no food or water reflects the energy back into the magnetron.

The fuse protects the oven, and repeated blowing means there is a cause, usually a door switch or a high-voltage part. Replacing it without finding the cause wastes fuses and can damage other parts, and that check is inside the casing, so it is a technician's job.