5 Things to Do Every Year to Keep Your Appliances Running (And Avoid a Weekend Emergency Call)

You know the feeling. The washer stops mid-cycle. The fridge starts making a noise you’ve never heard before. The dishwasher leaves a puddle on the floor. It always happens on a Saturday evening, right when you’ve got a load of laundry half-done or a houseful of guests.

I’ve been inside thousands of appliances across Denton, Little Elm, Frisco, and Lewisville. Most of the time, the problem that forced that emergency call could have been caught with a 10-minute walkthrough once a year. Not fancy maintenance. Just smart checks that tell you what’s actually going on inside the machine.

Here’s what you can do yourself. No tools required for most of it.

“I followed these steps on a Friday night instead of waiting. Found the dryer vent was packed. Cleaned it out myself. Saved a weekend service call and probably a fire. — Mark R., Denton”

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1. Pull the Fridge Away and Clean the Condenser Coils

The condenser coils are the radiator for your refrigerator. They sit underneath or behind the unit. When they get caked in dust, pet hair, and kitchen grime, the compressor has to work twice as hard to keep things cold. That extra strain shortens the life of the compressor — the most expensive part in the whole fridge.

What to do: Unplug the fridge. Pull it out from the wall. Use a vacuum with a brush attachment to clean the coils. If you’ve got a brush from a hardware store, run it through the fins to loosen the deep stuff. Do this twice a year if you have pets.

Common Mistake: People vacuum only the visible surface. The dust packs down between the fins. You need to actually brush through the fins to break it loose, then vacuum. Skip that, and you’re just polishing the top layer.

What it’s telling you: If the coils are clean but the fridge still runs constantly, you might have a failing compressor or a bad start relay. That’s not a DIY fix. A new compressor runs $400–$600 installed. Trying to fix it yourself with no refrigerant handling license will cost you more in the long run. Call a tech.

Condenser coil location (typical North Texas fridge — Frigidaire/GE side-by-side): (Annotated photo: coils are behind the lower front kickplate on most Frigidaire and GE models. On Whirlpool/Maytag, they’re underneath the back panel. On Samsung/LG, they’re behind the back panel inside. Check your model.)

| Item | DIY Cost | Pro Repair Cost | |——|———-|—————–| | Condenser coil cleaning | Free (your vacuum) | $150 call-out fee | | Compressor replacement | Not DIY (refrigerant license required) | $400–$600 installed | | Start relay replacement | $15–$30 part | $150–$200 |

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2. Check the Washing Machine Drain Pump Filter

Most front-load washers and many newer top-loaders have a small door on the lower front panel. Behind it is the drain pump filter. This is where coins, socks, paper clips, and mystery lint end up. When that filter clogs, the machine won’t drain. Water sits in the drum. It smells. It can leak.

What to do: Open the little door. Put a towel down — water will come out. Unscrew the filter cap (usually a quarter turn). Pull out whatever is in there. Check the impeller inside the pump for debris. Put it back.

Common Mistake: Forgetting to put the filter cap back on tight. If it’s loose, it’ll leak during the drain cycle. Also, people shove the towel under the door but forget the water comes out with force. Put a shallow pan under it.

What it’s telling you: If the filter is clean but the washer still won’t drain, the drain pump itself may be dead or the drain hose is kinked. Replacing a pump is a simple job for a tech, but if you force the machine to keep running with a bad pump, you can burn out the control board. That’s a $300 mistake. S&W Service & Repair LLC handles drain pump replacements on Whirlpool, Maytag, LG, and Samsung washers every week.

| Item | DIY Cost | Pro Repair Cost | |——|———-|—————–| | Drain pump filter cleaning | Free | $150 call-out fee | | Drain pump replacement | $50–$80 part | $150–$200 installed | | Control board replacement | Not recommended | $300+ |

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3. Listen to the Dishwasher While It Runs

Stand in front of the dishwasher during the wash cycle. You’re listening for a grinding or rattling sound. That’s usually a broken piece of glass or a bone that’s gotten into the chopper blade or the drain pump. If you ignore it, that debris can score the pump housing or jam the impeller.

What to do: Open the door mid-cycle (pause it first). Look at the bottom of the tub. You’ll see the filter screen and the spray arm. Remove the filter. Check for anything hard lodged in the drain pump inlet. Clear it out.

Common Mistake: Running the dishwasher again after clearing debris without checking the chopper blade. If the blade is chipped, it’ll keep breaking down and eventually crack the pump housing. Also, don’t use a screwdriver to pry out debris — you’ll scratch the pump housing.

What it’s telling you: If you clear the debris and the noise comes back, you’ve got a failing drain pump or a broken chopper blade. The chopper is part of the pump assembly on many KitchenAid and Bosch models. A new pump runs about $150–$200 installed. Running it with a broken chopper can crack the pump housing and flood your kitchen floor. That’s a water damage claim waiting to happen.

| Item | DIY Cost | Pro Repair Cost | |——|———-|—————–| | Debris removal | Free | $150 call-out fee | | Drain pump replacement | $60–$100 part | $150–$200 installed | | Chopper blade assembly | $30–$50 part | $150–$200 |

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4. Test the Oven Door Seal and Hinge

The oven door gasket is the rubber seal that keeps heat inside. If it’s torn, flattened, or missing a chunk, your oven has to work harder to hold temperature. That means longer cook times and higher energy bills. The door hinge is also common — it can sag or break, which causes the door to not close tight.

What to do: Open the oven door. Run your hand along the gasket. Look for cracks or areas where the gasket is no longer making contact with the door frame. Close the door and check for gaps. If the door itself feels loose or doesn’t stay open at the halfway point, the hinge springs are worn.

Common Mistake: Buying a universal gasket instead of the exact model number part. They rarely fit right. Also, don’t try to adjust the hinge yourself — the springs are under tension and can snap. I’ve seen people lose a fingernail.

What it’s telling you: A bad gasket is a $40 part and a 15-minute swap. A broken hinge on a range or oven door is more involved — you have to remove the door, and some models have tension springs that can snap. Getting it wrong can leave you with a door that won’t close or one that slams shut on your hand. That’s a trip to urgent care. If the hinge feels off, call a tech.

| Item | DIY Cost | Pro Repair Cost | |——|———-|—————–| | Gasket replacement | $30–$50 part | $100–$150 installed | | Hinge replacement | Not recommended | $150–$250 |

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5. Clean the Dryer Lint Trap Housing and Vent

Everyone cleans the lint trap. Most people never clean the housing behind it or the vent pipe that runs to the outside. That’s where the real fire hazard lives. Lint builds up in the vent, restricting airflow. The dryer runs hotter, takes longer, and eventually the thermal fuse blows. Or worse.

What to do: Pull the lint trap out. Use a vacuum with a crevice tool to suck out the lint from the trap housing. Then disconnect the dryer vent from the back of the machine. Vacuum out the vent pipe. Clean the outside vent cover. Do this once a year minimum. For a full walkthrough, check out our post on how to clean dryer vent.

Common Mistake: Not disconnecting the vent from the back of the dryer. Just cleaning the trap housing doesn’t clear the pipe. Also, people use a leaf blower to blow lint out — that just packs it deeper. Vacuum from both ends.

What it’s telling you: If you clean the vent and the dryer still doesn’t dry well, the problem might be a failed heating element, a bad thermistor, or a broken belt. A new heating element on a Samsung or LG dryer runs about $200 installed. Ignoring the airflow issue can melt the plastic housing around the heating element and cause a fire. That’s not a repair — that’s a rebuild.

| Item | DIY Cost | Pro Repair Cost | |——|———-|—————–| | Lint trap housing cleaning | Free | $150 call-out fee | | Vent pipe cleaning | $20 brush kit | $150–$200 | | Heating element replacement | $50–$80 part | $200 installed |

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When to Stop and Call a Pro

These five checks will catch 80 percent of the common problems I see on calls in Denton, Little Elm, Frisco, Lewisville, and the rest of North Texas. If you find something obvious — a clogged filter, a dirty coil, a broken gasket — you can handle it. If the machine still acts up after you’ve done the basics, stop poking around.

The mistake I see most often: a homeowner tries to fix a control board or a sealed system themselves, breaks a wire connector, and turns a $250 repair into a $600 one. Or they mess with refrigerant lines and end up with a dead compressor.

S&W Service & Repair LLC works on all major brands — Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, LG, Samsung, KitchenAid, Frigidaire, Bosch, Kenmore, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking. We also handle Old Republic Home Protection warranty work orders, so if you’ve got a warranty, we can take care of the paperwork.

If you’ve run through these checks and your appliance still isn’t right, give us a call at 817-403-2174 or book online. We’ll have a tech out to your place in Denton, Little Elm, Frisco, Lewisville, or any of the surrounding cities. No fluff. Just a fix that works.

Need appliance repair in North Texas? Book a service appointment or contact the S&W team and we will get your appliance running again.