The trouble chart · Tulsa, OK
Common appliance problems
Find what your appliance is doing, the parts that usually cause it, and what Colby looks at first. Each line opens a page with checks you can safely try.
- Colby answers his own phone
- Most visits within 48 hours, often same day
- Diagnostic fee waived when he does the repair
Every appliance
What’s your appliance doing?
Grouped by appliance, from the refrigerator to the garbage disposal.
| If your… | It’s usually… | Colby checks |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator not cooling | Dust-caked condenser coils, a condenser or evaporator fan that quit, or a bad start relay | The fans, the condenser, the start relay, then defrost |
| Refrigerator leaking water | A frozen or clogged defrost drain, a cracked water line, or a loose filter housing | The drain line, the drain pan and the water connections |
| Refrigerator making noise | A fan blade scraping ice or wearing out, or a compressor working harder than it should | Which fan is loud, ice around the blades, the compressor |
| Refrigerator won’t turn on | A tripped breaker or dead outlet, a failed control board, or a bad thermostat | Power at the outlet, the control board, the thermostat |
| Fridge freezer not freezing | A defrost heater or thermostat that failed, so the coil ices over and blocks the cold air | Frost on the back panel, the defrost parts, the fan |
| Freezer not freezing | A worn door seal, a failed defrost part, an evaporator fan, or a compressor that won’t start | The door seal, the defrost system, the fan, the relay |
| Frost building up in the freezer | A door that doesn’t seal, or a defrost heater, timer or thermostat that stopped working | The gasket and each part of the defrost circuit |
| Ice maker not making ice | A water inlet valve that won’t open, a frozen fill tube, or a freezer that isn’t cold enough | Water to the valve, the fill tube, the freezer’s temperature |
| Ice maker leaking | A cracked fill cup, a loose supply line, or a valve that won’t shut all the way | The supply line, the inlet valve, where the water lands |
| Washer won’t drain | A sock or coin in the drain pump, a kinked drain hose, or a pump motor that stopped | The pump and its filter, then the hose and standpipe |
| Washer won’t spin | A lopsided load, a lid switch or door lock, a worn drive belt, or a motor coupling | The lid switch or door lock, the belt, the coupling |
| Washer leaking | A torn door boot on a front-loader, worn fill hoses, or a pump or tub seal giving out | Where it drips during the fill, the wash and the drain |
| Washer won’t start | A door lock or lid switch that doesn’t latch, a control board, or a timer | Power, the lock or switch, and the controls |
| Washer shaking or loud | Worn shock absorbers or suspension springs, a washer that isn’t level, or tub bearings | The level, the shocks and springs, the bearings |
| Washer won’t fill | Supply valves turned off, clogged inlet screens, or a water inlet valve that failed | The supply valves, the inlet screens, the valve coils |
| Dryer not heating | A blown thermal fuse, an open heating element, or a gas igniter or valve coil that failed | The fuse, the element or igniter, then the vent |
| Dryer won’t start | A door switch that doesn’t close, a blown fuse in the start circuit, or a motor that stalls | The outlet, then the door switch, fuse and motor in turn |
| Dryer takes too long to dry | Lint packed in the vent run most of the time; now and then a weak element or thermostat | Airflow at the outside vent first, then the heat |
| Dryer making noise | A worn idler pulley, drum rollers or glides, or a blower wheel with something caught in it | The pulley, the rollers, the glides and the blower |
| Dryer drum not turning | A drive belt that snapped, or an idler pulley that came apart and let the belt go slack | The belt, the pulley, and whether the motor runs |
| Dishwasher won’t drain | A clogged filter, food in the drain pump, or a drain hose kinked or blocked at the sink | The filter, the pump, the drain hose under the sink |
| Dishwasher not cleaning | Clogged spray arms, a dirty filter, a weak wash pump, or water that isn’t getting hot | The spray arms, the filter, the wash pump, the water heat |
| Dishwasher leaking | A worn door gasket, a loose water connection, a cracked hose, or a pump seal | Whether it drips at the door, underneath, or at the valve |
| Dishwasher won’t start | A door latch switch, a blown thermal fuse, a control board, or the child lock left on | The latch, the controls, and power at the junction box |
| Dishwasher not drying | A failed heating element, an empty rinse-aid dispenser, or a vent or fan that stopped | The heating element, the vent, the rinse-aid setting |
| Oven not heating | A burned-out bake element in an electric oven; a weak igniter in a gas one | The element or igniter, the gas valve, the sensor |
| Oven temperature wrong | A temperature sensor that reads off, a weak igniter, or a door that lets heat escape | The sensor’s reading, the igniter and the door seal |
| Oven won’t turn on | No power or gas reaching it, a failed control board, or a thermal fuse that tripped | Power and gas supply, the control and the fuse |
| Oven door won’t close | Broken door hinges, worn hinge springs, or a door knocked off its hinges | The hinges, the springs and how the door lines up |
| Gas burner won’t light | A wet or cracked spark igniter, a burner cap sitting crooked, or ports clogged with food | The igniter, the cap and ports, the spark module |
| Electric burner not heating | A coil burner or its socket burned out, a radiant element that failed, or a burner switch | The element, its socket, the burner’s control switch |
| Stove igniter keeps clicking | A spark switch stuck on, often after a spill or a wipe-down, or moisture in the burner | The spark switches, the module, and any moisture |
| Garbage disposal humming | Something wedged between the plate and the grinding ring, or a motor that has seized | The jam, the reset button and the motor itself |
Before you call
Five checks that solve more than you’d think
Smell gas? Don’t touch any switches. Leave the house and call your gas company from outside. Unplug an appliance before you move it or reach behind it.
Questions
Appliance problems: questions people ask
QWhat if my problem isn’t on the chart?
ACall or text anyway. The chart covers the calls Colby gets most often, not everything he fixes. Describe what the appliance is doing, and he’ll take it from there.
QCan Colby tell what’s wrong before he comes out?
ASometimes he can narrow it down from a description and a photo, which helps him arrive with the likely part. The real answer comes from testing the appliance in your home.
QDo you charge to come out?
AYes. There’s a diagnostic fee for the visit, and if you have Colby do the repair, the diagnostic fee is waived.
QHow soon can you come?
AMost appointments are within 48 hours, many within 24, and often the same day. Call or text and Colby will give you the soonest time he has.
Rather type it out?
Send Colby a request
Tell us what's wrong and how to reach you. Colby will call or text you back.
- Calls and texts(918) 992-4002
- Tulsa, Oklahomaand the towns around it
- Texting?A photo of the model tag helps Colby know what he’s working on.
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