We use our appliances more than the average family, so they are often in need of maintenance and/or repair. We also try to be frugal, so that means when an appliance breaks down, we check to see if we can safely fix it ourselves before calling a repairman.
Please observe all safety precautions before attempting any type of home repair!
We recently were able to use a great FREE online repair resource: RepairClinic.com. Not only can you find parts for just about any home appliance, you can also see answers to common repair problems, and whether or not you should try to repair them yourself. If those resources don’t help you, you can write directly to the Repair Guru and ask a specific question, and they will answer it, and suggest the parts
you need.
Here’s the fun part – if you buy the parts from them, it helps to keep this service absolutely FREE. And, if they suggest a part and it doesn’t solve your problem, they refund the cost of the part AND pay for return shipping.
Recently our gas dryer broke down, and I used the RepairClinic to diagnose the problem – they suggested two tiny parts, which cost less than $30 including shipping. The parts arrived promptly, and my 12-year-old son was able to replace the parts on his own!
Fixing your own appliances as much as possible, with the help of a great online repair assistant, definitely works for me! For other great tips, head over to We Are THAT Family, and for more frugal ideas, check out Life As Mom.
October 2010 update – we had to fix our dryer…again. Our experience was even better!
Wow, I had never heard of that before, what a great idea and service.
Thanks!
Hi. I was just surfing around some blogs, and I came across yours. It’s pretty nifty and I’m really enjoying my stay here. I’ve bookmarked your site for daily visits, and I hope you’ll visit me. I’d love to have you.
Have a great day and I’ll see you around the blogosphere. 
Can you believe we are having problems with our gas dryer just now too?? Time to hop over to that website. Timely blog!
Great! I hope it helps and that it’s a simple problem. I don’t even want to blog about our washer – the $75 used replacement we bought in December died two weeks ago, and I’m doing laundry next door at my mom’s, then lugging it over to the line, or to the dryer. It’s not worth fixing. We’re looking at purchasing our first front-loader – any suggestions?