subject: When to Call For Cooker Repairs and When to Buy a New Appliance [print this page] When to Call For Cooker Repairs and When to Buy a New Appliance
Cookers are one of the most important appliances in your home. Your entire family will notice a breakdown and it will throw a kink in both your schedule and your diet. But how will you know when it's time to buy a new appliance and when cooker repairs will get things up and running again?
The extent of the repair is often a good clue.
Small Cosmetic Repairs
There are a wide variety of cosmetic problems that can arise with your cooker and none of them require investing in a new appliance. When the oven handle breaks, a quick visit from the repair technician will fix the problem. Likewise if the interior light is no longer working you can try to fix this yourself or have the repair engineer come over.
Often problems with the door are simply cosmetic. Door hinges can get loose or worn, causing heat loss due to a poor fit. But this is an easy fix for a qualified repair technician and will not result in a massive bill.
More Complicated But Still In the Realm of Repair
There are a bunch of repairs that may be more involved, but they still do not require a replacement appliance. The fan is an essential part of the cooker and the fan motor may need replacement. Although this isn't something you can do on your own, a professional can handle this repair job and have the cooker working again quickly.
The oven elements on the cooker's hotplates may also burn out or wear out and need to be replaced. On older or traditionally designed models a hotplate replacement is easy, although smooth top cookers may be more difficult. Element replacement is also a good job for a repair engineer and will allow you to use your appliance again quickly.
It's Time to Go Shopping for a New Appliance
After the cooker has been through a number of repairs, especially if they are in similar areas, it may be a better idea to buy a new unit instead of calling in the technician again. Keep track of the repairs that are done on the appliance (and possibly the cost of those repairs) and set a limit on the number of calls you are willing to make. Once the cooker has exceeded that limit it's time to go shopping.
Always be sure that you read up on an appliance's reliability record before purchasing it. You wouldn't want to invest the money in a new appliance, only to be calling in the repair company again soon after the purchase is complete.
