Appliance Repair in West Chester

West Chester is the seat of Chester County, and its borough center around High and Gay streets has rows of brick and stone townhouses, Victorian homes and twins, many of them well over a century old. The 19380 and 19382 ZIPs also cover the surrounding townships, including West Goshen, East Goshen, Westtown and East Bradford, where post-war ranches, newer colonials, townhouse communities and some older farmhouses are common.

That range means a repair in West Chester can mean a basement washer under a narrow stair in a borough townhouse or a second-floor laundry room in a newer house a few miles away. When you book, tell us which kind of home it is and where the appliance sits.

West Chester University is one of the largest universities in the state system, and many houses and apartments in and around the borough are rented to students. Rentals tend to have hard-working, mid-range appliances that see a lot of loads and a lot of door openings.

Common rental calls include washers that stop draining because socks or small items have reached the pump, dryers with clogged lint paths, and refrigerators with doors that don't seal after being slammed for years. We work with landlords and property managers and can schedule around tenants and send estimates to the owner for approval.

Between leases is a good time for a check: run every appliance through a full cycle, clean the dryer lint path all the way to the outside hood, and look under the sink for drips from the dishwasher connection. Small problems found in an empty unit are easier to fix than ones reported mid-semester.

Older borough townhouses have narrow fronts, steep interior stairs and basements with low ceilings. Laundry is often in the basement near the water heater, and dryer vents exit through a small window or the rear wall. Street parking downtown can be tight, so tell us if there is a rear alley, a driveway or a nearby place the technician can park.

Moving a refrigerator or range out for repair in these houses can be a puzzle. The technician may need to remove refrigerator doors or protect floors and trim, and will talk you through it before starting.

Inside these townhouses, kitchens are usually narrow and at the back, with the range against an outside wall. An older gas range that lights slowly, or an oven that takes far longer than it used to to reach temperature, often has a weak oven igniter. The technician measures the igniter's current draw rather than guessing, because a slow igniter can look like a bad gas valve.

Homes in the surrounding townships usually have basements, attached garages and sump pumps. Summer storms test those sump pumps, and a basement full of water is a reason to keep appliances unplugged until they're inspected. Winter brings the opposite problem: garage refrigerators that stop cooling when the space is cold and outdoor water lines that freeze.

If you ever smell gas near a range, dryer or water heater, leave the house and call PECO or your gas utility, or 911, from outside. Gas valves and connections are not do-it-yourself repairs.