Appliance Repair in Roxborough

Roxborough follows Ridge Avenue along the high ground between the Schuylkill and the Wissahickon. Close to Ridge, the housing is mostly brick rowhouses and twins; toward Upper Roxborough and Andorra it opens into larger twins and single homes, many with driveways or detached garages, and some built of the gray Wissahickon schist quarried in this part of the city.

Below the ridge sits Manayunk, and the two share a lot of hillside streets and steep driveways. Across 19128, those driveways and garages give households room for a second refrigerator, a chest freezer or a garage laundry setup, and each of those brings its own seasonal problems.

A refrigerator with an ice maker in a detached garage needs a water line, and in January that line is often the first thing to fail. A frozen tube stops ice production; a split one leaks when it thaws. Run the supply through the warm side of the wall where possible, and shut it off for the deepest part of winter if the garage isn't heated.

Washers in unheated garages are at risk too. Water left in the pump and hoses after the last cycle can freeze and crack them. If yours lives in the garage, disconnect and drain the hoses before a hard freeze, or keep the space above freezing.

Thick stone walls are part of the charm of Roxborough's older houses, but they make it hard to reroute a dryer vent or a water line. As a result, we often find dryer vents running long distances to reach an exterior opening, with several bends that cut airflow. Long, restricted vents make dryers run hot, trip thermal fuses and take two cycles to dry a load.

Kitchens in these homes have usually been remodeled at least once, sometimes with panel-ready refrigerators and dishwashers built into custom cabinets. Those units are serviceable, but sliding one out of a cabinet run takes care, and the technician will check the condenser and ventilation grille that often get blocked by trim.

Dishwashers in remodeled kitchens should drain through a high loop or an air gap so dirty water can't siphon back from the sink. When that loop is missing, dishes come out with a film and the tub smells sour between runs. It is an easy fix the technician will point out if it is missing.

Steep driveways and front walks are common on Roxborough's hillside lots, and in January they ice over quickly. If snow or ice is forecast on the day of your visit, clearing and salting the path to the door you want used makes the visit faster and safer, especially when a technician is carrying a heavy part.

Let us know whether the driveway can take a van or whether street parking is better. On narrow streets along the ridge, a note about where to stop for a few minutes while unloading is useful.

Homes that back onto the Wissahickon's wooded edge see more wildlife, and mice are the ones that cause appliance trouble. They nest in the warm insulation around ovens and dishwashers and chew wiring under refrigerators. Symptoms range from a burning smell when the oven heats to a dishwasher that suddenly won't start.

If you find droppings near an appliance, have the pest problem handled first, then have the appliance checked. Chewed wiring has to be repaired properly, not taped, and the technician will look for damage in the harness and the insulation before putting the unit back in service.

Prevention is mostly about gaps. Sealing the openings where water and gas lines pass through the floor or wall behind the range and dishwasher, and keeping crumbs swept from under the refrigerator, removes the easiest routes in.