Fix the Move

Out of all the things on appliances, the things that are most likely to break are the things that move.

On most appliances, this means you should look at your fans and motors if something has gone wrong.

Some of these are a quick fix and you can do yourself. Others are rather labor intensive and difficult, and you should give us a call if you run into those problems!

Looking sharp!

Did you know that garbage disposal blades dull with time? It makes them less effective at chopping up food bits.

One of the easiest ways to keep them sharp is to put ice down the disposal while its running.

This sharpens the blades and keeps them working great!

For an added bonus, throw some lemon down there to keep it smelling fresh!

#1 thing to remember with all appliances

Preventative care is always better than corrective care. This means that upkeeping your appliances, such as keeping them clean, is much less expensive than having to replace a part or all of it.

We are dedicated to help you know your options with both needs. We run this blog to help give you preventative tips, and also run our business to help you get your appliances working like they need to.

Give us a call or stop in today if you're in need of help!

The Miracle Cleaner

So many cleaners have very harsh chemicals. Some that even encourage you to wear a mask, have flowing air, or take very frequent breaks from using it. There is one that cleaner that we always recommend that has none of the negative side effects: white vinegar.

The thing that makes vinegar such a good cleaner is the acetic acid. It helps clean away dirt, grime, and germs.

Its safe to clean your washer, dryer, fridge, oven, freezer, microwave, or just about anywhere else. If you're into green and safe chemicals, it the perfect option to switch to.

Life span of appliances

Eventually your appliances will wear out. Here is the average lifespan of some of the most common ones:

Appliance	Years
Air-Conditioners	8-15
Boilers	20-35
Compactors	6
Dehumidifiers	8
Dishwashers	9
Disposers, Food waste	12
Dryers	13
Exhaust Fans	10
Freezers	10-20
Furnaces	15-25
Gas Ovens	10-18
Heat Pumps	16
Humidifiers	8
Microwave Ovens	9
Range/Oven Hoods	14
Electric Ranges	13-15
Gas Ranges	15-17
Refrigerators	9-13
Washing Machine	5 -15
Water Heaters	10-11

Christmas is Coming! Is Your Oven Ready?

If you're wanting to ensure that your Christmas dinner goes off without a hitch, NOW is the time to check your appliances. If you find that your appliance is in need of maintenance or a new appliance, call us at 208-385-9074 or stop by 530 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706 Mon-Fri 9:30AM-5:30PM.

The Month of Smells, Week 4: Garbage Disposal

This is the appliance that probably gets the least amount of cleaning, because you never know when to clean it until it is in desperate need. Luckily cleaning it is a piece of cake! Here's the best tips:

• Put citrus peels down the disposal. 
• Plink - a garbage disposal cleaner 
• Don't overload it. Give it stuff it can handle.
• Baking soda and white vinegar 

Garbage Disposal Maintenance

You almost never think about your garbage disposal. You wash bit of food off the dish you were washing and down into the drain to be grinded up. After that, you don't worry about your garbage disposal again until its time to start over. However, failing to do the proper maintenance can be a costly and smelly mistake. Here are the top maintenance habits you should have for your garbage disposal:

Run!
Run your garbage disposal often, even f you're not disposing of anything. This prevents rust and buildup.

Clean the blades
Pour some dish soup and let it run for a minute.

Back to the grind
food materials such as chicken and fish bones, egg shells, and fruit pits are not only ok but good for the garbage disposal. They scrape and clean material off of the blades and the walls.

Not the whole enchilada
Big items should be cut into smaller bits so they don't overwhelm the disposal.

One of the best ways to raise your property value

Boise's housing market has recently seen a major boom. So much so, that the market can't keep up with the demand. If you're wanting to make your house more appealing to potential buyers, you have to make your house stand out. One of the best ways to make your house more appealing is to get new appliances, like stoves, fridges, and washers and dryers. Its such a good method, HGTV ranked it among it's top 10 ways to raise property value.

If your appliance is in need of an upgrade, come see us today!

Garbage Disposal Problems

Garbage disposals are a nifty addition to the modern kitchen. It eliminates waste so easily you literally just throw it down the drain. However, this appliance occasionally needs maintenance. Here are two of the most common problems and fixes for them:

1. If you (or your kids) put too much down the disposal, and it's not working, there's an incredibly easy fix. First, fish out as much out of the drain as you can. After that, look under the sink and look at the actual disposal. On the bottom there should be a button which  resets it. You should be good to go.
2. If the motor is running, but the blades aren't spinning, you may have something jamming the blades. If you can't get it out with your hand, there's still an easy fix. Grab an Allen wrench and turn the bottom bolt of the disposal. This positions the blades to where you should be able to get the jam out.

If you need any other maintenance help, give us a call!

De-stink Your Sink!

Garbage disposals have to do a lot, and its no surprise that they periodically need to be cleaned. Luckily, doing so is super easy and quick. Here's how you do it:

Pour half a cup of baking soda down the disposal, then pour a full cup of white vinegar on top of it. This will make it all fizzy sounding, which is normal. Let it sit for a couple minutes. In the mean time, go boil a kettle or pot of water. Once it is boiling, pour the water down the sink. This helps get things loose easy to clean off.

After that, put two drinking glasses of ice down the disposal. Then grab rock salt (normal salt will work, just not as well) and put it over the ice. Turn the sink's water on and turn the disposal on. Keep the disposal on until you can't see the ice anymore. This gets the gunk off of the blades of the disposal.

After that, keep running the water and the disposal and get the citrus of your choice, a lemon, orange, or lime, and put them down the sink. This helps deodorize your now clean sink!

7 Top Hints When Working on Your Appliance

1. Be aware of sharp edges
2. Tie back long hair
3. Wear proper safety gear
4. Unplug the Appliance
5. Work in well lit areas
6. Remove all jewelry
7. Lift with your legs, not your back

If you're unsure about doing any work on your own appliance, call us at 208-344-6700 or stop by at 609 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706

Are you Cooking Christmas Dinner?

If you're cooking Christmas dinner, it might be a good time to check your appliances. Are they ready to handle the load of cooking for a whole family? If your appliances are up to the job, we can help.

Call us at
(208) 385-9074

Visit us at
www.wesappliance.com

Or stop by at
530 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706

When an appliance is old and isn’t working efficiently, it’s easy to decide to replace rather than repair the machine — may it rest in peace.

But appliances often break before their time, making the repair-or-replace decision harder.

If money is tight, you may have to repair the appliance and hope for the best. But if you’ve got some coin, then replacing with a new, energy-efficient model often is the better way to go.

That’s a lot of ifs, and the repair-or-replace dilemma often is hard to resolve. Here are some guidelines that will help you decide.

How to Follow the 50% Rule

In 2014, the average cost to repair an appliance was $254 to $275. Should you pay it?

If an appliance is more than 50% through its lifespan, and if the cost of one repair is more than 50% of the cost of buying new, then you should replace rather than repair.

To do the math, you’ll have to know the typical lifespan (see above), and get a repair estimate. Most service companies charge a “trip charge” to diagnose the problem. These charges vary widely, so be sure to ask when you arrange the appointment.  If the company repairs the appliance, the trip charge typically is waived.

How to Calculate Whether Energy Efficiency is Cost Effective

New water-saving and energy-efficient appliances can be cost effective: A modern refrigerator, for instance, uses roughly half the electricity of one built 20 years ago.

But replacing energy clunkers that still have miles left on them may not be a money-wise move. You might spend thousands on an appliance in order to save hundreds (if you’re lucky) on your energy bill.

Jill A. Notini of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers says if you’re planning on staying in your home for 10 to 15 years, upgrading appliances is a good idea. However, if you’re planning on moving soon, you’ll save money by keeping your older appliances, and letting the new owners upgrade to energy-efficient models.

When to Repair or Replace Your Appliance 1/2

When an appliance is old and isn’t working efficiently, it’s easy to decide to replace rather than repair the machine — may it rest in peace.

But appliances often break before their time, making the repair-or-replace decision harder.

If money is tight, you may have to repair the appliance and hope for the best. But if you’ve got some coin, then replacing with a new, energy-efficient model often is the better way to go.

That’s a lot of ifs, and the repair-or-replace dilemma often is hard to resolve. Here are some guidelines that will help you decide.

Is It Really Broken?

When appliances stop working, we get so rattled that the obvious escapes us. Before you panic, make sure:

•     The appliance is plugged in.
•     Circuit breakers haven’t tripped. (I once replaced a blender only to discover that the circuit needed resetting.)
•     Flooring hasn’t become uneven, which can stop some appliances from turning on.
•     Vents and filters aren’t clogged with lint and dust.

Is It Still Under Warranty?

Check your owner’s manual or records to see if the sick appliance is still under warranty. Most warranties on major appliances cover labor and parts for a year; some extend coverage of parts for two years. If it’s still covered, schedule a service call.

Is It Truly at the End of Its Useful Life?

Appliances have an average useful life — the typical lifespan after which the machine is running on borrowed time. The closer your appliance is to its hypothetical past due date, the wiser it is to replace, rather than repair.


Here are the typical lifespans of major appliances.  

Appliance            Average Lifespan (Years)
Compactor                            6
Dishwasher                           9
Disposal                               12
Dryer                                    13
Exhaust Fan                          10
Freezer                                  11
Microwave                            9
Range, electric                      13
Range, gas                             15
Range/oven hood                  14
Refrigerator                           13
Washer                                   10

Estimate your appliance and home electronics energy usage!

The U.S. Department of Energy has created a nifty tool to calculate how much it costs to run any and all appliances!

Click here to try it out!

If you have any other questions call us at

208-344-6700

or stop by our location at

609 N Orchard st, Boise

A couple helpful tips!

Your appliance is on the fritz. Its making a "THUD, CLUNK, THUD, CLUNK" noise, and you're just not sure what to do. Before you buy a new one or have someone come out to fix it, find out the make and model of the appliance. When you know the make and model of the appliance you are needing repaired, it will help us pre-diagnose the problem.

Some sort of hose broke on your appliance, and it just stopped working. If you happen to know the part number of the part that needs replacing, we'll be able to get a new part ordered super fast for you!

Call us at Wes;s Appliance at 208-385-9074 or stop by at
530 N Orchard St, Boise, ID 83706 for more help or information!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I bet you've never been wished a Merry Christmas

by an appliance store before huh?

When the Holidays are over, call us at 208-385-9074

To Replace, or Not to Replace?

To replace, or not to replace? That is the question. Whether its more cost effective to repair, or simply spring for a new model.

When it comes to appliances like ovens and fridges, Angie's List recommends using a "cost+age" formula to determine whether to replace or repair.  If the repair of an appliance will cost more than half the price of buying a new one, and if it's nearing the end of its useful life, replace it.

"If the consumer made an initial investment in that that was pretty large and they can get it fixed for a couple hundred dollars, they may opt to repair," says Ryan Wagner, an appliance store manager.

Angie's List research shows that there are still plenty of repair people in the industry for when you need them, and we're one of them! Call us at 208-344-6700 anytime!

10 DIY Maintenence Tips : Part 2

We all have that fear. Your washing machine breaks in the middle of a cycle, flooding your laundry room. Your refrigerator shuts down after you just restocked with groceries. Or your oven stops working just before a large holiday meal. What many people don't realize is that these and other major appliance malfunctions can be avoided with just a little TLC.

There are simple appliance maintenance tasks that you can do on your own, with little investment (time or money) and no prior experience. Here are the last five of ten easy DIY tips for maintaining your appliances.

6. Fix rusty dish rack tines. Rust on the tines of your dishwasher racks can adhere to and ruin your dishes and silverware. To solve this issue, purchase a tine repair kit, and use a sealant to adhere the replacement tips over any rusty or chipped tines. Let dry for at least 24 hours before running the dishwasher.

7. Clean and deodorize your garbage disposal. Turn the disposal off and look down the drain for any large, stuck items. Use tongs or another tool--not your hands--to remove blockages. Pour a mixture of ice cubes and salt, or vinegar down the drain. Run cold water over it for 10 seconds, and turn on the unit. To remove odors, place a handful of citrus peels in the disposal, run cold water, and turn it on.

8. Clean your dryer exhaust. Lint in the dryer exhaust not only reduces appliance efficiency, it is a fire hazard. To clean, loosen the clamp and pull the exhaust off the back of the dryer. Remove large clumps of lint from the tubing and the hole in the back with your hands, or if you can't reach, gently scrape with a straightened coat hanger. Vacuum and reattach.

9. Inspect washing machine hoses. Most washing machine floods are caused by leaks in the hose. Check the hoses that connect to the back panel on your washing machine for any cracks, leaks, or weak spots on the hoses. If you find any deformities, replace the hose. And at minimum, replace the hoses every five years.

10. Clean your air conditioner filter. Clogged or dirty filters restrict air flow, reducing energy efficiency as well as the appliance's lifespan. As a result, filters should be cleaned every two to four weeks. To clean the filter, remove the front panel of the unit. If a reusable filter is in place, vacuum it to remove as much dirt as possible. Disposable filters can simply be replaced.

Follow these quick and easy repair tips to keep your appliances running like new.