★ Written for Arizona homes
Repair guides and tools
Pinal & Maricopa County
Everything we know that you can use without calling us. If you can fix it yourself, go ahead. We'd rather tell you that than charge you to come out and say it.
Free tools
Use them right now. Free, and no email required.
- Free tool · 1 minute What's wrong with it? Pick the appliance and the symptom. See the likely causes, one safe check, and whether it needs a visit. Find out what's wrong →
- Free tool · 1 minute Repair or replace calculator Enter the age and the quote you were given. It compares the cost per remaining year and shows its working. Run the numbers →
- Free · by text Maintenance reminders A text two or three times a year telling you the job that matters that month. No newsletter, no sales pitches. Get the reminders →
Guides, articles and maintenance
25 free pieces, written from 17 years of Arizona repair work.
- Guide Arizona Appliance Maintenance: The Survival Guide Arizona appliance maintenance comes down to hard water and extreme heat. What both do to your machines, and the schedule that keeps you ahead of them. Read the guide →
- Guide · Freezer Sub-Zero Freezer Temperature Fluctuations: Causes and Fixes Sub-Zero freezer temperature fluctuations, a warm freezer or an alarm? What causes the swings on a built-in unit, and which ones are worth repairing. Read the guide →
- Guide · Washer Washer Repair Tools: What You Need and What You Don't The washer repair tools worth owning before attempting a fix, which jobs they cover, and the repairs where buying tools costs more than calling someone. Read the guide →
- Guide · Refrigerator Refrigerator Maintenance: What Matters in Arizona Refrigerator maintenance that's worth your time. The three jobs that add years to a fridge here, why the coils matter most, and what to skip. Read the guide →
- Guide · Dishwasher Cove Dishwasher Repair: What Goes Wrong and What Fixes It Cove dishwasher repair: not draining, not cleaning or won't start? What usually fails on them in Arizona, the check worth doing first, and when to call. Read the guide →
- Guide · Oven Common Oven Repair Problems and What Causes Them Oven repair starts with the symptom: not heating, heating unevenly or running hot. The faults we find most, safe checks, and the gas smell that means stop. Read the guide →
- Guide · Trash Compactor Trash Compactor Repair: The Problems We See Most Trash compactor repair: not compacting, stuck mid-cycle or smelling? The problems we find most, what you can safely check, and when it's not worth it. Read the guide →
- Step-by-step · Freezer Freezer Not Freezing? Work Through This Before Calling Freezer not freezing but the light is on? A step-by-step check covering the four things that are safe to test yourself, and the point where it stops. Work through it →
- Step-by-step · Dryer Dryer Not Drying? Check These Before You Call Anyone A dryer not drying, taking three cycles, or running hot with damp clothes. The airflow checks that fix most of it, and the burning smell that means stop. Work through it →
- Step-by-step · Garbage Disposal Garbage Disposal Not Working? Try These Five Things First Garbage disposal not working? Humming, leaking or not turning on, here are five checks in order, including the reset button and hex key most people miss. Work through it →
- Step-by-step · Microwave Microwave Not Heating? Work Through This Before You Call Microwave not heating? A step-by-step check for one that runs but won't heat, the two things that are safe to check yourself, and exactly where to stop. Work through it →
- Repair or replace · Washer Washer Repair vs Replacement: How to Decide Washer repair vs replacement: when a washing machine is worth fixing. Two numbers decide it, how old the washer is and what the repair will cost. See the math →
- Article · Refrigerator Garage Refrigerator in Arizona: How to Keep It Running A garage refrigerator dies early in Arizona, and it's not bad luck. What 115-degree heat does to the compressor, and the fixes that really help. Read the article →
- Maintenance · Refrigerator Refrigerator maintenance schedule Twice a year: Vacuum the condenser coils on the back or underneath. In Arizona, no other job buys you more life. Dust plus 110-degree air is what kills compressors here. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Freezer Freezer maintenance schedule Every few months: Check for frost building anywhere other than the evaporator (the cooling coils behind the back panel). Frost on the walls or ceiling usually means a seal is leaking or the defrost cycle isn't running. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Washing Machine Washing Machine maintenance schedule Monthly: Run an empty hot cycle with washer cleaner or plain white vinegar. With water this hard, scale builds up in the valve and the drum long before you can see it. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Dryer Dryer maintenance schedule Every load: Clear the lint screen. Not most loads, every load. It's the cheapest fire prevention in the house. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Dishwasher Dishwasher maintenance schedule Monthly: Pull the bottom filter and rinse it. For most dirty-dishes and smell complaints, that's all it takes. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Oven Oven maintenance schedule Monthly: Clean the inside. Baked-on spills burn, smoke, and over time coat the temperature sensor so the oven reads wrong. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Stove Stove maintenance schedule Monthly: Lift the burner caps on a gas cooktop and clear the ports with a pin. An uneven or yellow flame is nearly always a blocked port, not a bad burner. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Microwave Microwave maintenance schedule Monthly: Clean the inside, ceiling included. Splatter soaks up energy and makes hot spots that burn the paint on the inside walls. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Ice Maker Ice Maker maintenance schedule Every few months: Check the fill tube at the back for a plug of ice or scale. With Arizona water, the fill tube fails first, and it fails slowly. You'll get small, hollow or cloudy cubes long before it stops. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Garbage Disposal Garbage Disposal maintenance schedule Weekly: Run it with cold water for a few seconds after each use. Cold keeps grease solid so it gets ground and flushed instead of coating the pipe. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Trash Compactor Trash Compactor maintenance schedule Every few months: Clean the ram and the chamber walls. Packed-on gunk is what makes them smell and what jams the ram. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
- Maintenance · Wine Cooler Wine Cooler maintenance schedule Every few months: Vacuum the vent and the condenser. A wine cooler built into cabinets gets less air than it looks like, and Arizona heat leaves it no room for error. 3 jobs worth doing in all. See the schedule →
Tried it and still stuck?
Call and we'll give you a flat rate before anyone starts.
Call (480) 791-8858(520) 788-4004 for Pinal County · (480) 791-8858 for Maricopa County
Questions about these resources
Are these guides written for Arizona specifically?
Yes. They're built around the two things that wear out appliances here, hard water and heat. It's not general advice that just happens to be posted from Arizona.
What tools are on this page?
A repair-or-replace calculator that tells you whether a quote is worth paying, and a maintenance reminder service for the jobs that really pay off in this climate.
Do I have to call you after using the tools?
No. The calculator gives you an answer and shows how it got there, even when that answer is that the machine isn't worth anyone fixing.
Are the guides free to read?
Yes, all of them. You don't have to sign up to read any guide on this site.
Request service
Tell us what's going on and we'll call you back. For today's schedule, calling is fastest.