Just Moved In? 8 Appliance Checks to Do First
Just Moved In? 8 Appliance Checks to Do First
Just moved into a Hamilton home? Eight appliance checks to do in the first week, so you catch problems early and avoid an expensive surprise later.
Moving into a new place is the one moment when you inherit somebody else's appliances, and their maintenance habits along with them. An hour of checking in the first week can save you a flooded kitchen, a spoiled fridge full of groceries, or a repair bill you did not budget for. Here is the walkthrough, in the order we would do it.
1. Look behind the washer before you do a single load.
Check the fill hoses for bulges, cracks or rust at the connections, and make sure the drain hose is secure. Burst washer hoses cause some of the most expensive water damage in homes, and old hoses are extremely common in resale properties.
2. Test the fridge temperature with a thermometer.
The fridge should sit around 3 to 4C and the freezer near -18C. Do not trust the dial, because a fridge that cannot hold temperature will quietly spoil everything you just bought.
3. Pull the fridge out and vacuum the coils. I
f the previous owner never did this, and most never do, you may fix a struggling fridge in ten minutes. Dusty coils make the compressor work far harder than it should.
4. Check the dryer vent, all the way to the wall.
Look for crushed hose, disconnected ducting and packed lint. This is both an efficiency problem and a genuine fire risk, so if you cannot see the duct clearly, have it professionally cleaned.
5. Run the dishwasher empty, and watch it.
Listen for the drain pump, look for leaks at the door and under the cabinet, and pull out the filter to see what the last household left behind.
6. Test every burner and the oven.
Light each burner or element, then preheat the oven and check it reaches temperature. If you have a gas range and smell gas at any point, stop and get it looked at before using it.
7. Find the shutoffs and the panel.
Locate the water shutoffs for the washer, dishwasher and fridge line, the gas shutoff if you have gas appliances, and which breaker controls what. You want to know this before an emergency, not during one.
8. Note the model numbers.
Photograph the data plate on each appliance, usually inside the door or on the back. It makes future service calls faster and helps you check whether anything is still under warranty.
Do this one first if you do nothing else: check the washer hoses. It takes two minutes and it is the single cheapest way to avoid the most expensive appliance-related damage in a home.
What to do if a check turns up a problem
Two outcomes are worth separating. A dirty filter, a clogged vent or a warm fridge caused by dusty coils are maintenance jobs you can often handle yourself. But a fridge that will not hold temperature after cleaning, a washer that leaks, a dryer that will not heat, or any gas smell is a repair, and it is better dealt with in week one than in month six. Our appliance repair services cover every major appliance across Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Waterdown and the surrounding area, with flat pricing agreed before we start.
A note for buyers and new landlords
If you are buying, appliances are rarely covered in detail by a home inspection, so these checks fill a real gap. If you are renting the property out, doing them before a tenant moves in saves you an emergency call later, and gives you a documented starting condition for every appliance.
One membership for the whole house
Taking on a house full of unfamiliar appliances is exactly the situation our care plans were built for. Labour is included, you get priority scheduling, and every appliance is covered under a single membership. See how the care plans work →
Something not working in your new home? Call (905) 572-0126 or book online, and we will get to you fast.
