A garbage disposal is an easy way to get rid of peels, clippings, and other general “trash” that falls into our sinks.  Who wants to scoop all that stuff out with our hands? It’s a garbage disposal, after all, right?

But this handy appliance is not a trash can.  There are quite a few surprising items that should never be put down the disposal.  Avoiding these items should prolong the life and quality performance of your unit.

1-RICE AND PASTA

It doesn’t matter if it is cooked… it will not breakdown and will continue to swell as more water runs down your sink and will eventually clog the trap.

2-ANIMAL/POULTRY BONES:

The disposal is not sharp enough or strong enough to break the bones down enough to go through the drain and are the most common cause of jams and failures.

3-GREASE:

Grease will solidify and clog the drain line.

4-BANANAS, LETTUCE, POTATO PEELS:

No, these should not be put down the disposal.  Their fibrous, tough, stringy peels and consistency will jam up or clog the grinder.

5-EGG SHELLS:

They do not sharpen the blades.  The shells will continue to bit grind small enough and build up eventually clogging the drain line.

6-FINGERS:

It just doesn’t pay to stick your fingers in the disposal to fish that bottlecap or spoon out.  Unplug the unit from under the sink and then retrieve the item.

Take care of that disposal and don’t treat it as a trash can and it will take care of you for a long time!

In celebration of Earth Day in Summit County last Friday, we all remembered to recycle our cans and glass.  We all broke down our cardboard boxes and took them to the recycling center.  We remembered to turn off the lights in every room but the one we were in.  We made sure we turned off the water while we brushed our teeth.  We went to watch our children at their Earth Day assembly celebrating our Earth and why we need to take better care of our “Home”.  Doing these things made us feel good about ourselves-even if it was just for that one day-and maybe even gave us a goal to start doing it all everyday.

Conservancy and recycling is a way of life and a passion for Peak Appliance Repair.  Whether Todd is in Breckenridge dropping off packaging foam and bubble wrap at the UPS store for their re-use, taking our parts boxes to the Dillon recycling center, Matt recycling plastic refrigerator bins and more boxes (we recycle a lot of boxes) at the Silverthorne recycling center, or Julie taking all the electronics (control boards, etc) to the dump in Keystone, we are constantly recycling and not throwing away.  The Frisco paper recycling bin regularly sees our office paper.

When one of your appliances fails to perform and you consider whether to repair or replace, consider your pocket book, the Earth, and our future.  Most broken appliances are able to be repaired quite easily and affordably.  The average cost of repair is considerably less than buying a new appliance and purchasing a used appliance could mean you are inheriting someone else’s headache!  If you think your appliance is old, consider this: older appliances are generally “basic” and newer ones are overly complicated and computerized with far more options than the average consumer will use (a bit like our smart phones!).  Therefore, the older appliances are easier and less expensive to repair and are overall much more reliable.  Should we just use a broken appliance as an excuse to toss it in the landfill and buy a pretty one?

Don’t toss your microwave because it has stopped heating! It is not always the magnetron… it could just need a couple fuses or a new door latch assembly.  When your refrigerator stops cooling, 98% of the time it is not the compressor, as many people think.  There could be 20 different things causing the problem… If your washer suddenly stops draining, it could just be a result of washing that big comforter during your spring cleaning urge.  If your oven won’t turn on, it may have been a result of using the self-clean feature-not the end of the oven’s service life.

Our diagnosis for any household appliance will be worth it’s weight in gold when you find out the problem can be resolved affordably and quickly AND you will not have to spend hours online researching a new appliance, purchasing it, removing the old (most likely repairable) unit, installing the new and DUMPING the old (most likely repairable) unit at the landfill.

Want to be “green”? Consider repairing and not replacing.  We CAN help make this affordable and easy for you.

See what you can do to help…  Whether you are in Breckenridge, Blue River, Keystone, Summit Cove, Dillon, Copper Mountain, Frisco, or Silverthorne, there is a recycling center near you.

http://www.co.summit.co.us/231/Recycling

There are a few things that you can remember to do before you call us for a service appointment. These little things will help you just as much as it will help our technicians to diagnose more accurately, easily, and quickly-saving you and us money and time.

1. Observe the conditions of the problem: “my washer leaks during the drain cycle”, “my refrigerator makes a lot of noise while it is running”, “the burners on my cooktop keep clicking after it ignites”.
2. If your refrigerator stops cooling, please leave it plugged in until we get there, and do not thaw it out. our technicians need to see what the frost pattern looks like to make a proper diagnosis and/or see where the ice is building up to prevent airflow, leaks, etc. If your refrigerator or icemaker continually frosts up and stops cooling, but will cool again if you thaw it out manually, it will most likely need a repair to remain in working order consistently.
3. Please, please, please do not disassemble your machine prior to us getting to your home… we need to have the machine assembled, plugged in, and if need be, connected to water supply in order to put the unit thru its cycles to diagnose the problem and get a resolution to the problem in a timely manner.

We hope to hear from you when you are in need of help with your appliances. You can trust us to diagnose and repair your machine with care and professionalism in a timely manner. We appreciate your business, trust, and referrals!!

Living in Summit County, we all love to spend time recreating and spending time with family and friends instead of cleaning our homes… it is tempting and almost automatic to find the quickest way to clean. Avoid using the self-clean on your oven. The extreme temperatures that this feature employs to do the cleaning can damage your oven causing problems anywhere from the lower end of repair costs all the way up to the most expensive.

Good old-fashion elbow grease is the best method and safest way to clean that unit! Try to find a way to clean your oven without the chemicals that are hazardous to your health!)

Here is a good recipe. It will take some time, as you have to let the ingredients sit, but a normal self-clean cycle takes around 2-3 hours, as well.

Homemade oven cleaning solution

• 3-4 drops of dish soap
• 4 tablespoons of baking soda
• 5 tablespoons of vinegar
• lemon juice

Mix and slather paste on the inside of oven and the door. Let set for a few hours. Wipe down with wet sponge or dishcloth, then dry with clean cloth.