You’d be hard-pressed to find a household in which appliances aren’t vitally important. Although many of us take them for granted, we simply couldn’t maintain our current lifestyle without modern marvels like refrigerators, ovens and air conditioners. In fact, most people don’t fully appreciate how much they depend on appliances until they stop working. Depending on the type of appliance, a sudden breakdown can turn your entire life topsy-turvy. As such, it behooves responsible homeowners to plan ahead and take measures to protect their appliances.
Invest in a Home Warranty
Investing in a comprehensive home warranty from American Home Shield can be a boon to your appliances. In case you’re unfamiliar, a home warranty is essentially an agreement that covers repairs and replacements for various appliances and systems in your home. These warranties generally need to be renewed on an annual basis, but finding one that covers a period longer than one year isn’t completely outside the realm of possibility.
Needless to say, a good home warranty can provide you with tremendous peace of mind and ensure that your world doesn’t come crashing down every time an important appliance starts acting up. Furthermore, while a home warranty may initially seem like a pricey investment, it stands to save you thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs.
A good home warranty covers all your appliances under one blanket, effectively reducing the need for individual warranties and saving you a small fortune.
Take Advantage of Existing Warranties
Unbeknownst to many homeowners, a sizable number of appliances that are under one year old are covered by manufacturer warranties. When we think of warranties, our minds often go straight to the ones sold by retailers. In the interest of selling their own warranties, some stores don’t even inform customers of the ones offered by individual manufacturers. However, more often than not, heavy-duty appliances come with manufacturer warranties that last between nine months and one year.
In order to take advantage of these warranties, you’ll generally be required to register the product online or over the phone. Registration often needs to be completed within a specific time frame – usually between two weeks and one month. With this in mind, consult the owner’s manual of every new appliance you purchase ASAP, as this will provide you with the info you’ll need for registration and outline the terms of the manufacturer warranty.
Failure to stay on top of this essentially amounts to walking away from free money and can leave you high and dry in the event of a sudden breakdown. It’s also important to remember that manufacturer warranties aren’t always as comprehensive as home warranties and retailer warranties. Many manufacturer warranties cover a very specific set of issues, and if a problem you’re experiencing doesn’t fit into this purview, you may need to get outside assistance.
Have Your Appliances Serviced Annually
As dependable as some home appliances are, they still need the occasional tune-up to remain in peak condition. This is where annual maintenance comes into play. Having appliances like refrigerators, ovens and central air units serviced on an annual basis can extend their lives and nip a plethora of potential problems in the bud. Seasoned technicians will be able to thoroughly inspect these devices, provide them with cleanings and identify small issues before they have a chance to become bigger problems. Annual maintenance calls are even covered by some home warranties.
Since none of us have ever existed in a world without home appliances, there’s little wonder as to why we take them for granted. As difficult as it may be for most people to believe, there was a time when cooking, food storage and temperature control couldn’t simply be left in the hands of cutting-edge appliances. In light of how many important tasks we entrust to our appliances, it’s imperative that we take measures to keep them running at peak efficiency.
Failure to do so can result in unexpected breakdowns, hefty repair bills and appliances being replaced prematurely. So not only does insufficient maintenance present a number of immediate inconveniences, it can also make a dent in your personal finances. To ensure that your appliances and savings remain intact, put the pointers discussed above to good use.
