Quick things to rule out yourself
Two minutes here saves a service call sometimes.
- Power and breaker. Washers and dryers sit on their own circuits. A tripped breaker kills the machine with no warning light. Reset it once. If it trips again, stop and call.
- Lint and vent (dryer). A packed lint screen or a blocked exterior vent is the top reason a dryer needs two or three cycles. Clean the screen every load and check the outside wall cap for lint or a bird nest.
- Drain hose (washer). Make sure it isn’t crushed behind the machine and isn’t shoved more than a couple inches into the standpipe.
- Load and level. An overloaded or off-level washer bangs hard on spin. Pull a few items, then check that all four feet sit solid on the floor.
If it still acts up after that, you’re into tech territory.
Washer faults we see most
Won’t start or fill. Usually the lid or door switch, the water inlet valve, or the main board. We meter the circuit to find which one dropped out. An inlet valve runs about $130 to $220 installed on most mainstream machines.
Won’t spin or agitate. On top-loaders it’s often a worn motor coupler or a stretched drive belt. Front-loaders lean toward the door latch or a motor control board. If the drum turns free by hand but quits under load, that’s the motor or coupling. Coupler jobs land around $150 to $250; a control board runs more.
Bangs hard on spin. Rhythmic and getting worse over months usually means worn drum bearings or a cracked spider arm. That’s a full teardown and one of the priciest laundry repairs, often $350 to $600 on a front-loader. More on that call below.
Water left in the drum. A coin or sock in the drain pump is the usual reason, or the pump itself gave out. Pump swaps run roughly $150 to $300 depending on brand.
Front-load door won’t unlock. The lock is tied to water level, so a drain problem reads as a door problem. Sometimes it’s the latch assembly, sometimes a board fault mimicking one. Needs a read before parts.
Error codes (LE, OE, 5E, F21, UL, Sud). Codes narrow the search, they don’t close it. An LG OE or a 5E points at drainage, but the root could be the pump, a clog, or wiring. We read the code in context.
Leaks. Front-loader leaks are often the door boot. Bottom leaks can be the pump, a loose clamp, or a cracked tub. The source drives the labor, so we find it before we quote.
Dryer faults we see most
No heat, gas. We check the thermal fuse first, since it’s a one-shot device that blows when a clogged vent overheats the dryer. If it’s good, the igniter, valve coils, and flame sensor are next. Igniter jobs run about $150 to $250.
No heat, electric. The heating element is the usual failure, often $200 to $350 installed on 240V machines. A blown thermal fuse or a bad cycling thermostat can also cut heat while the drum still turns.
Takes two or three cycles. Nine times out of ten it’s venting. Even a partly blocked duct doubles dry time. Clear the vent, then we look at the heat circuit or the drum moisture sensor.
Squeal or thump. Worn drum rollers, a tired idler pulley, or a fraying belt. Moderate jobs, usually $150 to $280, but they mean pulling the drum.
Drum won’t turn. Almost always the belt. The motor runs, you can hear it, but nothing moves.
Shuts off mid-cycle. A thermal cutoff tripping on a blocked vent or a stuck thermostat. The dryer is protecting itself, and repeated cutoffs shorten the element’s life.
When it’s worth fixing and when it isn’t
The rule most techs use: if the repair runs more than about half the price of a comparable new machine, think replacement. A single part (thermal fuse, latch, pump, element) clears that bar easily. Drum bearings or a board on a ten-year-old unit often don’t. We give you the honest math on the spot and don’t push either way.
Schedule a visit
We fix washers and dryers across the Bay Area, from the Tri-Valley out to the Peninsula and South Bay, on every major brand: LG, Samsung, Whirlpool, Maytag, GE, Bosch, Frigidaire, Speed Queen, including stacked gas and electric sets. The $75 diagnostic is credited to your repair, and you get the price in writing before we order a part. Call (925) 999-4095 or book online. Repairs backed by up to a one-year parts-and-labor warranty, depending on the job.