Your refrigerator still cools and your dryer still dries, but one of them has gotten louder or slower, or nobody has looked at them in years. You would rather catch a small problem now than lose a refrigerator full of groceries later. That is what preventive appliance maintenance is for.
Plaza Appliance Service Co has looked after Charlotte-area appliances since 1952. Alongside repair, we offer planned maintenance and appliance inspections: refrigerator coil cleaning, dishwasher cleaning and filter service, lint cleaning inside the dryer, performance inspections, and safety checks.
What each maintenance service does
Every visit is built around the appliances you own and what you want done. Here is what each service involves and why it matters.
Refrigerator coil cleaning
A refrigerator does not make cold so much as move heat. It pulls warmth out of the food compartment and releases it through a set of coils, usually underneath or behind the cabinet, where room air carries it away. Those coils collect dust, pet hair, and kitchen grease, and once they are blanketed, the refrigerator runs longer and works harder to hold the same temperature, which means higher electric bills and more wear. We clean the coils and the base grille so heat leaves the way the refrigerator was designed to shed it.
Dishwasher cleaning
Hard water scale, grease, and detergent residue build up on the spray arms, the door gasket, and the tub. Clogged spray-arm holes mean weak washing, grime on the gasket means odors and small leaks, and scale on the heating element means longer cycles. We clean these so the dishwasher washes, rinses, and dries the way it should.
Dishwasher filter service
Most newer dishwashers have a filter in the floor of the tub that catches food particles so they are not sprayed back onto your dishes or pulled into the pump. When it clogs, you see film and grit on clean dishes, water left in the bottom, a sour smell, and cycles that run longer. We service the filter and check the area beneath it.
Lint cleaning inside the dryer
Lint slips past the screen every load and settles inside the dryer cabinet around the drum, the heater, and the motor. It insulates parts that are supposed to shed heat, it makes the dryer run hotter and longer, and it burns easily. We clean that lint out of the cabinet so heat can escape the way it should.
Appliance and performance inspection
We run the appliance through its functions, check temperatures and cycle behavior, look at door gaskets and hinges, listen for the noises that mean worn parts, and note anything that is out of spec. We tell you plainly what we found and what to keep an eye on.
Safety check
We look for hazards: a damaged or heat-marked power cord, scorching, signs of overheating, a dryer running hotter than it should, a door that no longer latches, and anything else that could become a fire or shock risk.
Power cord replacement
When a repair calls for it, we replace a damaged power cord as part of that repair. A cord with a cracked jacket, a loose plug, or heat marks is a safety concern.
Signs an appliance needs an inspection
Appliances often give some warning before they quit. These changes are worth a look while the fix is still small:
| Appliance | What you might notice |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Runs louder or longer than it used to, warm spots or soft ice cream, sweating or frost where there was none, water under the crisper drawers |
| Dishwasher | Film or grit on clean dishes, water left in the bottom after a cycle, a sour smell when you open the door, cycles that run longer than they did |
| Dryer | Loads that take two cycles, a hot smell, a cabinet or door that is hot to the touch, lint collecting around the door opening |
| Washer | A louder or rougher spin than before, a musty smell, water left in the drum, small leaks you keep wiping up |
| Oven, range, or cooktop | Uneven baking, a longer preheat, a burner that heats slowly or unevenly, a door that does not close squarely |
| Microwave | Food that takes longer to heat than it used to, a louder hum, a door that needs a second push to latch |
Any one of these is a good reason to have the appliance looked at. If something sparks, smells like burning, or leaks near electrical parts, stop using it, unplug it only if that is safe, and call us. For a gas smell, leave the house and call your gas utility first.
When an inspection makes sense
You do not need a broken appliance to call us. Common reasons for a visit:
- An aging appliance: you want to know whether it is worth keeping or time to plan for a new one.
- A new-to-you home: appliances you did not buy and have no service history for.
- A change you noticed: the refrigerator runs warmer or louder, the dryer takes longer, or the dishwasher leaves residue.
- It has been a while: nobody has cleaned the refrigerator coils or the lint inside the dryer in years.
- A seasonal check: before the holidays, when the refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher all work harder than usual.
If something has changed, say so when you call. Your technician inspects with that symptom in mind, tells you whether a cleaning will do it or a repair is needed, and quotes the price before any work begins.
Simple care you can do between visits
None of this replaces a proper cleaning or inspection, but it helps every appliance last:
- Refrigerator: vacuum the dust off the base grille at the front when you see it, and leave the coils behind or beneath the cabinet to us. Wipe the door gaskets clean so they seal.
- Dishwasher: scrape plates instead of rinsing them spotless, since detergent needs a little soil to work on, and lift out and rinse the filter as the owner's manual describes.
- Dryer: empty the lint screen before every load, and if it still looks clogged when empty, scrub it with warm, soapy water to lift the film dryer sheets leave behind.
- Washer: do not overload, use the right detergent in the right amount, and leave a front-loader's door ajar so the drum and gasket dry out.
- All appliances: glance at any power cord you can see without moving the appliance for cracks, heat marks, or a plug that sits loose in the outlet, and tell us if you see any.
Please leave panels, wiring, and anything heavy or built-in to us, and leave gas and water connections alone.
How a maintenance or inspection visit works
Call 704-366-2126 with a short list: which appliances, which services, and anything you have noticed. We will set a two-hour arrival window, and same-day service is available when the schedule allows. Or send your details through our contact page and we will call you back.
For a planned cleaning or inspection, ask about pricing when you call. When we are tracking down a problem, you get the total price before any repair starts. Seniors get a discount on repairs, and every repair carries our 90-day parts warranty and 90-day labor warranty.
Your technician does the work you asked for and gives you a straight answer about each appliance's condition. If everything looks good, we tell you that, too.
Maintain, repair, or replace?
An inspection is often where the repair-or-replace question gets answered. A few things we weigh with you:
- Age and condition. Many refrigerators give a decade or more of service, and a well-kept appliance runs far longer than a neglected one. Rust, several worn parts at once, or a leak from the tub or body point toward replacement.
- What it needs compared with what a new one costs. A cleaning and a small repair that return an appliance to full strength are almost always worth it. A long list of worn parts on an appliance that was never a strong performer may not be.
- Built-in and matched appliances. A wall oven, a built-in microwave, or an appliance that matches the rest of the kitchen costs far more to replace than to maintain, so the balance tips toward keeping it in good order.
- How well it does its job. If the appliance still cools, cleans, or dries well and simply needs attention, maintenance is the right call. If it never quite did the job, maintenance will not change that.
After the inspection you know where each appliance stands, and the decision is yours.
One call for maintenance and repair
Because we repair the same appliances we maintain, the person who spots a worn part is the person who can price the repair. If your technician finds one during a coil cleaning or a dryer lint cleaning, you get the repair price right then and decide whether to go ahead. See our washer and dryer repair and dishwasher repair pages for the symptoms we handle, and our appliance repair services page for the full list.
We service the Whirlpool family (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Roper, and Estate) and the GE family (GE, Monogram, Café, GE Profile, and Hotpoint), along with Samsung, LG, and Electrolux Group brands, and we work on residential appliances only.
Communities We Serve
We bring this service to homes across the greater Charlotte area. Find your town for local details, or see every community and ZIP code we serve.
