Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Thanksgiving is less than a month away, and you know that means lots of cooking is coming! But before you can begin preparing that feast, you need to prep your appliances.

The last thing any of us want is for our stove or refrigerator to go out during the holidays, so don't let the Grinch steal your spirit!

Self-cleaning cycles can cause your oven to run extremely hot, which sometimes throws the temperature off. Consider cleaning your oven by hand, especially before baking.

In addition to overfilling, the number one issue with refrigerators is a failure to clean the condenser coil. You need to clean this every six months.

"When it comes to appliances, homeowners oftentimes take them for granted. We don't take proper care of them and then we end up disappointed when they don't work right. We overstuff our freezers so proper airflow cant get through or we overload our dishwasher so it doesn't even have a prayer of being to get the dishes clean," said Angie Hicks of Angie's List.

If an appliance does break down, get at least three estimates and compare the bids based on price, parts, labor and warranty.

If appliance repair costs more than half the cost of a new appliance and the unit is more than seven years old, you're probably better off replacing it.

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