What Do Home Appliance Repairers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Home Appliance Repairers repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens. They also bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.

Other tasks include:

• Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
• Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
• Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
• Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
• Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
• Conserve, recover, and recycle refrigerants used in cooling systems.

We asked Home Appliance Repairers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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47% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 44% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Home Appliance Repairers maintain stocks of parts used in on-site installation, maintenance, and repair of appliances. They contact supervisors or offices to receive repair assignments.

A typical day for a Home Appliance Repairer will also include:

• Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
• Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
• Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
• Instruct customers regarding operation and care of appliances, and provide information such as emergency service numbers.
• Level refrigerators, adjust doors, and connect water lines to water pipes for ice makers and water dispensers, using hand tools.

We asked some Home Appliance Repairers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	93% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	31% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	65% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	68% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	17% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	54% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Home Appliance Repairers also disassemble and reinstall existing kitchen cabinets, or assemble and install prefabricated kitchen cabinets and trim in conjunction with appliance installation. They may also test and examine gas pipelines and equipment to locate leaks and faulty connections, and to determine the pressure and flow of gas.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Home Appliance Repairers Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks. They might also Assemble new or reconditioned appliances.

In addition, they Light and adjust pilot lights on gas stoves, and examine valves and burners for gas leakage and specified flame.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Take measurements to determine if appliances will fit in installation locations, performing minor carpentry work when necessary to ensure proper installation.

To some Home Appliance Repairers, it is also their responsibility to Level washing machines and connect hoses to water pipes, using hand tools.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Home Appliance Repairer, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/general-maintenance-and-repair-workers.htm

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes499031.htm