Getting Your Appliances Ready for an LA Summer: An Encino Pro's Checklist

If you’ve lived in the San Fernando Valley for any length of time, you know that summer doesn’t mess around. Encino regularly sees stretches of 100°F+ days between June and September, and that heat punishes your appliances harder than most people realize.

Every summer, our call volume spikes about 40% — and most of those calls are problems that could have been prevented with 30 minutes of maintenance in May. Here’s the checklist I give to every customer who asks how to keep their appliances running through an LA summer.

1. Clean Your Refrigerator Condenser Coils

This is the single most important thing you can do, and almost nobody does it.

Your refrigerator’s condenser coils dissipate heat. When they’re clogged with dust, pet hair, and kitchen grease, the compressor has to work overtime to maintain temperature. In the San Fernando Valley summer, that overworked compressor is the number one reason we get emergency refrigerator calls.

How to do it:

1. Unplug the refrigerator (or pull it away from the wall if you can’t reach the plug)
2. Locate the coils — they’re either on the back of the unit or behind a kick plate at the bottom front
3. Use a condenser coil brush (about $10 at any hardware store) to loosen the buildup
4. Vacuum up the debris with a hose attachment
5. Plug it back in

Time: 15 minutes. Cost: free. Potential savings: $350–$800 in compressor repairs.

For Sub-Zero owners: your condenser coils are on top of the unit, behind the grille. Same process, but you may need a step stool. Sub-Zero recommends cleaning these twice a year, and in the Valley, I’d agree — do it in May and again in October.

2. Check Your Refrigerator Door Seals

Run this simple test: close the refrigerator door on a dollar bill. If you can pull the bill out easily, the seal isn’t making full contact, and your fridge is leaking cold air.

Do this test on all four sides of every door — main compartment, freezer, and any FlexZone or deli drawers. Worn seals force the compressor to run longer cycles, especially when ambient kitchen temperatures climb in summer.

Replacement seals are usually $40–$120 depending on the model, and most homeowners can install them with a Phillips screwdriver. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, it’s a quick add-on when we’re at your home for any service call.

3. Clean Your Dryer Vent — All of It

You clean the lint trap after every load (I hope), but the exhaust vent that runs from the back of your dryer to the outside of your house is just as important — and far more neglected.

A clogged dryer vent does three things in summer:

• Increases dry times by 20–40%, which means your dryer runs longer and hotter
• Raises your energy bill — an extra 15–20 minutes per load adds up fast
• Creates a fire hazard — lint is extremely flammable, and a clogged vent can reach ignition temperature. The NFPA reports that dryer fires cause $238 million in property damage annually.

How to check: Go outside while your dryer is running and put your hand near the vent hood. You should feel strong, warm airflow. If the airflow is weak or you can’t feel it at all, the vent needs cleaning.

You can buy a dryer vent cleaning kit ($20–$30) that attaches to a drill and snakes through the ductwork. For vents longer than 15 feet or those with multiple turns, I’d recommend a professional cleaning — usually $120–$180.

4. Give Your Dishwasher Some Attention

Your dishwasher works harder in summer. More entertaining, more cooking, more glasses and plates. A little maintenance goes a long way:

Clean the filter. If your dishwasher is less than 10 years old, it almost certainly has a manual-clean filter at the bottom of the tub. Twist it out, rinse it under the faucet, and clear any food debris. Do this monthly — a clogged filter is the most common cause of dishwashers that “aren’t cleaning like they used to.”

Run a cleaning cycle. Place a cup of white vinegar in the top rack and run an empty hot cycle. This dissolves mineral buildup from Encino’s hard water and keeps spray arms clear.

Check the spray arms. Pull them out and look at the holes. If any are clogged with calcium or food particles, clear them with a toothpick. Blocked spray arms mean poor coverage and dirty dishes.

5. Inspect Your Washing Machine Hoses

This one can save you from a catastrophe. The rubber supply hoses connecting your washing machine to the wall valves degrade over time, especially in heat. A burst washing machine hose can dump 500+ gallons of water per hour into your home.

Check for:

• Bulging or blistering in the rubber
• Cracks, especially near the fittings
• Rust or corrosion on the metal connectors
• Any dampness around the connections

If your hoses are more than 5 years old, replace them with braided stainless steel hoses ($15–$25 per hose). It’s the cheapest insurance you’ll ever buy.

Pro tip: If you’re leaving for summer vacation, shut off the washing machine water valves. It takes 10 seconds and eliminates the risk of a burst hose while you’re away.

6. Level Your Refrigerator

Heat causes floors to expand and shift slightly, which can throw your refrigerator out of level. An unlevel refrigerator doesn’t just make noise — it can prevent the doors from sealing properly and cause the compressor to work harder.

Place a level on top of the fridge, front to back and side to side. Most refrigerators have adjustable feet or rollers at the front that you can turn with a wrench. The fridge should be perfectly level side-to-side and tilted very slightly backward (about 1/4 inch) so the doors close by gravity.

7. Keep Appliances Away from Heat Sources

This sounds obvious, but I see it constantly in Encino kitchens: a refrigerator positioned right next to the oven, or in a sunny alcove that gets direct afternoon light through a west-facing window.

Your refrigerator needs adequate airflow around the condenser coils and should be kept away from direct heat sources. If your kitchen layout puts the fridge next to the oven, make sure there’s at least 2 inches of clearance on each side, and consider closing blinds on windows that send direct sunlight onto the refrigerator during peak hours.

8. Set Realistic Temperatures

In summer, some homeowners crank their refrigerator to the coldest setting thinking it will “keep up better.” This actually causes more problems — the compressor runs constantly, frost builds up, and components wear out faster.

Ideal settings:

• Refrigerator: 37°F (not lower)
• Freezer: 0°F
• Wine cooler: 55°F for reds, 45°F for whites

If your refrigerator can’t maintain 37°F on its normal setting during a heat wave, that’s a sign the condenser coils need cleaning or the door seals need attention — not that you need to lower the thermostat.

The 30-Minute Checklist

Here’s the quick version you can knock out on a Saturday morning:

• Clean refrigerator condenser coils (15 min)
• Test refrigerator door seals with dollar bill test (2 min)
• Check dryer vent airflow from outside (1 min)
• Clean dishwasher filter (3 min)
• Inspect washing machine hoses for bulging/cracks (2 min)
• Level the refrigerator (5 min)
• Check refrigerator and freezer temperature settings (1 min)

That’s about 30 minutes of work that can prevent the most common summer appliance emergencies we see every year.

When to Call a Pro

If you find any of the following during your inspection, give us a call before summer hits full stride:

• Condenser coils that are matted with buildup you can’t vacuum away
• Refrigerator that runs constantly or can’t hold temperature
• Dryer that takes more than one cycle to dry a normal load
• Washing machine hoses that are bulging, cracked, or leaking
• Any unusual noises, smells, or performance changes

A quick maintenance visit in May beats an emergency call on the Fourth of July weekend.

Schedule your pre-summer appliance check-up: call (818) 293-0141. We’ll go through every appliance in your home and make sure you’re ready for the heat.