--- title: "Appliance Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean" description: "What goes wrong around a new install: a unit too big for its opening, a door that will not close flush, a plug that does not fit the outlet, a slow first…" url: "https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/" --- Start with the symptom # Appliance problems, symptom first. Every symptom we are called out for, traced to the causes that actually explain it — cheapest first. Start from what you are seeing rather than from what you think is broken. ## Needs a visit now Five signs on this list belong to the day of the install rather than to the appliance. Gas in the air after a hookup means the appliance and its burners off, its shutoff valve closed, no match and no switch touched, windows opened on the way out, and the gas utility or 911 called from outside. Water on the floor after a supply or drain connection means the supply valve closed, everyone clear of outlets, and the circuit cut at a panel where the floor is dry. Scorching on the first run, or a breaker that drops the moment the new appliance starts, means that circuit off and left off, not reset over and over to see what happens. A laundry exhaust that is crushed behind the cabinet, pulled off its collar or blowing lint into the room means the cycle stopped, the plug pulled, and no load run until the run reaches outside again. The fittings, the wiring and the ducting in all five wait for the installer, and none of them is a homeowner's job. [Book a visit](https://applianceinstallation.center/schedule/) Hazard after a hookup ### [Gas Smell After a Hookup: Leave the House, Then Call](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/gas-smell-after-hookup/) A gas smell after a hookup is the rotten-egg odor that turns up behind a newly connected cooking appliance or laundry machine, at the connector, the valve or the burners. Causes, cheapest first 1. Air and gas purged at the first light *no installation* 2. A flare nut or fitting left loose *low* 3. A connector kinked behind the unit *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/gas-smell-after-hookup/) Hazard after a hookup ### [Water Leak After an Install: Close the Supply Valve First](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/water-leak-after-install/) A water leak after an install is water on the floor, a drip behind the kick plate or a wet cabinet in the first days after a new appliance was connected to water or a drain. Causes, cheapest first 1. A compression nut not fully tightened *low* 2. A rubber seal missing from a hose coupling *low* 3. A line trapped when the unit went home *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/water-leak-after-install/) Hazard after a hookup ### [Burning Smell on the First Run: When It Is Normal and When to Stop](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/burning-smell-on-first-run/) A burning smell on the first run is an oily, hot or electrical odor from a new appliance the first time it heats, spins or cools after its installation. Causes, cheapest first 1. Factory oils burning off on the first heat *no installation* 2. Packing left inside the cavity or drum *no installation* 3. A cord connection left loose *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/burning-smell-on-first-run/) Hazard after a hookup ### [Breaker Trips on the First Run: Leave It Off and Find Out Why](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/breaker-trips-on-first-run/) When the breaker trips on the first run, power to a newly installed appliance is cut the moment it starts to heat, spin, cool or pump. Causes, cheapest first 1. A circuit too small for the new load *no installation* 2. A cord wired to the wrong terminals *low* 3. A wire pinched as the unit was set back *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/breaker-trips-on-first-run/) Hazard after a hookup ### [Laundry Exhaust Crushed, Loose or Blowing Into the Room](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/laundry-exhaust-disconnected/) A laundry exhaust disconnected, crushed or venting into the room means a new vented dryer is blowing hot, damp, lint-heavy air behind the machine instead of outdoors. Causes, cheapest first 1. A transition slipped off the wall collar *low* 2. A transition folded flat behind the machine *low* 3. Foil or vinyl duct carried over from the old machine *low* [All 6 causes and what to check](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/laundry-exhaust-disconnected/) ## Everything else we are called out for The rest of the list is the ordinary settling-in of a new appliance, and a booked visit handles it. A door stands an eighth of an inch proud of the cabinet line, a new cold storage unit takes most of a day to reach its setting, an igniter ticks a few extra times while air leaves a fresh gas line, the hood pulls less than the showroom promised, or the laundry pair shuffles on its first spin. Every one of those pages says what you can safely check yourself, power off and valves shut, and names the step of the install that usually lies behind it. [The installations behind them](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/) ### New Appliance Not Level: Rocking Cabinets and Uneven Gaps A new appliance not level rocks when pressed at a corner, sits out of line with the counter, or shows a gap that widens from one side to the other. 6 causes ### Door Not Closing Flush After the Install A door not closing flush sits proud of the cabinet, catches on a neighbor, drifts open or leaves an uneven gap on a newly installed appliance. 6 causes ### Unit Too Big for the Opening: Cutout, Depth and the Delivery Path A unit too big for the opening will not slide into its space, stands proud of the counters, or cannot even be carried through the house to reach it. 6 causes ### Drain Backing Up After an Install: Plug, Loop and Standpipe A drain backing up after an install leaves water standing in a new machine, pushes it into the sink or spills it over the top of the standpipe. 6 causes ### Ice Maker Not Filling After the Install: Valve, Line and Patience An ice maker not filling after the install makes no ice, or only a few thin cubes, in the first days after a new cold storage unit was connected to water. 6 causes ### New Unit Vibrating or Walking Across the Floor A new unit vibrating or walking shakes hard, bangs or creeps across the floor on its first spin, pump-out or compressor start after the installation. 6 causes ### Cold Storage Slow to Cool on the First Day Cold storage slow to cool is a new refrigerator, freezer, wine or beverage unit that still feels warm inside many hours after its installation. 6 causes ### Igniter Clicking After a Gas Hookup: Air in the Line or a Wet Cap An igniter clicking after a gas hookup keeps sparking on a new burner or oven that is slow to light, lights unevenly or does not light at all. 6 causes ### Hood Not Drawing Smoke: Duct Size, Damper and Makeup Air A hood not drawing smoke leaves steam and cooking smoke rolling out past a newly installed hood, however loud its fan runs. 6 causes ### Plug Does Not Fit the Outlet: Cords, Receptacles and Circuits When the plug does not fit the outlet, the new appliance's cord and the receptacle behind it were made for different circuits, or no cord was ever fitted. 6 causes ### Water Hammer After a Hookup: Banging Pipes When a Valve Shuts Water hammer after a hookup is a bang, knock or shudder in the pipes each time a newly connected appliance closes its water valve. 6 causes ### Appliance Installation Code on a New Unit: Setup Modes and Hookup Messages An appliance installation code is a message a new unit shows because of how it was set up: a demo mode, a water or drain alert, a vent warning or a power check. 8 causes ## Not every appliance breaks the same way. A new refrigerator, freezer, wine unit, beverage unit or ice maker counts as cold storage. Anything that heats food, gas or electric, from a range or a wall oven to a cooktop, a steam oven or a microwave, and the hood above it, is a cooking appliance. A dishwasher, and the disposer it drains through, is dish care. A washer and a dryer, together with the duct that carries the dryer's air outdoors, make up laundry. Which group is your new appliance joining? [All appliance types](https://applianceinstallation.center/types/) ### Cold storage Setting a new refrigerator, freezer, wine or beverage unit or ice maker into its opening: measured, connected to water, leveled and started. ### Cooking appliances Hooking up ranges, cooktops, wall ovens, microwaves and hoods: gas connectors leak-tested, anti-tip brackets fastened, ducts sized and the first light checked. ### Dish care Fitting a new dishwasher or dish drawer under the counter: supply line, drain loop or air gap, power, mounting brackets and a first test cycle. ### Laundry Setting up a new washer, dryer or stacked pair: shipping bolts out, hoses on, drain and exhaust run connected, power checked and the machines leveled. Every kind we service ### All appliances, side by side The archive puts the 4 types against each other: how to tell which you own, what fails on each, and which manufacturers build them. How to tell yours What fails on each Who makes them Open the type archive Familiar brands. Expert care. ## For the brands in your home. Independent repair service. Not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by any manufacturer. Brand names and model numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification only, to describe the appliances we service. [All 37 brands](https://applianceinstallation.center/brands/) ## The installations behind the symptoms Most people arrive knowing what they are seeing, not what is wrong. These are the jobs a visit usually turns out to be. [All 10 installations](https://applianceinstallation.center/services/) diagnostic ### Pre-installation site check A visit before you order: opening, path in, gas, water, drain, power and exhaust checked against the spec sheet. low to moderate ### Gas hookup and leak check A new gas appliance joined to your shutoff with a new connector, every joint leak-tested, flames read. low ### Water supply and shutoff connection New supply lines from a working quarter-turn stop to each water appliance, tested under pressure. low ### Drain and air gap connection Drain hoses run through a high loop, air gap or standpipe, clamped and proved on a first drain. moderate ### Laundry exhaust run installation A metal exhaust path from a new dryer to the outdoors: short transition, taped joints, a working hood. moderate to highest ### Hood ducting and fan installation A hood hung and ducted outdoors at full size, with a working damper and makeup air planned. highest ### Built-in and panel-ready fitting Built-in columns, drawers, wall ovens and panel-ready models set to the cutout, anchored, connected, and custom panels hung and aligned. low to moderate ### Stacking kit and pedestal installation A matched laundry pair stacked with the maker's kit, or raised on its pedestals, then leveled, connected and run together. lowest ### Anti-tip bracket and leveling Anti-tip bracket fastened and engaged, leveling legs set, doors square, every foot firm. low ### Old appliance disconnect and removal The old unit shut off, disconnected, capped and carried out, its opening cleaned for the new one. For the heart of your home. ## Questions about the problems. ### What went wrong with my install is not listed. Can I still book? Yes. The list follows what new owners report most, not everything that can happen. Write down what the appliance is doing in the notes, add the model, and the technician checks it against the install on the day. ### The new unit is walking across the floor and the door will not close flush. Same cause? Often. Both usually trace back to leveling: feet not screwed down to the floor on every corner, or a floor that slopes more than the legs can take up. Open the page for the one you saw first; each one links the signs that tend to come with it. ### Which of these mean the new appliance must stay off? Five: gas in the air after a hookup, water on the floor after a supply or drain connection, a burning smell on the first run, a breaker that trips on the first run, and a laundry exhaust that is crushed, loose or blowing into the room. Their pages start with a safety panel before anything else. A door a little out of line can wait for the visit. ### When is a problem on a new appliance not an installation problem? When the hookup, the level and the settings all check out and the appliance still will not heat, cool, drain or spin. That points to a part, and a new appliance with a failed part is a warranty claim with the maker; the page tells you when you have reached that point. --- **[Read on the site: Appliance Problems — Symptoms and What They Mean](https://applianceinstallation.center/problems/)** **[Book a visit with ApplianceInstallation.center](https://applianceinstallation.center/schedule/)**