Appliance Repair in Millvale, Etna & Fox Chapel, PA

Millvale, part of Shaler and Reserve (15209): Millvale's old river-town streets along Girty's Run and the Allegheny, the Shaler neighborhoods on the hills above, and the small township of Reserve.

Etna and part of Shaler (15223): Etna's grid of older houses where Pine Creek meets the Allegheny, and more of Shaler Township's hillside suburbs.

Aspinwall, Sharpsburg and part of O'Hara (15215): Sharpsburg's dense river-town blocks, Aspinwall's walkable streets of older houses, and part of O'Hara Township.

Fox Chapel, O'Hara, Blawnox and Harmar (15238): Fox Chapel's large wooded lots, O'Hara's suburban streets and business park, the small river borough of Blawnox, and Harmar Township further up the valley.

In Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg, parking is on narrow streets and the laundry is almost always in a basement, sometimes a damp one. If the basement has ever flooded, or if the appliance has sat in water, tell us before we come. In Fox Chapel and O'Hara, driveways can be long and steep, so mention anything a vehicle should know about in winter.

Laundry here is typically in the basement, which in the river towns is often below the level of the street and sometimes below the creek.

Washers and dryers in basements that take on water in heavy rain, freezers and spare refrigerators on concrete floors that stay damp, gas dryers venting through old foundation stone, and in the larger Fox Chapel and O'Hara houses, built-in refrigeration, double wall ovens and pro-style ranges.

Along Girty's Run and Pine Creek, basement refrigerators and freezers sit where floodwater has come in before, while Fox Chapel kitchens lean toward built-in and column refrigeration.

In Millvale, Etna and Sharpsburg the washer is usually in the basement of an older brick or frame house; in Fox Chapel and O'Hara it's more often in a first-floor laundry room.

A dryer in a river-borough basement contends with damp air and a vent close to grade, and in the larger Fox Chapel houses the duct run to the outside can be very long.

Fox Chapel kitchens have their share of dual-fuel and pro-style ranges; down in the river boroughs, a plain 30-inch gas range is typical.

Parts of Millvale, Etna, Aspinwall & Fox Chapel lie along creeks that run fast and high after heavy rain, and several communities here have flooded badly, most notably in September 2004. Most rain never gets that far, but low basements near the water can still take on some water in a storm.

If an appliance has stood in floodwater, even a few inches, don't turn it back on to see whether it works. Motors, pumps, controls and gas valves need to dry and be checked first, and sometimes replacement is the safer answer. Tell us about any water when you book.

Several communities in this area sit where creeks meet the river, and in September 2004 floodwater filled basements and ground floors across Millvale, Etna and Carnegie. Flood-control work has been done since, but low basements near the water can still take on water in a heavy storm.

If an appliance has been in floodwater, don't switch it on to test it. Water in a motor, control board, pump or gas valve can cause damage or a hazard, and some units are safer replaced. Let it dry, tell us what happened, and we'll check it properly.

Basements here stay damp for much of the year, and anything standing on the floor feels it. Washer and dryer cabinets rust from the bottom up, freezer bases corrode, and moisture works into electrical connectors and control boards that sit low in the machine.

A dehumidifier, a platform or pads to lift machines off the concrete, and keeping the dryer vent sealed all the way outside help a lot. When we find corrosion, we'll say whether it's cosmetic or about to take out a part.

Water here comes from more than one authority. The Hampton Shaler Water Authority, which draws from wells along the Allegheny in Shaler and Etna, serves Shaler, Etna, Sharpsburg and parts of O'Hara and Millvale. The Fox Chapel Authority serves Fox Chapel, much of O'Hara and nearby streets, and buys its water from Pittsburgh Water. Well or river, mineral scale still gathers slowly in ice-maker valves, dishwasher spray arms and washer inlet screens, so the upkeep is the same everywhere.

Neighboring areas on our map: the North Side; Bellevue, West View & the North Hills; East Liberty, Squirrel Hill & the East End; and Penn Hills & Plum. Their pages, linked below, have their own local notes and ZIP lists.