6-Step LG Appliance Maintenance Checklist: Refrigerator Repairs, Dishwasher Filters, and Cost-Saving Replacements

If you're the person who signs off on appliance repairs and replacements, this checklist is for you. I'm a procurement manager at a 46-person property management company, and I've managed our appliance and maintenance budget—roughly $210,000 a year for the past six years—by treating every work order as a cost decision rather than a service request. Some of that budget goes to LG refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers. Some of it goes to the things people forget: filters, smoke alarms, and water treatment. Every line adds up.

Here's the main point: the goal isn't to avoid repairs or replacements. That's not realistic. The goal is to avoid the work orders that shouldn't exist in the first place. An informed customer asks better questions and makes faster decisions, and that applies to me as the buyer and to my maintenance team as the internal customer.

This is a six-step checklist. I use it before I approve almost any appliance purchase, repair, or replacement.

1. Photograph the model tag and check the warranty before you call anyone

The first thing I do when an LG appliance acts up is simple: find the model and serial number. That sounds too basic to be a “cost-controller move,” but it's the difference between paying full retail and paying a warranty rate. The serial number and model tell you the manufacture date, and that tells you what coverage you might still have.

In March 2023, a refrigerator in unit 12 stopped cooling. The local repair shop quoted $720 to diagnose what they guessed was a compressor problem. Before I authorized the visit, I walked to the unit, looked for the model tag on the upper left side of the cabinet, took a photo, and sent it to LG support. The serial number showed the refrigerator was still inside the warranty period for the linear compressor parts. The repair company handled the claim with LG, and the final bill was a fraction of the original quote. If I'd skipped the photo, I would have approved the full price.

This isn't just about refrigerators. I photograph the model tag on every new LG washer, dryer, dishwasher, and range when it's installed, and we store the serial numbers in our property management system. When a tenant or employee says “the machine is broken,” the tag is already on file. You can't make a good repair decision without knowing exactly which appliance you own.

2. Use diagnostic tools before ordering LG refrigerator repairs

LG refrigerator repairs are a line item I expect to see in a maintenance budget. Compressors fail, seals wear out, and fan motors stop. But before I approve a service call, I make our maintenance team spend 20 minutes on diagnostics.

On many LG refrigerators, you can run a self-diagnostic through the ThinQ app. It reads the error code and tells you whether the issue is electrical, mechanical, or a sensor. That doesn't fix everything, but it stops you from paying a technician to read a code you could have read yourself. For cooling problems that aren't electronic, check the condenser coils. A dust-covered coil can make a fridge cycle constantly and look like it's dying. Cleaning the coils costs you a vacuum attachment and 15 minutes. A technician visit costs you the trip charge plus an hour of labor.

The dollar-bill test is another one. Close the refrigerator door on a dollar bill. If the bill slides out with no resistance, the door gasket is worn, which makes the unit run longer than it should and drives up the electric bill. I only believed how common that was after ignoring it once and paying $210 for a service call that ended with the technician writing “door gasket–worn.” I could have ordered the gasket and replaced it myself. The testing isn't magic—it's just cheaper than a work order.

3. Check the LG dishwasher filter before you approve a dishwasher service call

Most dishwasher complaints are not about the dishwasher. They're about the filter. The LG dishwasher filter is located in the bottom of the tub on most washable-filter models. If you're not sure whether your model has one, pull up the owner's manual on LG's support site. To clean it, turn the filter assembly counterclockwise, lift it out, rinse it under running water, and put it back. That's a 15-minute task. It does not require a technician.

When a tenant tells us the dishwasher leaves film on dishes, the first question from our maintenance team is: “When was the filter last cleaned?” If the answer is “I don't know,” that's the problem. A dirty filter makes wash cycles longer, leaves food particles on glasses, and makes people think the unit is failing. Since we started putting monthly filter checks in the calendar for every unit, dishwasher service calls in our portfolio dropped by roughly a third. I don't have the exact percentage without opening the spreadsheet—let's call it a clear trend—but the maintenance time is real.

One caution: not every LG dishwasher has the same filter setup. Some newer models use a self-cleaning system and don't need that monthly routine. Check the manual and verify the actual part number before you order a replacement filter. Otherwise you could buy the wrong plastic piece and learn later.

4. Apply the same total-cost logic to break-room requests like a portable juicer machine

Your appliance budget doesn't stop at laundry and kitchens. In a workplace, someone will eventually ask for a portable juicer machine for the break room. It looks like a small purchase, but it's a total-cost-of-ownership decision disguised as a $45 price tag.

Here's what I mean. The cheapest portable juicer machine on the market usually has a low-power motor, a small pulp container, and parts that aren't truly dishwasher-safe. If it's used twice and left in the cabinet, you didn't buy a solution—you bought clutter. If someone uses it to crush frozen fruit and the motor burns out, you're now processing a warranty claim or buying another one. That doesn't mean you have to say no. It means you should spec the purchase, not just approve a link.

For a break-room appliance, I'd look for a motor rating of at least 250W, a warranty that's at least a year, and a cleaning process that doesn't require a debate. If the vendor can't provide those, that's a no. The same logic applies to a full-size LG refrigerator or a workbench toaster oven: identify the usage, calculate the hidden cost, and decide based on the total cost, not the sticker price.

5. Budget BRK smoke alarm replacement as a scheduled expense

Smoke alarms are the easiest appliances to ignore until one chirps at 2 a.m. I've learned to treat them like a maintenance contract, not an emergency. The brand name you'll see in many office buildings and apartment units is BRK, which makes hardwired smoke alarms with battery backup. The device includes a manufacture date, and NFPA recommends replacing smoke alarms every 10 years (Source: NFPA, nfpa.org). That is a clear rule, and it's a rule you should budget for.

In 2024, we did a portfolio-wide pass. Our maintenance team checked the manufacture date on every BRK smoke alarm, and we replaced every unit dated 2015 or earlier. The hardware cost was under $1,800 for our portfolio at that time. This is not a big number compared to an emergency call when an old alarm goes off in a common hallway and you can't find a replacement battery. It also protects the building and the people in it.

When the replacement is installed, write the new date on the base with a marker. That sounds old-school, but it saves you from having to guess which unit is 10 years old again. A quarterly visual check is enough to catch the dates before they become a code violation.

What is the purpose of a water softener? Know the answer before you skip it

That question comes up more often than you might think, and not just from homeowners. In a commercial setting, it matters because water chemistry affects the lifespan of every appliance that touches water. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium, the minerals that create scale. Scale is the reason a water heater gets an extra layer of crust and stops heating efficiently. It's also the reason dishwasher spray arms clog and washing machine hoses fill with white buildup.

For a building with LG appliances, this matters because those machines use water heaters, pumps, and valves. If the local water is hard, you are paying for scale damage whether or not you have a softener on the invoice. The test is simple: check the water hardness in grains per gallon or milligrams per liter. If the water is above 7 grains per gallon—about 120 mg/L—a water softener is a preventive expense, not a luxury. The Water Quality Association publishes hardness guidelines that are a good starting point (Source: WQA, wqa.org); verify against your local utility or a lab test.

We tested four properties in 2024 and found hardness between 18 and 24 grains per gallon. That explained why one property had replaced two water heaters in five years. The softener maintenance contract felt like an unnecessary cost until the water heater invoices showed up. Now the softeners are on the same service schedule as the filters and smoke alarms. If I had to weigh the upside against the risk, the upside is fewer appliance failures and the risk is an annual service charge. The failures cost more.

Watch-outs before you approve the next work order

Don't assume “new” means “set it and forget it.” Even new appliances need maintenance, and the first-year warranty doesn't cover nuisance downtime caused by a dirty filter. Don't forget the small costs: smoke alarms, water softener salt, appliance manuals, and the person who has to clean the break-room juicer. Small costs add up to budget overruns that don't need to happen.

And don't use a lack of information as a reason to replace. A serial number, an error code, and a filter check can turn a $500 replacement into a $60 repair. I'll be honest: I still have work orders I wish I'd caught earlier. Every time I skip this checklist because I'm short on time, I end up paying for it in the form of an emergency repair or an unnecessary replacement. That's the real cost. Make the checklist part of your process, and you'll probably have fewer emergency calls. You'll also get better at knowing when to call one—which is the whole point.