The appliance-repair creators worth following — and how to use them
A well-made repair video is one of the best free resources on the internet — a working technician walking you through the exact fix, step by step. But it only helps once you know what actually failed and which video to watch — pick the wrong fault and you’ll follow a flawless tutorial to the wrong repair.
Here are the appliance-repair creators worth following, what each is best for, and how to use them well.
How to actually use a repair video
The creators below are excellent. The mistakes are usually in how we use them:
- Diagnose before you search. “Dryer won’t heat” has several causes — a thermal fuse, a heating element, a thermostat. Searching the symptom returns a pile of videos; searching the confirmed fault plus your model number returns the right one.
- Match your model. Layouts and parts differ across brands and even model years. Prefer a video for your exact model, or one that calls out where yours differs.
- Judge the job honestly. A $15 part you can reach in five minutes is a great DIY. A sealed refrigerant system, a gas valve, or anything behind a capacitor is not — that’s a call-a-pro line, no matter how clear the video.
The creators worth following
RepairClinic.com is the closest thing to a DIY-repair encyclopedia: thousands of videos organized by symptom and part, across virtually every brand, with a parts catalog behind them. Best when you’ve identified the part and want a clean, model-aware walkthrough.
PartSelect offers professionally produced, model-specific part-replacement videos in the same vein — clear, calm, and focused on one repair at a time, hosted by an in-house appliance expert.
Scott The Fix-It Guy — Scott Flint, a technician with 30-plus years and a Family Handyman byline — has 1,500+ short, plain-English videos. This is the friendliest starting point if you’re new to fixing your own appliances.
Word of Advice TV is run by a working appliance and HVAC technician whose videos lean into hands-on repairs. It’s the best of the bunch for understanding why something failed — the diagnostic reasoning, not just the part swap.
Ben’s Appliances and Junk comes from a used-appliance store owner in Central Ohio who talks candidly about which machines are worth fixing, which to walk away from, and what a used unit is really worth — a useful reality check on the repair-or-replace call.
One safety rule
Some repairs simply aren’t DIY jobs. Gas, refrigerant, high-voltage wiring, capacitors (which can hold a charge even when unplugged), and sealed systems are professional territory. If a repair involves any of them — or you smell gas, see scorched wiring, or a breaker keeps tripping — stop and call a licensed pro.
Where OwnWise fits
Every one of these creators answers how to fix it. OwnWise helps with the two questions that come first: what likely failed, and whether it’s worth fixing yourself. Describe the symptom, your appliance, and its age, and OwnWise helps narrow the likely fault, estimates a fair repair range, surfaces any warranty or recall that could change your options, and gives you a read on whether it’s a sensible DIY or a pro job.
Then you head to RepairClinic or Scott The Fix-It Guy already knowing the part and search term to look for — and the video is all you need.
A note: OwnWise isn’t affiliated with any of these creators, and these aren’t affiliate links — it’s simply a list we think is genuinely useful.
Related
For general information only — not legal, financial, or insurance advice. Laws, prices, and coverage vary by state and change over time; confirm current terms and consult a qualified professional before acting. OwnWise is an AI assistant, so verify important details independently.