[marketa]

Hi all, I am officially on a quest to find the lowest rates for household services.

If you are satisfied with your electrician/plumber/snow plower/mechanic, etc. and if you think they are more than affordable, please give me their contacts and tell us why you recommend them . I am not looking for companies. I am looking for independent people who do a good job and who can prove that they are professionals at what they are doing.

I can start: I have somebody in Danbury who does small jobs on my car. He charged $40 to change the brake pads on my front axle (I bought the brakes myself). In a shop it costs at least $100 to have the brakes installed (only for the labor).

PS: I am pretty sure there will be quite a few comments about how people like me bring the economy down, about how everyone, including contractors, need to be able to make a living, etc. However if I get $15/hour for working as an aide changing patients, turning 300 pound people (very back breaking) and exposing myself everyday to every possible disease that's out there, then I think it is reasonable for me to look for services that I can afford. I also suspect that there are many others out there who are as frugal (budget conscious) as I am.

[Stylo]

You don't have to justify being frugal.

I have a painter in Danbury that's amazing and inexpensive. I can't quantify his exact rates, but he's done several rooms for me under totaling under $1000 and the work is impeccable.

It's hard to find good people.

[Comp625]

Lintu, a regular of this forum, helped me out tremendously when my Dryer broke down. She recommended "Jim" from Discount Appliance Service (203-922-0629) who came by on short notice and had everything fixed within 1 hour. It was awesome.

I had an igniter that was burnt out, and a blower wheel that was warped. Total was $185 for Parts & Labor if I remember correctly. It sounded steep considering I know that the igniter and blower wheel are super cheap parts (collectively about $50), but he came RIGHT AWAY and he had the know-how to fix it.

A few others folks also posted different recommendations for Appliance Repair in this thread: //www.city-data.com/forum/conne...-county-2.html

Also, for automobile-related stuff, I recently started this thead that isn't necessarily price centric, but rather, reliable folks who charge a fair price for car maintenance: //www.city-data.com/forum/conne...-shops-ct.html

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Comp625

She recommended "Jim" from Discount Appliance Service (203-922-0629) who came by on short notice and had everything fixed within 1 hour. It was awesome.

I need to call him. My 3 year old Bosch dryer hasn't been drying super awesome lately, and all the vents are clear. It also sounds like the drum is starting to not operate super smooth, almost a very slight grind. Better to get ahead of it!

[Comp625]

Originally Posted by Stylo

I need to call him. My 3 year old Bosch dryer hasn't been drying super awesome lately, and all the vents are clear. It also sounds like the drum is starting to not operate super smooth, almost a very slight grind. Better to get ahead of it!

I learned A LOT from my own recent Dryer breakdown experience. I, too, had a grinding noise and thought it was drum-related. But for me, one of the belts was unaligned and it got fixed when the igniter/blower were both addressed. In your case, it could be a slew of different things causing that noise and causing the lack of proper dryer. Loose belt, loose knob, unaligned igniter, bad blower wheel, etc.

Generally speaking, I found Appliancepartspros.com to be a fantastic resource since they provide videos and diagrams to help you diagnose and fix the appliance yourself. You plug in the model number of your appliance and it pulls up a list of all replaceable parts with prices. There's also a forum-style community there that is helpful and/or with historical posts from others who may have experienced the same issues.