Appliance repair in the ByWard Market

The ByWard Market and the Lowertown streets around it hold some of Ottawa’s oldest housing right beside some of its newest. Historic stone and brick homes share blocks with converted lofts and recent condo towers, and toward Lowertown East there are townhomes and older detached houses. We repair appliances in all of them, and B&M Canada Appliances has been fixing appliances in Ottawa since 1995.

Kitchens in the Market are usually compact and built in. Integrated dishwashers behind cabinet panels, apartment-size and column refrigerators, slimline ranges and stacked washer-dryers tucked into hall closets are typical. Space-saving machines have their own quirks: tight clearances, front-access service panels and parts that differ from full-size models. When you book, give us the brand and model number (usually on a label inside the fridge compartment, along the edge of the dishwasher door or around the washer door opening) so the technician can look up your model before the visit.

Service is available in English or French. We repair Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE and GE Café, Frigidaire, Electrolux, Bosch, Miele, Kenmore, Fisher & Paykel, Jenn-Air, Blomberg and other major brands. If the appliance is still under its manufacturer’s warranty, contact the manufacturer first, since that repair may be covered.

Working in the Market means busy streets, limited parking and building rules, so a little planning saves time on the day. When you send a request, tell us whether your building has visitor parking or a loading area, whether the service elevator has to be reserved and whether the concierge needs our name in advance. We schedule the visit around those rules.

A request is not yet an appointment. We call or text to confirm a window of about three hours, and we can arrange it with you, your tenant or your property manager. Heritage buildings often have narrow stairs and small laundry closets; our technicians work in them regularly, but it helps to clear a path and empty the space in front of the appliance before the visit.

Converted lofts

Lofts carved out of heritage buildings sometimes have appliances fitted into spaces that were never designed for them: a fridge boxed tightly into cabinetry with little room to breathe, or a dryer venting through an interior wall. Mention that kind of installation when you book, because it affects both the diagnosis and the fix. If the installation itself is causing the fault, the technician tells you before any part is replaced.

Rentals and property managers

Many units in the Market are rented. Owners, tenants and property managers can all book, and the written quote goes to whoever approves the repair, so no work starts without the owner’s go-ahead.

Refrigerators and freezers

Built-in and column refrigerators breathe through a grille at the top or at the toe kick, and in a small condo kitchen that grille collects dust and cooking grease quickly. A restricted condenser makes the compressor run long and hot, so a warm fresh-food section is often an airflow problem first. The technician also tests the defrost heater, the defrost thermostat or sensor, the evaporator and condenser fans and the control board, because a frosted-over evaporator coil is one of the most common reasons a fridge stops cooling. The other causes are covered in our guide to a fridge not cooling.

Water on the floor usually traces back to a blocked defrost drain, a split water line or a leaking inlet valve behind the fridge. We also fix ice makers, dispensers, worn door gaskets and noisy fans. If the fault is in the sealed system (compressor or refrigerant), that diagnostic is $159 + tax and the repair is quoted by phone.

Integrated and compact dishwashers

Integrated and 18-inch compact dishwashers fail in the same ways as full-size models: they stop draining, leave a gritty film, leak or refuse to start. Standing water usually points to a clogged filter, a kinked drain hose or a failed drain pump; poor cleaning to spray-arm holes plugged with debris, a tired circulation pump or water that isn’t hot enough. On Bosch models, E15 means water has reached the base and E24 or E25 point to a drain restriction. On panel-ready units the custom door panel is removed and refitted as part of the repair.

Ranges, cooktops, hoods and microwaves

Slimline ranges and wall ovens usually come to us with a burnt-out bake or broil element, an oven sensor that reads off, a self-clean lock that won’t release or an unresponsive touchpad. Glass and induction cooktops add element, switch and generator-board faults. Ranges draw 240 volts, so keep the back and control panels closed and leave the testing to the technician. If your range runs on natural gas, it is repaired by our TSSA-certified technicians and the gas diagnostic is $129 + tax. Over-the-range microwaves and recirculating hoods are common in condos; we replace their fans, lights, door switches, magnetrons and controls. For a countertop model, a new microwave usually costs less than a repair, and the technician will tell you if that is the case.

Stacked laundry pairs in hall closets are the norm in Market condos and lofts. Because the dryer sits on top of the washer, most repairs are done from the front and some need the pair separated, so leave room in front of the closet if you can. Our page on stackable washer-dryer repair covers these machines in more detail.

On the washer side, a machine that stops with water in the drum usually has a blocked pump filter, a kinked hose or a failed drain pump. A drum that won’t spin points to the door lock, a worn belt, the suspension or the motor control. Leaks tend to come from a torn door boot, a loose fill hose or a pump seal, and a musty smell from debris in the filter or mould in the boot. Error codes such as OE, 5C, F21 or E21 tell the technician where to start, so mention them when you book.

A dryer that runs but stays cold usually has a failed heating element, thermal fuse or thermostat, or on a gas model a worn igniter, flame sensor or valve coil; one that hums without turning the drum usually has a snapped belt, a seized idler pulley or worn drum rollers. Condo dryers often vent through a long horizontal duct to an outside wall, and lint in that run is a common reason clothes need two cycles. The technician checks airflow before replacing parts. In the older Lowertown houses the laundry is more often in the basement, with long vent runs and older plumbing, so there we look at the vent and the washer hoses as well as the machines. If drying times keep creeping up, read dryer takes too long to dry.

• A full diagnosis of the appliance, not only the symptom you noticed.
• A written quote before any work, which you approve or decline.
• A clear fee: the residential diagnostic is $89 + tax and is applied toward the repair you approve; gas appliances and commercial equipment are $129 + tax.
• Ordered parts come with a timeline, given before you decide.
• A written diagnostic report after the visit, and a 3-month warranty on the parts and labour of the repair; ask for the written terms.

Visits run from 7 AM to 9 PM. If a fridge or freezer fails late at night, a visit between 9 PM and 7 AM adds a $100 flat after-hours fee. For typical repair prices, see the appliance repair cost guide.

We cover the whole Market and Lowertown area, including:

• ByWard Market
• Lowertown
• Sussex Drive
• Rideau Street
• Dalhousie Street
• King Edward Avenue
• Murray Street
• Clarence Street
• St. Patrick Street
• Macdonald Gardens Park

Nearby, we also serve Sandy Hill, Centretown, New Edinburgh, Vanier, Overbrook and the Glebe. For the wider core, see downtown Ottawa appliance repair.

Restaurants and commercial kitchens

The Market is also one of Ottawa’s busiest restaurant districts. For commercial refrigeration, ovens and dishwashers, see commercial appliance repair in Ottawa; commercial diagnostics are $129 + tax, and for a compressor or refrigerant fault on commercial refrigeration the diagnostic fee is confirmed when you book.