Tell Us What Changed: Appliance Repair in Downtown Atlanta

If You Smell Gas

Leave the apartment or home right away without switching lights or appliances on or off. Call the gas company or 911 from outside, and tell building management if you live in a shared building. Book an appliance repair only after the gas company says it is safe.

Which Appliance Changed?

Downtown Atlanta at a Glance

Around Centennial Olympic Park. High-rises and apartments on the western side.

Near the Georgia State campus. Lofts and student housing in the center.

Along Peachtree Street. Residential towers on the main corridor.

Toward Castleberry Hill and Sweet Auburn. Converted buildings and older streets at the edges.

Where New Smells Come From

• Inside the refrigerator: spilled food under drawers, a clogged defrost drain holding water, a dirty drain pan underneath or a gasket with mold in its folds.
• Behind the refrigerator: a condenser fan motor or a start relay overheating, or dust burning on a hot part.
• In the freezer: food odors, freezer burn or a drain that has frozen and thawed.
• In the oven: spills, residue from cleaners, a failing element or wiring heating up.
• On the cooktop: food under the burners, a switch scorching inside, or an element failing.

Harmless Smell or a Warning?

Usually harmless: food spills, a new appliance curing, dust burning off an element after months of rest, residue after a self-clean cycle, and odors absorbed by ice.

Worth a technician's check: a hot-plastic or electrical smell, a burning smell that returns every time the appliance runs, a sour smell that returns quickly after cleaning, a smell from the back or the bottom of the fridge, scorch marks or a smell near the plug, and any smell of gas.

What to Note Before We Arrive

• What it smells like: sour, musty, burning, plastic, electrical, gas.
• Where it is strongest: inside, behind, below, the cooktop or the oven.
• When it appears: constantly, when the compressor runs, when the oven heats.
• What you have cleaned already.
• Any scorch marks or discoloration you can see without moving the appliance.

Changes We Trace When a Smell Appears

• Sour smell inside the fridge. A spill under the crisper or a clogged defrost drain.
• Musty smell from the dispenser area. Stagnant water in the line or the drain.
• Hot plastic from behind the fridge. An overheating condenser fan motor or start relay.
• Burning when the oven preheats. Spills, or an element that is failing or arcing.
• Electrical smell from the cooktop. A switch or a board overheating.
• A smell from the plug. A loose connection heating at the outlet.
• Odd smell in the ice. Food odors in the freezer or an old filter.

Electrical Safety

If the smell is electrical or of burning plastic, switch the appliance off at the breaker. Do not unplug a cord whose plug or outlet looks scorched or feels hot; use the breaker instead. In an apartment building, let building management know about any scorched outlet. Do not use the appliance again until it has been checked.

How a Switch Visit Works

You tell us what changed. The smell, where and when.

We check the likely sources first. Drains, the drain pan, gaskets, wiring, terminals, motors and elements.

Then the working parts. The appliance is run while the technician confirms where the smell comes from.

You hear the cause. Whether it is a cleaning job, a drain or a part that is overheating.

Repairs go ahead only with your permission. Genuine or OEM-approved parts are fitted, and the appliance is run until the smell is gone.

The repair carries a warranty, covering parts and labor for up to six months on standard work and up to twelve months on Sub-Zero.

Keeping Smells Away

• Wipe spills promptly, including under the crisper drawers.
• Clean the gasket folds with mild soap.
• Tip out old ice and rinse the bin now and then, so it does not pick up freezer odors.
• Cover food in the fridge and the freezer.
• Wipe the oven floor before spills bake on.
• Clean the drain pan under the fridge if your model allows access.

Food Safety

If the refrigerator smells sour because it has been running warm, check the temperature on a middle shelf. Food should be at 40°F or colder. According to USDA guidance, perishables above 40°F for two hours or more should not be eaten.

Apartments, Condos and Small Businesses

• Apartment and condo residents learn whether a smell is harmless or a hazard.
• Property managers get a short written note on the cause and the repair.
• Offices and shops around Downtown Atlanta with residential-style kitchens can book the same check.

Brands We Repair

Switch repairs GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Samsung, LG, Maytag, Bosch, KitchenAid, Electrolux and Kenmore, as well as Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking, Thermador, Miele, Monogram, JennAir, Cafe and Fisher & Paykel, in Downtown Atlanta. Brand names are used for identification only. Switch Appliance Repair is an independent repair company and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any appliance manufacturer.

Repair or Replace in Downtown Atlanta?

A new smell rarely means a new appliance. The fix is usually a cleaned drain, a new drain pan, a gasket, a condenser fan motor, a start relay, an element or a switch. Replacing the appliance comes up only when heat has damaged the wiring and cabinet on an older unit, or a needed part is no longer made. You hear both options and decide.

Areas We Cover Around Downtown Atlanta

Switch serves all of Downtown Atlanta. Our technicians also travel to Midtown Atlanta, Old Fourth Ward, Grant Park, Inman Park and West Midtown. Enter the ZIP code of your building in the form to see if it is covered.

Tell Us What Changed in Downtown Atlanta

Call (470) 319-8098 any time, or use the form to describe the smell, what changed and your ZIP code. A technician finds the source, makes the appliance safe and explains what is going on. Switch Appliance Repair: 160 Clairemont Ave, Decatur, GA 30030.