Long Lake & Hicks Lake · Pattison Lake · ZIP 98503
The lake houses off Carpenter Road and Ruddell Road began as summer cabins and became year-round homes one remodel at a time, so the appliances inside range from a 1960s wall oven to last year's French-door.
Mon–Sat 8–7 · closed Sunday · Hawks Prairie base by exit 111
Long Lake, Hicks Lake and Pattison Lake sit in a row south-east of central Lacey, ringed by houses that tell the story of the last sixty years. Some are still recognizably the cabins they began as, with a galley kitchen and a laundry closet added under the stairs; others were rebuilt to the lot lines in the 2000s with full appliance packages. Carpenter Road and Ruddell Road carry the traffic, and the lanes that drop to the water are steep enough that the technician parks up top and carries the bag down. The west and north shores are largely on Lacey city water; along the east shores a good many houses still draw from wells and drain to septic.
Lake air is damp, crawlspaces are damper, and a dryer vent that runs through one collects lint that never dries and never blows clear. Second refrigerators live on porches and in boathouses where winter cold confuses their thermostats. Well water on the east shore brings iron to dishwasher heaters and ice-maker valves; city water on the other side brings Lacey's gentler mineral trace. Power outages hit the lakes hard because the lines run through big firs, and a refrigerator that will not restart when the lights return is a familiar call we handle the same day if you reach us before noon.
| Appliance | What the lakes send us |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator & freezer | Kitchen refrigerators silent after a storm outage, porch and boathouse refrigerators that quit in a cold snap, and frost-choked freezers in remodeled kitchens. |
| Dryer | Vents routed through damp crawlspaces that pack with wet lint, fuses that open once the drum overheats, and rollers worn on machines that came with the cabin. |
| Dishwasher | East-shore units with iron-crusted heaters and blocked spray arms, west-shore units with Lacey scale, and drain pumps on both sides meeting sand and fish-fry debris. |
| Ice maker | Iron-throttled inlet valves on well water, mineral-narrowed valves on city water, and fill tubes frozen after a summer of heavy use followed by a quiet fall. |
| Washer | Compact and stacked units in converted cabins with worn pumps and lid switches, and full-size machines in the newer houses with suspension gone from towels and wet swimsuits. |
| Range & oven | Original wall ovens with failed bake elements and thermostats, glass-tops in the rebuilds with dead burners, and gas ranges near the main with weak igniters. |
A stacked Whirlpool laundry center in a nineties cabin conversion ran hot and shut off within a few minutes. The vent dropped through the floor into a crawlspace, ran thirty feet in flexible duct and emerged under the deck where it had never been cleaned. The lint inside was heavy with damp. We cleared it, renewed a crushed section of duct, fitted a new thermal fuse and gauged the airflow before running a load.
A Frigidaire top-freezer in a well-water house stayed silent after a windstorm knocked out power for two days. The start relay had given out when the lines came back live. We renewed the relay and the overload, checked the compressor's draw, and brushed dog hair off a condenser that had gathered years of it. The owner had a boathouse refrigerator too; we checked it while there and found nothing wrong.
A KitchenAid dishwasher in a 2006 lakefront rebuild on well water stopped heating and left everything wet. The heater carried an iron crust and read open. We fitted a new heater, descaled the sump and spray arms, and adjusted the rinse aid for the water. The owner asked whether a softener would help; we told her what it would change and what it would not.
After a summer of grandchildren and a quiet September, an LG French-door stopped producing ice. The fill tube had iced shut during the slow weeks and the valve, already narrowed by mineral, could no longer push water past it. We thawed the tube, fitted a new valve, ran three harvests, and suggested leaving the ice maker on through the winter rather than shutting it off.
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Refrigerators at Long Lake and Hicks Lake lead two lives: one in the kitchen and one out on the porch or down in the boathouse, where cold winter air fools the thermostat and the compressor runs less than it should. Storm outages take out relays and boards, frost swallows evaporators, and coils gather dock dust and dog hair. A warm kitchen refrigerator reported before noon is seen that day; the second refrigerator can be checked in the same visit.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen fridge never woke up after the outage | Start relay or inverter board lost to the surge | Meter the compressor, fit the relay or board, confirm a normal running draw |
| Porch refrigerator warm inside though the porch is cold | Thermostat reading the cold room and never calling for cooling | Test the thermostat, renew it, advise on a garage-rated unit if it recurs |
| Freezer walls thick with frost | Defrost heater or thermostat failed, or a gasket taking on lake air | Melt the frost, renew the defrost part, fit a new gasket if it leaks |
| Runs constantly, coils gray | Condenser coil matted with dust and hair, fan slowing | Clean the coil, meter the fan, check the seals for extra load |
| Water under the crisper | Defrost drain iced or plugged | Clear the drain, fit a drain heater on models that need one, dry the pan |
Because a standard kitchen refrigerator senses temperature only in the fresh-food side, and once the porch drops near forty degrees that sensor is content and stops calling the compressor, so the freezer thaws. That is how the machine was designed, not a breakdown. We make sure nothing else is wrong and explain which units are made for unheated spaces.
Request refrigerator service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Refrigerator & Freezer Repair in Lacey →
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Laundry at the lakes ranges from a stacked unit wedged under a cabin stairway to a full-size front-loader in a rebuilt house, and both spend summers on towels and wet swimsuits. Pumps meet sand, suspension wears from heavy loads, lid switches and door locks give out. On the east shore, well water adds iron to the drum. We diagnose at the machine and quote the failed part, with the hoses and drain checked while the machine is out.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Stacked unit stops with water in the drum | Lid switch worn or the pump jammed with sand and a swimsuit tie | Meter the switch, clear or renew the pump, run the cycle through |
| Front-loader thunders on spin | Shocks worn from years of towel loads, or the drum bearing failing | Renew the shocks; if the bearing has gone, say so and quote it plainly |
| Orange staining on whites | Iron from an east-shore well | Clean the drum, check the inlet screens, explain what a filter would change |
| Water on the floor during drain | Drain hose split or loose at the standpipe | Renew and secure the hose, check the standpipe for a block |
| Will not fill | Inlet valve coil open or the screens packed with grit | Clean the screens, meter the valve, renew it when it reads open |
Over time, yes. Sand from the beach settles in the pump and wears the impeller and seal, and it scours the tub bearing. Shaking out swimsuits and towels before they go in is the simplest defense. When the pump or seal does fail we renew it on a written cost, and we clear the drain hose of the sand that has collected there.
Request washer service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Washer Repair in Lacey →
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Dryer vents at the lakes run through crawlspaces that stay damp most of the year, and damp lint does not blow clear; it packs. The dryer runs hot, the thermal fuse opens, and the call comes in as a dryer that quit heating. We clear the vent, renew crushed duct, fit a proper hood and then meter the fuse, element and thermostats, because a new fuse in a packed vent lasts a season at most.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Runs hot then shuts off cold | Vent through the crawlspace packed with damp lint, fuse opened | Clear the run, renew the fuse, gauge the airflow at the outlet |
| Towels take two cycles | Flexible duct sagging and crushed under the house | Renew with rigid duct where possible, correct the slope, clear the hood |
| Squeal from the drum | Rollers and idler worn on an original cabin dryer | Fit the roller kit and belt, clear the blower, check the glides |
| No heat, vent clear | Element burned through or the cycling thermostat failed | Meter both, renew the failed one, run a timed cycle |
| Musty smell from the drum | Damp lint in the vent and a hood flap stuck open | Clean the run, fit a hood that closes, dry the duct with a heat cycle |
Whenever the vent is the reason the dryer failed, cleaning it is part of the repair. We clear it from both ends, renew crushed or torn sections, and make sure the hood at the exit closes properly. We also tell you when a run is too long or too flat for the dryer to push air through, so you can decide whether to reroute it.
Request dryer service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Dryer Repair in Lacey →
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Which shore you live on decides what your dishwasher fights. On city water the heater picks up Lacey's mineral trace over years; on an east-shore well the crust arrives faster and browner. Both sides bring drain pumps blocked by sand, fish-fry crumbs and the occasional bottle cap. We descale, meter the heater and pump, renew the failed part and check the drain hose before the machine runs again, which matters on septic.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Everything comes out cold and dripping | Heater burned through beneath its iron or mineral crust | Fit a new heater, descale the sump, confirm the rinse reaches temperature |
| Tub holds water after the cycle | Pump jammed with sand or crumbs, or the hose kinked | Clear or renew the pump, straighten the hose, run a complete drain |
| Gray film on everything | Spray arms clogged and wash temperature low | Clean the arms, descale, meter the heater, set the rinse aid |
| Cycle stops, lights flash | Control board faulted after an outage, or the door latch worn | Read the fault, meter the latch, renew whichever failed |
| Leak under the door | Gasket hardened, or a split arm spraying the door seam | Renew the gasket or arm, dry the cabinet floor, watch a cycle |
A working dishwasher is fine on septic. The trouble comes when a drain fault makes you run cycle after cycle trying to clear it, or when a leaking hose sends water where it should not go. We confirm the drain is clear before we run the machine again, and we tell you if the hose routing needs a plumber's attention.
Request dishwasher service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Dishwasher Repair in Lacey →
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Lake kitchens hold everything from an original wall oven with a mechanical thermostat to a glass-top range from a 2010 rebuild and, near the gas main, a gas range whose igniter has weakened. Bake elements snap, oven sensors drift, burners die and igniters spark without lighting. We meter at the appliance, renew the failed part and write the cost before opening anything further. Older wall ovens often need only a thermostat or element to run for years more.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Old wall oven runs far too hot | Mechanical thermostat drifted or its sensor bulb loose | Calibrate or renew the thermostat, prove with a probe |
| Bake element sparked and died | Element broken along its length | Fit a new element, check the terminals for scorching |
| Glass-top burner dead | Radiant element open or its switch failed | Meter both, renew the failed part, inspect the glass |
| Gas burner sparks without catching | Igniter cracked, cap wet or askew after a spill, module weak | Dry and reseat, meter the module, renew the igniter |
| Oven door will not close fully | Hinges sprung, gasket flattened | Fit new hinges, renew the gasket, align the door |
Often yes, because the parts are simple: an element, a thermostat, a door hinge. If the cabinet cutout was built for it, a replacement may not fit without carpentry, which tips the decision further toward repair. We meter it, quote the part in writing and tell you plainly if anything else is close to failing.
Request range service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Oven, Range & Cooktop Repair in Lacey →
$99 to diagnose · counted into the repair if you go ahead · the total on paper first
Ice makers at the lakes work hardest in July and sit idle in October, and both extremes cause trouble. Heavy summer use wears the module; the quiet weeks let a slow fill freeze the tube into a plug. East-shore well water narrows the inlet valve with iron, city water does the same more slowly with mineral. We renew valves, tubes and modules inside the refrigerator, and we suggest leaving the ice maker running through the off-season.
| At the lake house | Cause we find | Fix we make |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped making ice after summer ended | Fill tube frozen during slow weeks, valve weakened | Thaw the tube, renew the valve, run several harvests |
| Cubes shrinking | Inlet valve narrowed by iron or mineral | Renew the valve, clock the fill, check the filter |
| Module clicks but no ice drops | Ejector motor weak or mold heater open | Meter the module, renew it, cycle a harvest |
| Ice bin frozen solid | Cubes fused during an outage or a door left open by a guest | Empty and thaw the bin, test the ejector, check the door seal |
| Rusty or cloudy ice | Iron in the well water, filter overdue | Renew the filter, flush the reservoir, discuss treatment upstream |
If the refrigerator stays on, leave the ice maker running with the bin about half full; an idle ice maker is more likely to freeze its fill tube and weaken its valve than one that cycles. If the house is being fully shut down and the water turned off, then yes, switch it off and empty the bin.
Request ice maker service in Long Lake & Hicks Lake → · Ice Maker Repair in Lacey →
No. Many of the shore lanes are too tight for a van to turn around, so the technician parks at the top and walks the tools down; parts come from the van as needed. Warn us about the lane at booking time and the technician plans for it; the walk adds nothing to your cost.
The same as anywhere in Lacey: the technician meters your machine, pins down the failed part, and hands you the repair cost in writing. Approve, and the $99 is buried inside that figure rather than a separate line. Declining means $99 is what you pay for the visit, and you keep the diagnosis.
It matters for which parts fail and how often. Iron and hardness scale dishwasher heaters, narrow ice-maker valves and stain washer drums, so we lean toward renewing a valve rather than cleaning it. We also tell you when treating the water would extend the life of the appliances. The diagnostic and the warranty are the same on any water.
Usually. Second refrigerators on porches and in boathouses fail for simple reasons: a thermostat confused by cold air, a relay lost to an outage, a gasket that has gone stiff. We can look at it during the same visit as the kitchen machine. If it is very old and has a sealed-system fault, we tell you it is time and leave it at that.
On the van · Long Lake & Hicks Lake
Each machine opens to what tends to fail on it around here and how we handle the visit.
Nearby
Marvin Rd · Britton Pkwy · exit 111
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Open the Tanglewilde page →The visit
Say which machine and what it is doing. You get a two-hour window that works around school runs and shifts, and a call when the van leaves the previous stop.
Clamp meter on the compressor lead, probe thermometer in the cabinet, manometer on the gas manifold. Once the failed part has a name the whole job goes onto one sheet: a single total with the $99 already sitting inside it.
Yes, and the part is usually on a van shelf and fitted that afternoon. No, and your only cost is the $99, plus knowing what broke.
A complete cycle runs while you watch, the kick panel goes back on straight, and the invoice lists the warranty term in print.
Already on the route, with no mileage line. $99 diagnosis, one figure in writing, warranty on the invoice.
