Hire or DIY?

PROS can help you navigate the right solution for your equipment needs

By Barry Victor, owner and president of PROS Parts 

The decision to hire someone to service your equipment or learn to fix it yourself depends on several factors, especially for dry cleaners and industrial or commercial laundry companies. Here’s a breakdown of when each option might be more beneficial: 

Hire a Professional Service 

• Complexity of Equipment: Industrial laundry and dry-cleaning machines can be highly specialized. If your equipment is complicated or has advanced technology, professional service technicians are often the best option because they are trained and have the necessary tools to diagnose and repair problems quickly. 
• Time Sensitivity: For businesses that rely on high turnaround times (such as laundromats, hotels, or hospitals), downtime can be costly. A professional repair service can usually respond faster and more efficiently to get your equipment back up and running. 
• Warranty: Many manufacturers of industrial laundry machines require repairs to be performed by authorized technicians in order to maintain the warranty. If your equipment is under warranty, using a certified service provider is often necessary to prevent voiding the warranty. 
• Safety Concerns: Industrial laundry equipment often involves high heat, pressure, steam, and electrical components. If you’re not properly trained, there’s a higher risk of injury. In such cases, it’s safer to hire someone who understands the risks and has the experience to handle these aspects safely. 
• Specialized Parts and Tools: Professional technicians often have access to specific tools and parts that you may not easily obtain, especially if they are proprietary to certain brands. They can also provide advice on sourcing quality replacement parts. 
• Cost-Effectiveness (Long-Term): While hiring a service technician might seem expensive, it could ultimately save you money in the long run. Professionals typically fix issues faster, reducing the time your equipment is out of service, and they may prevent recurring problems that could result from improper repairs. 

Learn to Fix It Yourself 

• Simple Repairs: If the issue is minor (e.g., a clogged filter, malfunctioning belt, or simple electrical issues), learning to fix the problem yourself could save you money and time. There are often manuals, online resources, or video tutorials that can guide you through basic repairs. 
• Cost Considerations: If you’re trying to reduce operating costs and the repairs are relatively straightforward, investing in learning the basics of equipment maintenance can be worth it. Over time, you could reduce your reliance on external services for small fixes. 
• Maintenance and Preventive Care: Learning to properly maintain your equipment is a great investment. Routine tasks such as cleaning filters, lubricating moving parts, and monitoring machine performance can prevent bigger issues down the road, which might mean fewer emergency repairs. 
• Availability of Resources: If you’re able to find detailed, manufacturer-approved guides or tutorials, this can make it easier for you to handle minor repairs or troubleshooting without needing to call in a technician. Many companies offer online resources or user manuals for DIY repairs. 
• Long-Term Knowledge: Learning how to troubleshoot and repair machines can help you understand the internal workings of the equipment, which can be valuable for quick diagnostics and more informed decision-making when you do call a technician. 

When to Consider a Hybrid Approach 

• Emergency Repairs: In some cases, you might try basic troubleshooting first (like resetting the machine, checking for blockages, or cleaning the filters) before deciding whether to call in a professional. If you can quickly rule out minor issues, a technician might only be needed for more complex ones. 
• Training Staff: If you have several employees, consider offering basic repair and maintenance training so that they can handle minor issues while calling in a professional only for more serious breakdowns. 

Conclusion 

• Hire a Technician: For complex, high-cost, or urgent repairs, especially when safety is involved or if you’re under warranty. 
• DIY: For basic maintenance, troubleshooting, and minor repairs if you’re looking to save costs or if the repairs are simple enough to handle with the right resources. 

In practice, many businesses opt for a blend—learning basic maintenance and troubleshooting but hiring experts for larger or more complicated issues. 

Whatever your decision, PROS is here to help get you the parts you need as quickly as possible. Contact us or visit our website.    

About Barry Victor
Barry founded PROS Parts in the spring of 1988. Before starting PROS, Barry worked in the sales and engineering departments of Vic Manufacturing, one of the largest manufacturers of dry cleaning equipment in the U.S. At Vic, Barry launched a parts sales division that supported dry cleaning equipment imported from Italy and Germany. In its early years, PROS manufactured dry cleaning machinery and then evolved into an industrial and commercial laundry equipment and drycleaning operations parts supplier. Barry lives in Plymouth, MN with his wife. He has two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter and his dog, Sora.   

Barry can be reached at 763-231-7379 or barryv@prosparts.com.