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Archive for May, 2009

Washing Machine Floods and the Stupid Plumber’s Trick

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Went on a service call for a Maytag washing machine that had overflowed and made a messy flood in the basement. After pulling the water inlet valve, the reason for the flooding was readily apparent: one of the protective inlet screens had been removed! (click for larger view)
This is called the stupid plumber’s trick. Don’t [...]

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Electrical Symbols on Wiring and Schematic Diagrams

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Appliances are what we in the bidness call “electro-mechanical devices.” Oh yeah, mmm hmm, we professionals can throw around all kinda two-dollah words like that– that’s why we makes the big money!
Anyway, “electro-mechanical” just means that they have both electrical and mechanical components, any of which can fail and require troubleshooting and repair. So, on [...]

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Cheap Fix for Slipping Clutch in a Whirlpool-Kenmore Direct Drive Washer

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

See this post for help narrowing down a problem in your washer’s drive train (motor, coupler, transmission, clutch), shown in the diagram below (click for larger view).
One sign that the clutch is slipping is that it’ll feel really, really hot after running for just a few minutes.
Once you’re sure you’re dealing with a slipping [...]

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Frigidaire Front-Load Washer Model FTF530FS0

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

…a.k.a., FTF530FJ Canadian. (Have I told you that I love Canada? Oui, oui! As a matter of freakin fact, the Samurai’s paternal family hails from Saskatchewan.)
Sublime Master RegUS has posted the wiring diagram, tech sheet, parts manual, and service manual fer ya ratcheer. Come git you some!

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The Permanent Cure for Repeatedly Freezing Condensate Drains in Whirlpool-Roper-Kitchenaid Top-Mount Refrigerators

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

The condensate drains in certain models of this refrigerator repeatedly freeze over, causing water to run inside the refrigerator during defrost. If you manually clear the ice and open the drain– which you shouldn’t ever have to do– the problem will just re-appear… unless you apply the Fixite Do kata that ol’ Samurai’s [...]

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Leaking Pump in a Whirlpool DU810DWGQ1 Dishwasher

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Leaking Pump in a Whirlpool DU810DWGQ1 Dishwasher
These are cheesy, inexpensive dishwashers that are prone to leaky pumps, as shown here (click the pic for the larger, annotated view).

Whirlpool DU810DWGQ1 Dishwasher Pump and Motor Diagram
The problem is usually a leaky shaft seal kit, shown here as Items 7 and 8 (click the pic for the [...]

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Whirlpool Direct Drive Washer with a Leaky Pump

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Next time you need to open up your Whirlpool-built direct drive washer (also sold under the Kenmore label), be sure to check the motor shaft and pump drive hub for rust. If you’re replacing the drive coupler– a very common repair on this otherwise fine machine– then you have to remove the motor and pump [...]

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GE Top-Loading Washer WCSE3100A Motor Click Fix: A Haiku of Revolution

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

GE washer goes,
“Click-click,” when starting to spin.
Needs motor upgrade.

To learn more about your washing machine, or to order parts, click here.

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Frigidaire-Kenmore Front Loading Washer Knocks and Shakes During High Speed Spin

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

The two most common causes of knocking noises and instability in this washer during high speed are: 1) a bad shock absorber and 2) a bad “drum support spider“.
On these washers, if a shock absorber is bad, it’s usually obvious — you just need to get some eyeballs on ‘em. Just remove [...]

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GE GSD5500G00WW Dishwasher Spray Arm Retaining Clips Broken

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

If those little clips break, the spray arm won’t turn and the water will just shoot straight up to the lower rack. You can’t just replace the clips because GE doesn’t make enough money that way. Instead, you get to buy the entire lower spray arm assembly. Thank you, GE!

To [...]

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Jenn-Air SVD48600 Range Power Relay Board and Electrode Changeout: A Pictorial Odyssey

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

This range had two complaints. One was that the gas grill module wouldn’t ignite.
The other complaint was that the cooling fan would come on at 100F and stay on– very annoying, also very common in this model. In addition, the temperature on the display would never increment beyond 100F even though [...]

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All Samsung Refrigerators have a Lurking Defrost Nightmare Problem: An Uncool Haiku

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Bought a Samsung fridge.
Looks slick, french doors, “special deal!”
Defrost nightmare lurks.

To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.

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Entering Diagnostic Mode in a GE Monogram Refrigerator Model ZISS480DRASS

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Hard to read? Click it for a larger view. Still not great but whaddya want fer nuttin’, r-r-r-r-rubbah biscuits?

To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.

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Asko Dryer T760 Thermistor Error – A Haiku of Drying

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

“Thermistor Error”
on Asko dryer display.
Replace thermistor.

To learn more about your dryer, or to order parts, click here.

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Repair Guide for the Whirlpool-built Stand-Alone Ice Machine

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

This is the ice machine that makes a slab of ice and slides it onto a grid that cuts the ice into little squares. Along with clear and cogent explanations, this excellent and comprehensive repair guide for the Whirlpool-built stand-alone ice machine also contains lots of links to parts and other repair resources for [...]

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