Appliance Repair Wisdom for the Ages

Sunday, August 28, 2005

So, your two to four year old Frigmore (Frigidaire-built but with a Kenmore name stuck on it) front loader is going clang-clang-clang like a trolley when it kicks into hi-speed spin? You're probably faced with wallowed out tub bearings. Some good discussion for tackling this problem in this thread from the Samurai School of Appliantology. Go get 'em!

Water heating stopped in your Kenmore or Whirlpool dishwasher? If it has a Kenmore name on it, this dishwasher is manufactured by Whirlpool and there's a Whirlpool Service Pointer out on this very problem. Lots more information in this thread from the Samurai School of Appliantology.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

If you're sick of having a dishwasher full of rank, greasy water, this thread from the Samurai School of Appliantology will show you how to get back into the flow.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Got a Whirlpool Duet (or a Kenmore HE3T) washer that stops mid-cycle and flashes the HF error code? The solution is ratcheer in the Samurai School of Appliantology.

NancyAnn wrote:

I recently moved. My Kenmore dryer has a 3 prong plug, my new house a 4 prong receptable. I replaced the old cord with a new 4 wire cord, But didn't connect the green ground wire. The dryer came with a green wire attached to the frame. Do I remove or leave it? and connect the green from the 4-wire cord there? Do I attach both green wires to the frame? This dryer did not have the metal strap as shown in your diagrams.

Thanks,

NancyAnn

This is a point of confusion for many grasshoppers and one that I tried to clarify in my seminal epistle on this subject. Nevertheless, I get enough questions about what to do with the ground wire that some further clarification is in order.

A dryer's internal ground can be done using a bare metal strap at the terminal block or by using a green wire that's screwed to the dryer's cabinet-- it makes no difference which is used because they each serve the same purpose.

In the old three-wire dryer cord configuration, the neutral and ground were tied together (Figure 1).

At this point, Samurai's 6th Law of Appliance Repair illumines us, "Neutral is not ground; ground is not neutral," and we understand the problem with the old three-wire dryer cord configuration is that it violated Samurai's 6th Law.

The whole point of the new four-wire dryer cord is to separate the ground from the neutral and thus comply with Samurai's 6th Law of Appliance Repair. This is illustrated in Figure 2 on a dryer equipped with a grounding strap.

So, in light of this inspiring and illuminating tome, can you answer your own question about what to do with the green wires from the dryer and the cord? That's right: they both get attached to the dryer cabinet. Go get yourself a cardboard cookie.

Friday, August 19, 2005

The solution to this problem is so stunningly simple that if you end up paying for a repair, you'll be kicking yourself in the booty 'till next payday. Piece of pie... IF you know the trick.

Got your panties in a wad because your slick new Kitchenaid dishwasher is running rapidly through the cycles and then turns off. Fear not, my feckless grasshopper, for the Samurai has the heard your wailing, kvetching, and gnashing of teeth. The wisdom you seek is here.

Hampster wrote:

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Yesterday as I sat here relishing in the bliss that was the 1st day of my vacation (screaming toddler & 5 loads of laundry) I became painfully aware of just how loud that dryer had become. I surmised that the problem involved whatever it is that the drum rides on. Thanks to your site I was able to rip that sucka apart this morning and remove the offending (offensive?) bearing and glides. I even know what to call them now. After a short drive to the appliance store and a bit too much money for such small parts the dryer is up and running quietly. I may however need to disassemble the vacuum now after filling it with all the lint that formerly resided in the dryer! The photos were VERY helpful. Thanks again.

Hey, that's what we're beer for... er, I mean, here for. Eh heh. Congrats on the repair!

(click for larger view)

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Had another break in the heat and humidity so I headed off to the Northern Presidential range ("The Prezzies," in native-speak) of the White Mountains for some mountain-made eye candy. After hiking all summer in 80 and 90 degree heat saturated with humidity, I had almost forgotten how it feels to hike in crisp, cool mountain air. I had gotten so used to getting beaten down by the oppressive heat, feeling it suck out my energy and strength like a vampire, that I was practically running up the Airline Trail to the near-summit of Mt. Adams.

I turned south off the trail about 0.4 miles below the summit of Mt. Adams and bushwhacked around the summit to the Star Lake Trail. I did this because my canine hiking partner, Bubba, seemed to be having a hard time with all the rough granite rip-rap which comprised the trail. Besides, the view from the Star Lake Trail, looking down at Star Lake and Mt. Madison, is one of the prime ocular treats on this hike. Check it out:

(click for larger view)

Down at Star Lake, Bubba cooled his haunches and rested in one of the rare patches of grass found above treeline.

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Come on, check out the rest of the pictures from this splendiferous hike.

BRENTWOOD, N.H. -- Emergency workers helped a New Hampshire man out of a difficult situation over the weekend after a friend apparently locked a padlock around his testicles.

According to the Portsmouth Herald, police reported that the 39-year-old man was intoxicated when they arrived at the scene on July 30 at about 3:40 a.m. The man, who was not identified, told them that he had the padlock around his testicles for two weeks.

The man said that a friend put the lock on while he was drunk and passed out. When he woke up, the friend was gone.

"Never in my 13 years have I seen anything like this," Cpl. H.D. Wood told the Herald.

The man told police that he tried to remove the lock with a hacksaw because the key had broken off in the lock.

He was taken to Exeter Hospital, where a locksmith removed the padlock. He was treated and released, and the hospital said he had no lasting injury.

Police said that they did not know the motive for the incident.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/4815844/detail.html

Puts a new meaning on taking away a friend's keys when he's drunk.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

My family came up from Georgia for a visit and to have my sister's two sons Baptized at our parish.

I took my brother on a classic hike up the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains. Being an absolutely beautiful Saturday, lots of other folks had the same idea so the trails were crowded; I was reminded why I set a rule to never hike in the White Mountains on weekends.

We went up the Falling Waters Trail, across the Franconia Ridge to Mt. Lafayette and then down the Old Bridal Path. Bro held his own the entire hike-- you'd never guess he was a flatlander. He even knew how to do a summit pose like a true hillstomper, check it out:

Bro of Samurai strikes a summit pose on Mt. Lincoln with Cannon Mountain in the background. (click for larger view)

Monday, August 01, 2005

Gasoline: tres yummies!

From left to right: the Trail Hog, the Fixite Do Service Van, and the Mamma Van. (click for larger view)

A dark and ominous thunderhead had just rolled in when the call came in: dryer taking forever to dry clothes. I set down my 40-ounce bomber can of Colt Malt Liquor and sprinted for my trusty Fixite Do service van.

Just as I pulled into the customer's driveway, the thunderstorm unleashed its fury, dumping rain and hail. I dodged 17 lightning bolts as I ran from my van to the house. The ground exploded everywhere the lightning struck, like a field of land mines. The thunder was so loud that it jarred loose three fillings in my teeth. But nothing could deter me from my mission-- there was a broken dryer out there and the Samurai was on the job!

Once inside in the house and at the offending dryer, I proceeded to verify the complaint. The first thing I do in any slow-drying complaint is to eliminate a restricted vent as the source of the problem. So I pulled the vent off the back of the dryer and ran it. Using my calibrated palm, I felt the pressure at the dryer's exhaust port-- it was weak. So I knew I was dealing with an air restriction somewhere inside the dyer. To proceed, I needed to disassemble the dryer.

I removed the front panel of the dryer to inspect the blower chute and found that it was packed with lint!

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I dumped all the lint into a waste basket and set it against the wall, near an electrical outlet. Suddenly, the house was struck by lightning which surged through the outlet and arced out to the lint basket. When I looked over at the basket, I saw that IT WAS ALIVE! AHHHHH!

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