Re-modeled the house and you’d like to spruce up the looks of your otherwise fully-functional appliances so they match the new decor? One way of doing this is to re-paint the appliances. Yeah, it’s tedious, detailed, unforgiving work but, for some, it’s a treasured tradition in the appliance repair martial arts. Here, now, are some rare pearls of wisdom from a Zen Master of the ancient and mystical art of appliance painting, Sublime Master appl.tech.29501:
I paint alot of appliances, your not gonna get a very good finish with a roll on. You need to start out wet sanding with 220 wet/dry, then wash it down and dry it completely with something that is lint free. once all the water is visually dry, let it sit there for about an hour (there’s still moisture that you can’t see that the air will evaporate). Tape off any trim work and go to town.
enamel / epoxy works best and get the cans that have the “fan spray nozzel”
optimal temp. for painting is 65-70 degrees, if painting outside, dont paint in the wind.
hold can about 8-10″ away and travel about 2″ per second overlapping the previous run about an inch.
wait about 10 min. per coat and do at least 3 coats.
take your time and dont get frustrated, there is an art to it and you are likely to mess up.
if you do mess up (run the paint, put you hand in it, etc.) you gotta let it dry completely and resand that area again (if you want it to look good.)
This problem is common in the GE Profile side by sides with ice dispensers, such as the GE Profile PSS26MGPABB. The dispensers in these otherwise troublesome refrigerators have been a cause of acid reflux and intestinal cramping for billions of unsuspecting owners of GE refrigerators.
The root problem is that the freezer just gets too warm. Ice at the bottom of the augur bucket melts just enough to add a thin layer of water around the augur screw assembly. The water then re-freezes and immobilizes the augur screw. Now, if you go and use the ice dispenser, the mighty augur motor starts to turn the augur screw and… breaks the drive mechanism. You’ll usually end up needing one of these:
And it may well happen again due to a screwup in the design of the refrigerator which lets the freezer get warm enough to cause all this mess in the first place.
You could also try replacing just the augur screw– not a user-friendly repair, see this topic in repair forum for details on that.
So, whoever’s gonna buy GE appliances again, raise your hand. Bueller? …Bueller?
To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.
Whenever grasshoppers have a refrigerator that’s warming up, the first thing they think is that the compressor is bad or it “needs a shot of freon.” In fact, the compressor, copper tubing, or freon (collectively called the “sealed system”) is at fault less than 20% of the time when a refrigerator is warming up; usually, the culprit is something simple, like the cold control, condenser fan, or a problem with the defrosting system.
So how can a hapless grasshoppah, who doesn’t own any fancy refrigeration tools, like manifold gauges, know for sure whether or not the sealed system is the problem? Usually you can tell by simple observation. Unplug the refrigerator and disassemble the freezer compartment to expose the evaporator coil– that’s the coily tubey thingy with fins in the freezer that’s supposed to get really cold. Then plug the refrigerator back in and let it run while you suck back on a can of PBR, just like yo’ pappy used to do. Then open the freezer up and feast your blood-shot squinties on that evaporator coil. It should be lightly frosted on about 2/3 of the coil. If the coil is wet and clammy or if you see just a patch of frost on one corner, like this, then, ding-ding-ding, you got yo’self a gen-u-wine sealed system problem. Could be a bad compressor or a leak somewhere in the tubing that circulates the freon around the refrigerator. Either way, it’s trouble in doggie land. Sealed system work is expensive and, unless you paid so mucho dinero for the box that you’re married to it, you’re probably better off just buying a new refrigerator.
Now, just in time for Thanksgiving, you can download this handy, three-page refrigerator repair manual, lovingly annotated by yours so very freaking truly. Links to illustrative web pages are embedded in the manual; words underlined in blue are hyperlinks and you can click them to go to the supporting page. Notes appear as yellow blocks; click ’em to read ’em. Download it today and send it to your friends– it’s the perfect Thanksgiving gift!
To learn more about your refrigerator, or to order parts, click here.
This is the latest edition (2007) of this very useful primer on appliance repair, Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances. I own a copy of the first edition, which came out in 1995 and it occupies prime real estate on my bookshelf among my more valuable appliance repair references. This latest edition has added coverage of gas appliances and offers a complete guide to the latest tools, techniques, and parts for troubleshooting and repairing any appliance; 10 entirely new chapters and new illustrations throughout!
Packed with over 200 illustrations, the book includes step-by-step procedures for testing and replacing parts; instructions for reading wiring diagrams; charts with troubleshooting solutions; advice on using tools and test meters; safety techniques and more.
If you have any aspirations of fixing your own or someone else’s appliances, you need this book. Buy it today— I did. 8)
Ever wanted to tear down your brand new Cabrio? This video will show you how. Since this washer is manufactured by Fisher-Paykel for Whirlpool, the teardown shown here will be very similar for the F-P GWL10 and 11 washers. Grab some popcorn and let’s watch a movie!
Another edition of our award-winning newsletter, Appliantology, has hit the streets face-first and screaming! Download this issue now (about 580 kb, PDF file). Lots of cool new features have been added to Fixitnow.com and are ‘splained in this newsletter so hurry and download it today before it gets all used up. You’ll be glad you did! 🙂
In case you missed the previous issues of Appliantology, you can peruse the archives.
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In his continuing efforts to enhance your repair experience, the Samurai has spent hundreds of hours scouring through Amazon.com’s vast selection of tools to find the best tools for appliance repair. I call them Cool Tools for Fixit Fools and they’re all just aching to be fondled in your sweaty, hairy palms. Come git you some!
If your front-loading washer sounds like the washer below during high speed spin, well, they’s big trouble in little China, Budrow.
The machine above happens to be an 8-year old Whirlpool Duet washer. Why would such a (pending) catastrophic failure happen after less than 10 years of moderate use? The first reason most of us think of is that the bearing was either poorly designed or was made out of inferior materials. But the truth is that the ichiban killer of drum bearings in any front-loading washer is non-HE detergent. HE: High Efficiency. And no, using a smaller quantity of conventional detergent is not the same as using HE detergent, as explained below.
Y’see, HE detergent is not simply a concentrated formulation of the regular stuff. Since front loaders use much less water than top loaders (about 12 gallons per wash load vs. about 56 gallons in a conventional top-loader), front-loaders require a detergent with a whole different chemistry. So let’s answer some common questions and dispel common myths about front-loaders and HE detergents.
Q. I like to see lots of suds in my washer because then I know my clothes are getting clean!
A. Uhh, that wasn’t a question but, hey, let’s not pick nits. You have to start with the understanding that the tumble action of high-efficiency washers (i.e., front loaders) produce more suds than the agitator action in top loaders. Now most of people think, “Oooo, sudsy, that’s good!” No, not good. Suds do nothing to clean your clothes and are actually an undesirable by-product of the detergent’s chemical interaction with the water.
Q. OK, Mr. Monk, if suds aren’t the star of the show in a washer, how are detergents supposed to get the ca-ca off my clothes?
A. The main job of detergents is to remove soils and stains. They do this by breaking down the surface tension of water, in effect, making water “wetter.” The water is what actually does the cleaning by slipping in between the ca-ca and the fabric, separating them and suspending the ca-ca in solution.
Detergents are designed to freshen, remove odors, and brighten fabrics as they clean. Another key detergent function is to hold ca-ca, and any dyes from colored fabrics, suspended in the wash water so they aren’t re-deposited back onto the cleaned clothes. Traditional detergents are designed to do this in high water volumes used by conventional, top-loading water hog washers.
If you think about it, using HE detergent in your front loader is really common sense. Because of the low-water wash and rinse cycles in HE washers, HE detergents must work differently from traditional laundry detergents in order to be effective.
So, a bunch of them pointy-headed scientist types with all kinds of fancy degrees hung on their walls got together to design detergents that would be low-sudsing and quick-dispersing to get the best cleaning performance in front-loading washers.
Q. I still don’t get it: why is low-sudsing important in a washing machine?
A. Because excessive sudsing can cause problems in HE washers by “cushioning” — or even preventing — the tumbling action. HE detergents also hold soils and dyes in suspension in low water volumes, so they don’t re-deposit onto cleaned clothes. This means that if you’re using non-HE detergents in your front-loading washer, you’re wearing poopy germs and other ca-ca on your clothes right now and you are one of the Great Unwashed.
Q. I’ve just been buying the 100 lb. box of Super Saver detergent from Sam’s Club. So what if my clothes don’t get as clean?
A. It’s not just about your clothes getting clean, Homer. You’re also causing damage to your expensive front-loading washer. Excess suds can cause the washer’s pump to overheat causing premature failure of the pump. These excess suds also cause residue to build up inside the drum and hoses. After a while, your washer will start giving off a moldy funk and infecting your clothes with its faint, musky stink. Nothin’ says class like a whiff of Ode de Mildew!
It always amazes me when I talk to people who buy a front-loading washer that costs two to three times more than a top-loading water hog, and then they want to pinch pennies using cheap, conventional detergent; penny-wise, plain-stupid!
Q. If suds are the problem, can I just use a smaller amount of regular laundry detergent?
A. No. Using a lesser amount of regular detergent will not alleviate the sudsing problem — and in addition, will compromise cleaning performance. That’s why you need to use HE detergents. How many times do I have to say it? HE detergents have a totally different formulation in order to get the skid marks outta your skivvies in low-water conditions.
Q. My new front-loader uses considerably less water than my agitator washer. Should I just use less conventional detergent to compensate?
A. What’d you do, jump into the middle of this article and start reading? No — you should not use conventional, non-HE detergent in your front-loading washer. Ever. Scroll up and start reading from the beginning.
Q. What can I do to keep my front loader from becoming another casualty like the washer in that cool movie you posted above?
A. Low wash temperatures and/or use of regular detergent (which causes excess suds) may prevent some ca-ca from completely rinsing out of the front-loading washing machines. Oily soils and some dirt-type soils are especially sensitive to lower wash temperatures and medium to high suds levels. Over time, ca-ca will accumulate in the washer and lead to the growth of bacteria and mold, which we professional appliantologists refer to as bio-gookus. This bio-gookus will start stinking and may even impart odors to your clothes. Worse yet, you’re wearing all the crud next to your body and private parts! To avoid all this unpleasantness, you should periodically run a maintenance cycle on your front-loader.
Q. OK, I’ll bite: How do I run a “Maintenance Cycle” on my front-loader?
1. Select the hot water setting. If there is no hot water setting, then select a “white” or a “stain” cycle setting. (Note: do not put laundry in the washer.)
2. Select the “extra rinse” option, if offered.
3. Add liquid chlorine bleach to the bleach dispenser. Fill to its maximum level.
4. Run the cycle through its completion.
5. If the washer does not have a second rinse option, manually select an additional rinse cycle to ensure that no chlorine bleach remains in your washer.
6. If your washer still has a funk, repeat steps 1 through 5 as necessary.
BTW, this is good to do periodically on top-loaders, too.
That’s right, I said “republic,” not “democracy” because we’re supposed to be a republic. But you never hear that term in the LSM (lame-stream media); no, they’re all ga-ga over the D-word. Yeah, if only everyone could vote, then the whole world will live as one.
You wanna know what democracy really is? It’s three wolves and a lamb trying to decide what to have for dinner so they take a vote. Hey, it was voted on by the majority so it must be OK to eat the loser, right? Yes, that would be right in a Democracy which is why democracy, as a concept, SUCKS.
By contrast, in a Republic, everyone is born with certain basic human rights (you know: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, remember those?) and the role of the government is to protect those rights, regardless of what the flatulent masses want or how they vote.
Notice the subtle but fundamental paradigm shift: in a Republic, the government does not, and cannot, grant rights; it protects God-given rights that every human being is endowed with simply by virtue of having a pulse. In a Democracy, the government grants those same rights; and it can also take them away because, hey, the majority voted for it so it must be OK. So, when you hear the talking heads and political predators talking about spreading “democracy” around the globe, the alarms bells in your head should be so loud that everyone around you hears it, too.
My friends, we are witnessing the death-throes of our Republic. This election is the dying gasp of our republic-turned-empire. If Ron Paul doesn’t win this election, it’s game over for freedom in Ameedica and we’ll have to change the last line of our national anthem to “the land of the freeloaders and the home of the depraved.” If Ron Paul wins, we at least have a fighting chance to restore some sanity to our broken and corrupt political process.
Fan mail from the UK. Yeah, we bad, we WORLD-wide!
From: Richard, UK
Subject: When you were offline (via LivePerson)
Your article “Bosch Dishwasher Takes Forever to Complete a Cycle” was absolutely spot on, right down to the pin to re-solder. A fabulous piece of detective work, Sifu! Many thanks.
From: Bad Moose
Subject: When you were offline (via LivePerson)
Hello,
We have a Fisher & Paykel GWL10US washing machine. My wife just had a repair man out and he said that we need a new drain pump and its about $120 for installation because its more difficult than most washers. I looked on one parts site and they wanted $214 for a drain pump. I can’t find F&P on your parts site. The official F&P site only lists touch panels when I type in the washer model number.
Can you help me out with a parts source that is reasonable?
Thank you, Sir!
_______________________________
The above message was sent when you were offline, via your Timpani site.
Message sent from IP: 172.16.57.237
Call F-P: 1-800-863-5394. Tell them you’re unable to find any competent repair service for your washer and they’ll ship you the pump directly.
And this is one of the easiest washers to work on, especially changing the pump. Tip the machine forward on its belly, unclip a wire harness from the pump and then unclip the pump, bayonette style, lefty-loosey. Take you all of seven minutes, even on a bad day.
, know for sure whether or not the sealed system is the problem? Usually you can tell by simple observation. Unplug the refrigerator and disassemble the freezer compartment to expose the evaporator coil– that’s the coily tubey thingy with fins in the freezer that’s supposed to get really cold. Then plug the refrigerator back in and let it run while you suck back on a can of PBR, just like yo’ pappy used to do. Then open the freezer up and feast your blood-shot squinties on that evaporator coil. It should be lightly frosted on about 2/3 of the coil. If the coil is wet and clammy or if you see just a patch of frost on one corner, like 
This is the latest edition (2007) of this very useful primer on appliance repair, 
and they’re all just aching to be fondled in your sweaty, hairy palms. 