Author Archives: Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Appliance Tip of the Day: Zen and the Art of Refrigerator Door Gasket Replacement

appliance tip of the day archive

Ahh, Grasshopper, you are about to embark on the artistic side of appliance repair. There’s more to changing a fridge door gasket than just turning a few screws…not much more, but enough so that if you’re not aware of them, you’ll do a crappy job. Finesse, man, finesse, that’s the name o’ dis game.

When you get the new gasket, it’ll come in a box, all twisted up with wrinkles and puckers. If you were to just install the gasket as it is right outta the box, you’d have more gaps in the final gasket seal than Clinton’s memory during the Lewinsky deposition. Stick that sucker in the dryer on medium heat for about 10 minutes. That’ll give you enough time to do some prep work on the fridge door.

First thing you gotta do is take all the food off the door shelves. If’n you don’t, you’ll probably have a hard time making the door square up right with the cabinet when you’re all done.

Next, loosen all them billion and a half retaining screws all around the perimeter of the door like this or this. You can also see what these look like in relation to the gasket. One of those Versapak screw drivers with a long 1/4″ nutdriver attachment takes away alot of the drudgery here. Don’t take ’em out all the way, just back ’em out about 2 full turns. Then pull the old gasket out all the way around.

By the time you finish pulling the fool thing apart, your new gasket should be nice and warm and soft from its ride in the dryer. Wash your hands at this point so you don’t get gookus from the old gasket on your new one. Take the new gasket outta the dryer and untwist it.

Lay the new gasket up around the door like it’s supposed to go on and start at a corner working the lip into the retaining bracket. On some fridges, there are no retaining brackets, they just use the whole plastic shelf piece to hold the gasket in. Either way, same idea. Get the gasket in all the way around and situated like it’s supposed to be before you tighten any of the retaining screws.

Now, here’s the finesse part. Some of these doors get really floppy when all the retaining are loosened. Start tightening the new gasket from the top working down to the bottom of the door. Periodically, eyeball the door or check it against the cabinet to make sure it ain’t warped, like what’s shown here. If it does seem to be warping on you, just hold the bottom half with your leg and warp it back into place.

Once you got it looking right, go ahead and tighten the retaining screws. I like to put a little silicone lube along the surface of the gasket that’s next to the door hinge so it don’t squeek so damn much.

Awwite, go fix your fridge.


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


grasshoppers meditating with the master before embarking on the sublime journey of refrigerator door gasket replacement

The Honor Roll

Several Appliantology group members have earned the coveted distinction of a free live appliance repair help session. They’ve earned this by contributing appliance repair photos to the group’s photo album or by making outstanding contributions to the group’s repair forum. Since I start forgetting things in quantities greater than two, I thought I’d better make a list of these members of distinction. It’s called The Honor Roll and it’s a new link in the menu on the left hand side of the group’s homepage. Oh, I know: I’m just too clever. But really, I owe it all to my lobotomy that I did myself (with a little help from my wife and kids mopping up the blood and wiping the brains and skull particles off the drill bits–thanks gang, I feel better now!) It’s really helped me to think about things more…ummm, what was I talking about?

Cheesedork Alert!

Ralph, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (IP address: 64.108.132.31), rang me up for live help on his Frigidaire dryer today. As with all chat conversations, the transcripts are saved and I’ve presented it here for your amusement and enlightenment.


Samurai Appliance Repair Man: hi, ralph. how can i help you?

ralph: hello

ralph: on afrigidaire dryer model fdg546resi i need to know where the two fueses [sic] are

Samurai Appliance Repair Man: ok, let me explain how i can help you with this in live help…

Samurai Appliance Repair Man: (below is the pre-written explanation of the Live Appliance Repair Help service offered here at Fixitnow.com that I inserted into the chat window.)

I’m an appliance repair expert and I can help you fix your appliance right here, right now, while we’re chatting. During your live help consultation, I can post illustrations, diagrams, and tricks-of-the-trade, and point out the part(s) that you need to fix it yourself. To help recover the cost of offering live help, I need to charge a very modest consulting fee of only $15. Your live help consultation continues for as many separate chat sessions as it takes to completely solve your problem. It’s a great deal and you’ll save many times that amount by fixing it yourself with the help of an expert!

When you click the button below to make your payment for your Live Appliance Repair Consultation, you’ll be taken to the secure Paypal site where you can safely enter your payment information. You can do this right now, while we’re still chatting. I’ll instantly receive notification of your payment and then we’ll go to work on your appliance. Usually, I can solve your problem in one session. But if it does require more sessions, there is no additional charge. Additionally, at the end of each chat, you’ll have the option of having a transcript emailed to you so you’ll have a permanent record of what we talked about. Let’s get started!








all major credit cards accepted, eChecks, too!

Samurai Appliance Repair Man: do you have any questions about how live help works?

ralph: well then i guess i will go to the libaray [sic] and get the manual and you can take your $15.00 cost and shove it


Cranial-Rectitis:  What are you looking at?As you can see, Ralph is suffering from an acute form of cranial-rectitis, cheesedork variation. This diagnosis is supported by Ralph’s naively mistaken notion that information on the internet, and especially live appliance repair help, should be free. Unfortunately, software makers and website hosting companies do not share in this delusion.

Today’s Cheesedork Alert was brought to you by the letters K and Y.


Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Announcing New Audio Updates

New to Fixitnow.com and wondering where to start looking for what you need here in this colossus of appliance repair help? Well, my leetle grasshopper, just click the audblog link below for a quick, one-minute orientation on finding the appliance repair information you seek. Oh, it’s way cool. Now I can post quick audio updates so you won’t have to actually read all that gobbledy-gook I’m always writing. It’s just like TV…almost. Ok, talk to you later.

Powered by audblogaudblog audio post

Hillstomping Update: Carter Notch

On Carter Dome.  Click for larger view.
The Presidential Range from the Carter-Moriah trail.  Click for larger view.Got my pictures developed from our winter backpacking trip last week to Carter Notch in the White Mountains where we stayed at the AMC Carter Notch hut. I went with my budrow, Dave, from PA. That was by far the best snowshoeing trip of the season, even if we did have to cut it short by a day due to weather. We started off with perfect weather and unbelievable views. We were struttin’ our stuff on Carter Dome and makin’ tracks up to Mt. Hight where we paused for a word from our sponsor and the views were even more incredible than atop Carter Dome. You can check out all the pictures from this great trip here.

Appliance Tip of the Day: Dryers and Fires

appliance tip of the day archivethis is what a fire in your dryer could look like!One of the ways that dryers can start household fires is by igniting the excess lint that accumulates around the motor, burner shroud (for gas dryers) and cabinet interior. Lint is composed of very small, dry clothing particles which includes cotton and polyesters–both very good fires starters. Polyesters are particularly pernicious fires starters and are very difficult to extinguish once they ignite. Polyesters, vinyl in particular, pose another fire hazard when used as vent hoses, which we’ll talk more about later in this article.

There are three things you can do to prevent the threat of fire from accumulated lint inside your dryer. First, clean your lint filter before every load. This will minimize the lint blow-by around the filter and save energy by helping the dryer run more efficiently.

Second, inspect your lint filter each time you pull it out. If you see any rips or distortions in the screen, replace the filter immediately.

Finally, have your dryer professionally disassembled and cleaned annually. A thorough professional cleaning removes accumulated lint and dirt from the dryer cabinet interior, motor, and burner or heating elements. If you’d like to do this cleaning yourself, this page will help you disassemble your dryer. In addition to substantially reducing the risk of dryer fires, this type of regular cleaning will help the drum bearings and rollers last longer, preventing or minimizing future service calls. Many dryer installations use the common, cheap white vinyl vent hose for the dryer exhaust. These hoses were never UL-approved for dryer installations and are increasingly being recognized by local building codes as fire hazards.

AHAM-approved dryer vent duct--click to buy nowThe American Household Appliance Manufacturers Association (AHAM) recommends the use of rigid aluminum ducts, such as shown here. For any dryer, but especially gas dryers, white vinyl vent hose should never be used and if yours has this installed on it, replace it ASAP with approved materials.

There’s alot more to dryer venting that just running a collapsible hose. In addition to the type of allowable materials for the vent, there are all kinds of specifications for length and the number of allowable elbows and bends. All this is to ensure that air can move through the vent with sufficient velocity to prevent lint accumulation and dry the clothes in the shortest amount of time possible. Read more about dryer venting on this page.

dryer vent lint brush--click to buy nowOne of the biggest causes of vent hose fires is the ignition of accumulated lint inside the vent hose. Lint gets caught in the folds and creases and sticks there because of the humidity. Over time, the lint builds up to such a degree that the dryer cannot exhaust properly. This results in increased drying times initially and, ultimately, in a fire. Once a fire starts in a vinyl vent hose, the hose itself ignites and burns vigorously creating a fire that is very difficult to extinguish. The defense here is to clean your dryer vent out twice a year using a dryer vent lint brush.


For more information on your dryer or to order parts, click here.


grasshoppers catching their breath with the master after putting out a fire in their dryer

Takin’ Off to the Great White North

Word up: you won’t have ol’ Samurai to kick around after this Wednesday. My budrow from PA is driving up here to New Hampster on Wednesday and we’re heading up to the White Mountains for a five-day winter backpacking trip. We’ll be staying at the AMC high mountain huts at Carter Notch and Lonesome Lake. If all goes well, we’ll return on Monday, 2/24, sometime late afternoon. I may be back online Monday night (if I’m sober), Tuesday for sure.

Y’all be cool. I know we will be.

Appliance Tip of the Day: “How Much is a New One?”

appliance tip of the day archiveOne of the most frequently asked questions we hear from our customers when contemplating whether or not to repair their appliance is, “How much is a new one?” This article gives you some insight into the major appliance market that will help you make the best decision.

The first thing you need to realize is that retail prices for major appliances have stayed flat over the past 15 years even though manufacturing costs and inflation have risen steadily during that time. Manufacturers have been forced to cap their retail prices because their marketing people know that most people won’t pay increased prices for the typical home appliance. So, where $400 would buy you a top-quality washer 15 years ago, that same $400 today would only buy you a low-end machine that you’ll be throwing away or repairing every three to four years. What has changed?

The difference between the $400 washer of today and yesterday (or the $300 dishwasher or the $350 range, or the $300 dryer, or the $600 refrigerator, etc.) is in the internal components used in the machines. The lower end machines today are constructed of lower quality materials than similarly-priced machines 15 years ago. In part, this is attributable to the globalization of manufacturing with various internal parts made at different plants all over the world. While this has allowed manufacturers to cap retail prices for low-end machines over the last 15 years, it has also contributed to a degradation of quality.

You can still buy high-quality appliances but you’ll pay a correspondingly higher price tag for them– one that realistically reflects the increased costs of manufacturing high quality machines. For example, top-end dishwashers go for around $900, washers around $1,100, dryers for around $600, etc.

So, if you’re comparing having your existing machine repaired or replacing it with a low-end machine that is comparable in price with what you paid for your machine 10 to 15 years ago, you’re simply not making a valid comparison because they are not similar machines in either quality or durability. If you were to merely replace your existing appliance with one that costs about what you paid a decade ago, you’ll be repairing or junking the new machine every three to four years. The appliance game today is that you either pay more up front for a new, high-quality machine that will give you another 15 years of trouble-free operation or you pay less up front for a low-end machine and then pay-as-you-go for repairs.

The other cost associated with buying a new appliance are the “aggra-dollars.” That is, the aggravation and time spent that goes along with shopping for a new appliance, having it delivered, getting it installed, and disposing of your old one. If you’ve not experienced this joy recently, you’ll realize that the aggra-dollar factor can be a very significant cost.

So, when asking, “How much is a new one?” you need to consider both the quality of its replacement and the time-saving convenience of having your appliance properly repaired by competent professionals like myself or by fixing it yourself with the help of a genuine manufacturer’s repair manual.

When I do repairs, I use only factory-authorized parts and my work is guaranteed for one year parts and labor. I schedule repair appointments at your convenience and the complete repair cost is quoted up front. I will diagnose and evaluate your appliance to determine if it’s in your best interest to repair or replace it and make a recommendation accordingly.


grasshoppers contemplating the purchase of a new appliance after hearing the master wax eloquently on 'how much is a new one'

Take Back the Power!

One week, I’m getting lots of traffic and my website is ranking high in the search engines. Then, the next week, the search engines do this mysterious thing called "re-indexing" and traffic drops off to a trickle. High tide and low tide, rain and shine. It’s a fickle game without any discernible rhyme or reason. Oh sure, search engines would have you believe that their rankings are objective and based on "secret" algorithms. But my own research has revealed that this is a big fat lie–search engine rankings come down to nothing more than the whim of a few snivelling hacks who review websites and make capricious decisions about site rankings while diddling their nipple rings and spiking their hair. I know my audience and I know that most of you are hard-working folks who live in the real world and are pretty good at fixing things. You don’t need some tattooed, pencil-necked, gothic über-geeks deciding for you which websites are most relevant to your search.

Let’s take back the power!

Fixitnow.com bidness card--click for full-size and download the picture.  Then email it to as many friends as you can.  Take back the Power!I’m starting a campaign to bypass the search engines altogether and banish them into realm of insignificance, just like network news on television. I’m taking it to the street, yo! The best advertising is word of mouth. If you like this website and it helped you fix your stuff, take one of our bidness cards, and email it to as many friends as you can. You’ll help make the internet a better place, a place free from biased and corrupt search engines, while at the same time helping to promote one of the few truly useful sites on the web that really does save people money.

Join the fight, take back the night!

Appliance Tip of the Day: Dishwasher Drainology

appliance tip of the day archive
Your dishwasher sounds like it’s working up a storm, draining all that yucky dirty water out, but you open the door and all that dirty water is still there. Houston, we have a problem. Ok, grasshopper, go grab you a cold one and hang on for a magical mystery tour into what causes dishwasher draining problems, also called the ancient and mystical art of dishwasher drainology. Let’s take ’em one at a time:


  • Using Too Much Detergent
    Some fancy dishwashers with electronic controls have sensors that detect when the pump is not pumping water. Using too much detergent creates a great head of foam in the dishwasher basin, like pouring a beer too fast into a glass. So if you use too much soap in one of these so-equipped dishwashers, the sensors think the dishwasher is empty and cuts off the pump (For you gadget geeks out there, it senses the pump work by using a sensing resistor in series with the motor main winding.) While we’re talking about detergents, that store bought stuff you’re using is screwing up your dishwasher.
  • You Forgot to Remove the Disposal Drain Port Knockout Plug
    removing the knockout plug on a disposal's dishwasher drain portThis usually only applies to the situation where you just installed a disposal and connected the dishwasher drain hose to the drain port on the disposal. Believe it or not, this happened to me on my first disposal installation job, too…no, not really. But I have seen many a grasshopper stumped by this.
  • Drain Solenoid Not Opening
    Some brands, notably GE/Hotpoint and Magic Chef, use a drain solenoid to open and close the dishwasher drain port. If this solenoid isn’t opening during the drain cycle, could be a bad timer or solenoid.
  • Worn Pump Impeller
    Other dishwashers, like Whirlpool and KitchenAid, don’t use a drain solenoid but instead reverse the motor to drain the basin. One possible reason for poor draining in this type of dishwasher is a worn pump impeller. You usually figure this by elimination…no, not that kind of elimination you dawg! I mean, if all the other suspects listed here check out ok, then you’ve got a worn pump impeller. The rebuilding kit for this repair is very inexpensive and is a great beer drinking project.
  • Kinked or Plugged Drain Hose
    Drain hoses can become kinked or crimped from poor installation, stuff being moved around, lots of reasons. It happens. This diagram of drain hose configurations shows you several approved drain hose layouts. Drain hoses can also get plugged from gookus. Plugs usually occur at the one of the drain ports–either on the dishwasher or at the other end. The best test is to take the drain hose off at the dishwasher and pucker up and blow like a fish. Yep, it can be pretty nasty putting your mouth on that stuff but, hey, that’s why we appliance techs make the big money.
  • Air Gap Plugged with Gookus
    dishwasher drain air gap--come git you onePlumbing codes may require an air gap in your dishwasher drain hose and many houses have ’em. These air gaps do a great job of keeping sewer water from backing up into your dishwasher but they can become a source of problems, too. Sometimes, they’ll get plugged with gookus and they’ll need to be cleaned out. If it’s real bad or corroded, do yourself a favor and install a new air gap kit.

Well alright then.


grasshoppers letting their robes dry out after working on their dishwasher drain hose

Live Appliance Repair Help Gift Certificates

Here it is Valentine’s Day and you’re in the doghouse because you forgot to get that significant someone that special gift that says, "Hey, I care. Now what’s for dinner?" Many of you fixit dudes have emailed me with much weeping and gnashing of teeth about your dilemma, turning to the Samurai to offer the solution, as I have so many times before. Rest easy, my ruffled grasshoppers and unflutter your delicate wings flapping in the winds of anxiety: the Samurai has heard your plaintive cries and once again dashes in to preserve your domestic tranquility.

Live Help Gift Certificate--buy yours today!  Click for larger view.Now, almost in time for Valentine’s Day, the Samurai and Fixitnow.com are proud to offer Live Help Gift Certificates. Give that special but almost-forgotten someone a truly special gift, even more precious than anything you could buy from the jewelry department at the Wal-Mart. Yes, you can give the gift of live appliance repair help with the Samurai. You can be heroes, just for one day. So get that stove or refrigerator or any other major appliance repaired right now with real-time, online help from the Samurai. Buy a Live Appliance Repair Help gift certificate now. Still only $25 and good for live help on any major appliance problem. To buy your gift certificate now, click the button below:








For more information on live appliance repair help, click here.

Appliance Tip of the Day: The Hard Facts About Hard Water

appliance tip of the day archive
Complaints about the washer or dishwasher not cleaning very well are one of the more common ones I get asked by grasshoppers at my website and from paying grasshoppers in the field–also known as customers. The first thing I always like to figger out in these cases is how hard the water is. What’s water hardness and why’s it so ding-dang important? Well, Hoss, hang on ’cause I’m gonna ‘splain it to you.

Hardness is a term them fancy-pants engineers use to talk about dissolved minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium, in the water. Water picks it up as it flows in rivers or in aquifers under the ground, dontcha know. It varies from place to place according to the types of rocks you got.

Anyway, them fancy-pants engineers went on and created a way of measuring hardness. They call it grains per gallon, and you’ll see ’em write it as "gpg." So, the more grains of calcium or magnesium dissolved in each gallon of water, the harder it is.

So, what’s wrong with having a little calcium and magnesium in the water? Nothing if it’s just a little, like less than 3 gpg. But, when you start getting water with 10 gpg or more, you gots what we in the trade call, "hard water." And if it’s more that 14 gpg, it’s called "damn hard water." Y’see, Hoss, in a washer or dishwasher, these little calciums and magnesiums suck up the soap or detergent leaving less of it available to clean the crud off your clothes or dishes. As a result of water hardness, it takes more soap or detergent to get your clothes or dishes to an acceptable level of cleaness. Now you see why I always wanna find out what the water hardness is when I’m dealing with a poor cleaning complaint?

Now here’s something else to think about. The detergent instructions on the box are based on average hardness. Average hardness in the U.S. is defined as 6.6 gpg and 6.1 gpg in Canada. Now this cuts both ways, Hoss, hang with me for a minute. What if your actual water hardness is only 2 gpg but you’re putting detergent in your washer based on the directions on the box (typically a standard "scoop" or "capful")? Well, it don’t take a certifiable appliance guru like myself to figger out that you’re using too much freakin’ detergent! You’re not only wasting money, but you’re wearing lots o’ that stuff in your clothes, too.

Awwite, what if your actual water hardness was 15 gpg and you’re putting in detergent according to the amount on the box? Why, it means you are one dirty dude ’cause your clothes ain’t getting clean when you wash ’em. Think about that next time you put on a pair of "clean" underwear.

Not only is hardness a problem from the standpoint of cleaning your stuff, it messes up your appliances, too. Oh sure, after a while, all kinds of "scale" from the hardness collects on the innards of your washer and dishwasher and screws it all up. But hey, I love the work it generates so I ain’t complainin’!

Now, the question you’re all axin’: "how do I measure the hardness of my water?" Piece of pie. Come git you the Maytag Water Hardness Kit. Easy to use and just takes a second.

Water hardness test kit

Well alright then.


grasshoppers sitting with the master wearing freshly washed robes free of detergent residue because they treated their hard water and adjusted their detergent usage accordingly

Appliance Tip of the Day: Use and Care Manuals

appliance tip of the day archiveJust moved into a house or you’re renting a place and you can’t find any of the manuals to your appliances? Ahh, Grasshopper, unforrow that brow and unbunch those panties because you can get replacement owner’s manuals for most major appliances, usually for free and conveniently online, too.


grasshoppers relaxing with the master after flipping through the owner's manuals for their appliances that they downloaded for free on the web

Appliance Service Calls

I’ve always had a bushy head of hair and I usually don’t bother trimming my beard. So, this is how I used to look when I’d go out for a service call:


before the shearing

But I starting thinking maybe I was scaring my customers. I dunno, little things, like I go up to the house and knock on the door and they’d answer with a shotgun in their hands. So, I figgered I better git me a hair cut and now I look like this:

after the shearing

And would you believe that when I go out on service calls, I still get people answering the door armed!? That’s what I love about this bidness–there’s just no telling what people will do!