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BUYING MAJOR APPLIANCES

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What to Look For:

  • A machine that heats only the water it needs. “This is the most important thing that people overlook,” says John O’Meara, manager of Standards of Excellence, an appliance showroom in San Rafael, California. The feature saves energy by heating only the necessary water, not the entire household water tank. In general, “washers made now are one-third more efficient than those made seven years ago,” says Jill Notini of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, in Washington, D.C.
  • A speedy spin cycle. The faster the cycle, the more water will be extracted, and the less time clothes will spend in the dryer. Look for “a high rpm [rotations per minute], which adds up to energy-efficiency,” says Alex Cheimets, editor of applianceadvisor.com. Go for at least 900 rpm. To save even more energy, pair the washer with a dryer that has a moisture sensor, which shuts off the unit when the clothes are dry.
  • Minimal water usage. Most conventional washers go through 40 gallons of water per cycle, so “if you do a load a day,” says Audrey Reed-Granger of Whirlpool, “that’s more than 14,000 gallons a year.” Check the labels; some machines consume as little as 14 gallons a cycle.
  • Pedestals. Some washers (and dryers) can be equipped with pedestals ($100 to $200), which sit underneath the appliance and raise it for easier loading and unloading. Many include drawers for stashing detergent, bleach, and stain-removal sticks.
  • An additional rinse cycle. This option, which dispenses extra water during washing, is great if you need to fight a stubborn stain or want to remove excess detergent that can irritate allergy sufferers or babies. But it will increase your water bill.

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your appliance!

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HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR KITCHEN APPLIANCES

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When updating a kitchen or laundry room, you’ll need to make important decisions about household appliances. Below are some factors that you should use to evaluate and compare different household appliances.

Appliance Energy Efficiency

It makes a great deal of sense to evaluate carefully your appliance choices according to energy efficiency.

For some appliances, you have a choice between natural gas or electricity as a power source. In general, gas is a less expensive source for any activity involving heating such as dryers, hot water heaters and furnaces. Even if your home is not currently hooked up to a gas line, check with the gas company before ruling out gas appliances. The utility company may be able to connect your home.

Energy efficiencies are also based upon the materials the appliance is made from. Different materials heat and cool at different rates. The amount and type of insulation used in the appliance is another important factor. The appliance labels should detail this information.

Appliance Size

Choosing an appliance that is the right size is important. In general, if energy is expended to accommodate a small, specific space, rather than a large one, energy savings will accrue. Most appliances come with energy labels. These are bright yellow labels that indicate the average total cost of energy the appliance consumes per year.

Finally, there is the issue of speed, the faster the machine completes its task the less time it consumes energy. This is one of the reasons that microwaves are so energy efficient.

 

DIAGNOSING DISHWASHER PROBLEMS

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Unlike some of your other household appliances, your dishwasher will give your specific symptoms to indicate what’s wrong with it. By diagnosing the problems with your dishwasher, you can save money by cutting down on repair times. You may even be able to take care of the simpler problems yourself. Read the tips listed below and learn about how you can diagnose dishwasher problems yourself .

A leaking dishwasher can indicate several problems.

  • Overloading By putting too many dishes in each load, you may cause the machine to leak. Try fitting in less dishes and see if the leak persists.
  • Faulty Door Seal Check the plastic seal around the door of your dishwasher. If there are cracks or holes, it may cause the machine to leak. Replacing the seal is an easy and cheap problem to fix.
  • Excessive Detergent Check your detergent tray. If there’s a soap residue left over, you’re putting in too much soap per load and causing your machine to leak.
  • Faulty pipe connections Check the pipes in the back of your machine. By tightening any loose pipes, you may be able to stop your dishwasher’s leaking.

If your dishes are coming out of the dishwasher dry and still dirty, it means that your dishwasher isn’t filling with soap and water. This can be caused by one of the following:

  • The hot water valve isn’t open. Check under your sink to see if the hot water value is fully open. If it’s not, opening the valve will allow your dishwasher to fill with water.
  • The inlet valve is clogged. If the valve is plugged with debris and residue, cleaning it will repair the machine and enable the dishwasher to fill.

A little water in the bottom of your dishwasher is normal. But if you think there is an excessive amount of water, you may have a problem with your drain hose. Refer to your machine’s manual to find your dishwasher’s drain hose. Check that the drain hose has no holes, isn’t damaged in any way and is free of debris or soap residue.

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your dishwasher!

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SIMPLE HOME APPLIANCE REPAIRS

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Household appliances help you keep a clean and productive home, but they’re also investments, and, like anything with moving parts, sometimes they need a little maintenance. Here are a few common problems and some easy tips on how to fix them.

Refrigerator
In the warm months of summer, your fridge is often working on double duty to keep your food cool or frozen against intense temperatures. So, try these three tricks to keep things running as energy-friendly as possible.

  • Reseal the gasket: the rubber seal around the refrigerator or freezer door creates a tight seal that keeps everything cool inside. If you’ve noticed lots of frost or ice crystals on the food or wall of your freezer, or condensation or liquid building up in your fridge, you probably don’t have a tight seal. It might need replaced, but before you start tearing things apart, try rubbing a thin, even layer of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) over all the matting surfaces. This re-moistens the plastic or rubber seal, expanding it to fill it the spaces.
  • Clean the coils: if your fridge appears to be leaking, the drain or condensation coil is likely clogged or dirty. Pull out the refrigerator and vacuum or wipe up any dust under and behind the fridge. Then, use a wooden skewer or pipe cleaner to clear out the tube. You can also blow air through the tube to clean it out. Lastly, rinse with rubbing alcohol to prevent new clogs and build-up.
Garbage Disposal

If your sink isn’t operating as usual, try cleaning your drain and resetting the disposal.

  • With the power off (you can switch it off at the breaker, if desired), use tongs or your hands to remove any solid materials in the drain. Physically turn the blades to get things moving.
  • If it still won’t turn, go under the sink and press the reset button on the bottom of the disposal. The reset will be the only button on the whole unit, so there’s no need to guess. You may need to use an Allen wrench to turn the disposal blades and get things moving. The socket is on the bottom.
  • Lastly, finish up by making a science class-style volcano in the drain to clear the residue and any undesirable smells. Sprinkle a 1/4 cup of baking soda in the disposal; then pour in some white vinegar. Turn on the disposal, and run a few cups of water down the drain to clear everything out.

Washing Machine and Dryer

  • If your washer is filling but not going into the wash cycle, your machine might be reading the lid as open. Use a screwdriver to tighten the hardware and lid switch on the inside lip of the washer lid.
  • If your dryer motor runs, but the drum doesn’t rotate, you likely need a new belt. Simply locate the motor, remove the belt and find a replacement at your appliance, hardware, or even an auto parts store.

Oven and Range

  • If you electric burner doesn’t seem to be getting as hot as usual, unplug the burners and cleaning the terminals, plug and connections. Then, wiggle in the burner again to create a strong connection with plenty of points of contact.
  • If your gas range doesn’t want to light or burn consistently, clean off the igniter and the gas line with a brush or scrub pad.

 

What’s new in appliances?

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Is this the end of a 25-year run for stainless steel?

Stainless has been the big word in kitchen appliances for years. What’s next? Two major appliance manufacturers are going head-to-head with difference finishes, as Ellen Byron explains on Lunch Break. Photo: David R. Lutman for The Wall Street Journal

Major manufacturers are placing bets on different potential successors to the shiny, upscale appliance finish, which surprised everyone with its resilience.

It is a pivotal moment in kitchen design: While stainless steel is still the dominant look, there are clear signals it has outworn its welcome, even with no clear successor in place.

The appliance industry has tried to promote new looks before. In recent years, manufacturers have pitched “oiled bronze,” “antique copper” and a gray hue called “meteorite,” as well as aluminum and other look-alikes, but none has been able to unseat stainless steel.

Whirlpool Corp., the world’s largest home-appliance maker, recently introduced its “Ice Collection” of appliances, including glossy white. “White is the new stainless,” a Whirlpool news release says.

“Black is the new stainless steel,” Wolf Appliance says in a news release for black glass ovens introduced this spring.

Last weekend, General Electric introduced refrigerators, ovens, microwaves and dishwashers in a muted gray called “slate.” Miele says it will roll out new high-gloss finishes for the U.S. in the near future, refusing to divulge details.

The new colors and materials, though not as vibrant as the avocado-green and harvest-gold of previous eras, try to blend in with their surroundings, rather than stand out like a trophy of technology the way shiny stainless steel tends to do.

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Introducing a new finish is a gamble. Development takes a year or more. Stores sometimes grant extra space to new ideas, but typically manufacturers have to work within an allotted number of slots, so an unsuccessful product can put the company’s overall sales at risk.

No manufacturer is writing stainless steel off completely. It is too durable and versatile for that. Whirlpool, mindful of consumers’ devotion to it, played it safe and included a stainless-steel option in the new Ice Collection line. Still, there is a growing sense that stainless steel’s popularity is running into overtime.

BIG MOMENTS IN KITCHEN APPLIANCES | IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FINISH

1980s: Viking Range Corp. launches its iconic stainless-steel open-burner range in 1987, a pioneer among expensive, high-performance ‘trophy’ appliances. VIKING

2000s: Stainless-steel’s popularity surges, as foodie culture takes off and consumers aspire to cook like the pros.
Today: Mainstream manufacturers continue to experiment with alternatives to stainless steel, whose elegance and versatility are proving hard to beat.

The new appliances reflect, in part, the kitchen’s changing role in the home. In an open floor plan, the kitchen functions as the hub of relaxing and entertaining—a return to its historic role as the center of family life.

“Until the industrial age, the kitchen was central to the home,” says Victoria Matranga,an industrial-design historian and program coordinator for the International Housewares Association. It lost that role as kids went to their second-floor bedrooms with their own TV, she says, adding “Now there’s a movement to get people together again, in the kitchen.”

Patrick Schiavone, Whirlpool’s vice president of global consumer design, spent two decades as a car and truck designer at Ford Motor Co.before joining Whirlpool in 2010. In the midst of house-hunting near Whirlpool headquarters in Benton Harbor, Mich., he is set against stainless steel for his kitchen appliances. “I’m over it,” he says.

Mr. Schiavone’s first big U.S. project at Whirlpool was the development of the company’s Ice Collection, which aims to remake what Mr. Schiavone saw as the outdated look of black and white appliances on the market. “We wanted to make them as beautiful as stainless steel,” he says. “We want it to feel more like it was meant to be in the space, rather than be some futurist styling of machinery.”

Consumers typically buy a new appliance when an old one breaks after a decade or two of use. They often mix different brands. Mr. Schiavone wants the Ice Collection’s distinctive look to push people to splurge on the whole collection. “We were careful to make a suite that people lusted after,” he says.

The appliance industry needs a boost after several years in which the housing market slump has dampened appliance sales. Manufacturer discounts have eaten into profits.

GE is betting on a metallic matte finish it calls “slate.” Figuring that cost-conscious consumers aren’t likely to replace all their appliances at once, GE revised the new finish several times, making it warmer so as to complement the stainless steel, white or black appliances already found in consumers’ kitchens.

“Not every consumer is ready to completely change out their kitchen appliances,” says Lou Lenzi, director of industrial design for GE Appliances. “They don’t see the need to swap that expensive range they bought a year ago.”

There is a 12- to 15-year life span for an appliance finish to build momentum, peak and decline, Mr. Lenzi says. “For stainless steel to have such a strong run is remarkable.” Still, he says he detects “stainless fatigue” in the market. “Living-room aesthetics are appearing in the kitchen’s cabinetry and flooring,” he says. “Then you have this big piece of industrial steel staring at you. Clearly there is a disconnect.”

Slate’s development was veiled in secrecy. Mr. Lenzi’s team used code names like “Dorian Gray” and “Earl Grey.” The team noted that countertops were becoming less polished and figured a matte appliance finish would complement them better. A muted surface shine also makes appliances resemble the flat-screen TVs and iPads that are increasingly at home in the kitchen.

At the high end, Viking Range Corp., whose iconic open-burner stainless-steel range was one of the first to bring pro-kitchen styling into homes, offers 23 color alternatives to stainless steel, including Cinnamon, Wasabi, Kettle Black and Dijon, launched this spring. Still, stainless steel dominates. “I’d say 80% of our sales are still stainless steel,” says Brent Bailey, design director at Viking Range. “I could add another 100 colors and the percentage wouldn’t change much.”

Wolf, part of Sub-Zero Inc., chose highly reflective black glass for its new E Series line. “Glass is becoming more popular in our society in general, and in architecture the buildings coming up are glass,” says Michele Bedard, vice president of marketing. There won’t be a white counterpart, though. “It’s been debated, but white doesn’t have that lasting power,” Ms. Bedard says. “We test our appliances to last 20 years.”

German maker Bosch, meanwhile, stands by stainless steel in the U.S. “We’ve seen in the last 10 or 15 years alternative finishes on the market, but they’re not enduring,” says Graham Sadtler, industrial design manager for the German company. “Similar to fashion, fads come and go.”

Getting consumers to switch from stainless steel isn’t easy. Jenn-Air launched a line of “oiled bronze” appliances in 2007; it has already dialed back availability of the finish in certain models. “We hoped that oiled bronze would take off,” says Brian Maynard, Jenn-Air’s brand marketing director. “It got a lot of attention and it sold quite well, but we’ve seen it wane a little recently. We’re not disappointed with it, but it just isn’t stainless steel.”

Electrolux recently introduced a black-steel finish in markets outside the U.S. but says it thinks stainless won’t go away soon. “People still want that connection between the restaurant experience and their own home,” says Bob Martin, Electrolux’s design director of major appliances in North America. “Stainless steel at the high end will be strong and stay strong for a long time.”

“Other finishes haven’t achieved the same level of sophistication in terms of aesthetic,” says Stefano Marzano, chief design officer for Electrolux. Lately Mr. Marzano has been exploring possibilities made with stone, ceramic and enamel.

Stainless steel’s staying power is partly the result of how Americans approach their kitchens, says David VanderWaal, director of brand marketing for LG’s home appliances. “They start with the cabinets, then it’s flooring, countertops, lighting and then finally it’s their appliances.” LG isn’t offering alternatives, he says. “We don’t see the trend of stainless steel appliances diminishing.”, -By

ELLEN BYRON

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your appliances!

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DISHWASHER REPAIR TIPS

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When your dishwasher doesn’t clean well, fix it yourself following these simple steps and avoid the expensive professional service call.  A simple cleaning often solves the problem.

If your dishwasher is running but the dishes aren’t getting clean, one of these simple fixes could solve your problem. Start by consulting your manual to be sure you’re using the right detergent, loading the dishes correctly and maintaining the right hot water temperature.

Insufficient water in the dishwasher also can cause poor cleaning. If the float gets stuck in the raised position, the dishwasher won’t fill with water. Another likely cause is a clogged inlet screen or faulty inlet valve.  To determine if your dishwasher is getting enough water, start a wash cycle. Open the door when you hear the machine stop filling. The water should reach or come close to the heating coil. If it doesn’t, first make sure the float valve is operating freely. If this doesn’t solve the problem, check the inlet valve and screen.

 

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MAJOR KITCHEN APPLIANCES

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Appliances are part of our daily modern lives. Appliances, alone, do not make a kitchen. But, they just might be the most important aspect of your space. After all, the kitchen’s primary function is for preparing and cooking meals.

How high-end do you want to go? Chefs and bakers who plan to use the restaurant-quality features on professional models can justify hefty price tags that can consume their kitchen budget.

Cooktops. Gas, electric or induction? The choice is personal, though you don’t often hear of people who go from gas to electric. When choosing a cooktop for performance, consider efficiency: how much heat do you lose from burner to pan? With gas, you lose about 40 percent, says Nancy Divita, showroom manager at Trevarrow Inc. On the other hand, with induction heat—a flat cookstop like electric that performs like fast-heating gas stoves—you lose the least amount of heat. Induction isn’t mainstream, but it’s making a return in the American market now, Divita says. “Induction is certainly a time-saver because you can bring a pan of water to boiling faster than you can on a high-performing BTU (gas) range top,” Divita says.

When shopping for gas cooktops, ask about BTU, which stands for british thermal units, a measurement of energy content. Serious ranges are 9,200 BTU and up. Ask about variable control, meaning how long can you maintain “simmer” without the flame going out. Look for burner grates made of cast iron or a metal that conducts heat for better heat transfer from the burner to the pan.

Ovens. A high-performing convection oven, which circulates heat with a fan to cook food faster and more evenly, will help you get dinner on the table faster than a traditional oven. Bakers, on the other hand, will want the traditional bake/roast/broil. In a perfect kitchen world, you can have both with a stacked or side-by-side oven station.

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your appliances!

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SIMPLE FIXES FOR YOUR APPLIANCE PROBLEMS: GAS STOVE

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If your stove burner won’t come on, the likely culprit is the spaghetti sauce that boiled over a few days ago. Use a toothbrush to clean off food spills from the igniter. On an electronic ignition stove, it’s a little ceramic nub located either on the stovetop or under the ceramic seal strike plate. Also make sure that the round ceramic seal strike plate is properly seated on the burner.

REPAIRING SMALL APPLIANCES

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Heating Appliances

Heating appliances convert electrical energy into heat, which is used to toast bread, warm coffee, dry hair, or perform other helpful tasks. This heat is developed by passing current through a special wire called an element. Since the element makes it difficult for electricity to pass through it, some of its energy turns into heat. The electricity uses so much of its energy to overcome the resistance of a toaster element, for instance, that it glows bright red, thus toasting the bread.

Common heating appliances covered in this article include toasters, toaster ovens, drip coffee makers, and percolator coffee makers. Heating appliances that work on the same principles include clothing irons; electric fry pans, woks, griddles, and waffle irons; convection ovens; deep fryers; slow cookers; food dehydrators; rice cookers; steam cookers; indoor grills; espresso and cappuccino machines; iced tea makers; and popcorn poppers. Once you’ve learned how to troubleshoot and repair the most popular heating appliances, it will be easy to repair any of them.

Motor Appliances

Motor appliances convert electrical energy into movement. This power cuts and blends foods, opens cans, grinds waste, picks up dirt, and moves air. A motor converts electrical energy into magnetic energy that rotates a shaft. The end of this shaft may have a blade or other attachment that does the actual work.

Motor appliances that are addressed in this article include food mixers and blenders, electric can openers, garbage disposers, and upright and canister vacuum cleaners. Other motor appliances with similar operation include juicers, coffee grinders, ice cream makers, electric knives, knife sharpeners, electric pencil sharpeners, electric clocks, fans, humidifiers, and foil-head and rotary-head electric shavers.

Combination Appliances

Some small appliances both heat and move. The most popular is the electric bread maker. It mixes dough, then bakes it into bread. Bread makers also include diagnostic electronics that assist the owner in troubleshooting and repair, so they are not included in this article. Other combination appliances include hair dryers and stirring popcorn poppers.

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your dishwasher!

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OVEN PROBLEMS

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Is your oven not baking?

  • Bad bake ignitor. You can’t tell it’s bad by looking at it–you must measure amperage. Just because it glows orange, doesn’t mean it’s good. On round ignitors, look for a current draw of 2.6 to 2.8 amps. On flat ignitors, look for 3.2 to 3.6 amps. Insufficient current draw will not allow the gas valve to open. If unsure how to test, check this tech sheet.
  • Bad valve. If ignitor checks out OK, remove power from oven, pull the two wires off the valve and ohm test. Should read two to five ohms. If open, replace valve.
  • Pilot is out. Try reigniting pilot. If it goes out again, check 1) gas supply (out of gas, crimped line, etc.), 2) pilot orifice clogged or dirty.
  • Pilot flame not wrapping around thermocouple. Reposition the thermocouple bulb so the pilot flame wraps around it.
  • If pilot is spark ignited and you’re not getting spark to the pilot, replace the spark electrode, spark module, and the ignition wire. These parts are inexpensive enough that it’s not worth the trouble to just replace one, replace the entire ignition system as long as you’re in there.
  • If your broiler is not working check the above steps with the broiler instead of the oven

Is your oven not self-cleaning?

  • Self clean latch bent or misaligned. Inspect for proper alignment to make sure that latch is contacting the latch switch.
  • Defective Self clean latch switch. Run continuity check.
  • Bad function selector switch. Run continuity check on switch.

Is your gas oven not getting hot enough?

  • Sluggish ignitor. A good ignitor will fire the oven in less than three minutes. If it takes longer than this, the ignitor is starting to go. Measure ignitor current draw as described above. As the ignitor gets sluggish, it takes longer for it to fire the burner as the oven cycles on and off while the in use thus lowering operating temperature.
  • Oven door gasket ripped or torn.

Is your oven door stuck closed?

  • Defective ERC. Check for error code in display. If error code given, check against manufacturer’s code explanations in owner’s manual or tech data sheet inside oven control panel.
  • Misaligned self clean latch. Disassemble oven to manually free latch and realign or replace as needed.

Call Absolute Appliance Repair NOW if you have any problems with your oven!

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(415) 831-1259 San Francisco
(415) 388-0690 Marin County
(650) 525-0512 South SF / Daly City / Pacifica