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REPAIRING MAJOR APPLIANCES

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Appliances are built to perform. They work hard, year after year, usually without too many problems. They’re easy to take for granted. The result is that when an appliance breaks down, you may be completely at a loss — you don’t know how it works, you have no idea why it stopped working, and you certainly don’t know how to fix it.

What can you do? You can pay a professional to fix it, or you can fix it yourself and save money. This article will provide you with all the information you need to know to pull your major appliances apart and then put them back together in working order. But before you attack the refrigerator with a screwdriver, let’s get some background information on major appliances.

Most appliances operate on your home’s electrical system: They use AC current from the circuit wiring in your home. Small appliances work on 110-120-volt circuits, and the plugs on their cords have two blades. Large or major appliances, such as air conditioners, dryers, and ranges, usually require 220-240-volt wiring and cannot be operated on 110-120-volt circuits. Large appliances are wired with a grounding wire; their plugs have two blades and a prong. This type of appliance must be plugged into a grounded outlet — one with openings to accept both blades and grounding prong — or grounded with a special adapter plug. All appliances are labeled — either on a metal plate or on the appliance casing — with their power requirements in watts and volts, and sometimes in amps.

Small appliances are usually fairly simple machines. They may consist of a simple heating element, a fan, a set of blades, or rotating beaters attached to a drive shaft; or they may have two or three simple mechanical linkages. Repairs to these appliances are usually correspondingly simple. Large appliances are more complex — one major appliance, such as a washing machine, may have a motor, a timer, and a pump, as well as various valves, switches, and solenoids. With this type of appliance, problems can occur in either the control devices or the mechanical/power components. Failure of a control device may affect one operation or the entire appliance; failure of a mechanical/power device usually affects only the functions that depend on that device. When a major appliance breaks down, knowing how to diagnose the problem is as important as knowing how to fix it.

Because major appliances are so complex, it usually isn’t obvious where a malfunction is. (Many newer appliances include electronic diagnostics that can be interpreted from the owner’s manual.) The first step is to decide whether the problem is in a control device or a mechanical device. In a dryer, for example, the control devices govern the heat, and the mechanical components turn the drum. Which system is affected? If the drum turns, but the dryer doesn’t heat, the problem is in the control system. If the dryer heats, but the drum doesn’t turn, the problem is mechanical. This kind of analysis can be used to pinpoint the type of failure — control system or mechanical system — in all large appliances.

To find out exactly what the problem is, you must check each part of the affected system to find the malfunctioning part. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds, because appliance components work together in a logical sequence. Starting with the simplest possibilities, you can test the components one by one to isolate the cause of the failure.

Repairing Major Appliances

There are three very important rules you must follow when you attempt to make any type of appliance repair. Don’t ever try to save time or money by ignoring these rules. You won’t save anything at all, and you could end up hurting yourself or ruining the appliance.

  • Always make sure the electric power and/or the gas supply to the appliance is disconnected before you test the appliance to diagnose the problem or make any repairs. If you turn the power on to check your work after making a repair, do not touch the appliance; just turn the power on and observe. If adjustments are needed, turn the power off before you make them.
  • If the parts of an appliance are held together with screws, bolts, plugs, and other take-apart fasteners, you can probably make any necessary repairs. If the parts are held together with rivets or welds, don’t try to repair the appliance yourself. Call a professional service person.
  • In most cases, broken or malfunctioning appliance parts can be replaced more quickly and inexpensively than they can be repaired by you or a professional. Replace any broken or malfunctioning parts with new parts made especially for that appliance. If you cannot find an exact replacement for the broken part, it’s okay to substitute a similar part as long as it fits into the old space. In this case, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for installation.

Appliance parts are available from appliance service centers, appliance-repair dealers, and appliance-parts stores. You don’t always have to go to a specific brand-name appliance parts center to obtain the parts and service you need for brand-name appliances, so you do have some shopping/service choices. If you can’t locate a parts service center in your area, order the part you need directly from the manufacturer. The name and address of the appliance manufacturer are usually printed on the appliance. Be sure to give the manufacturer all the model and parts data possible for the appliance. If available, search on the Internet for replacement parts.Before you make any appliance repair, make sure the appliance is receiving power. Lack of power is the most common cause of appliance failure. Before you start the testing and diagnosis process, take these preliminary steps:

  • Check to make sure that the appliance is properly and firmly plugged in and that the cord, the plug, and the outlet are working properly. To determine whether an outlet is working, test it with a voltage tester.
  • Check to make sure the fuses and/or circuit breakers that control the circuit have not blown or tripped. There may be more than one electrical entrance panel for your home, especially for 220-240-volt appliances such as ranges and air conditioners. Check for blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers at both the main panel and the separate panel.
  • Check to make sure fuses and/or breakers in the appliance itself are not blown or tripped. Push the reset buttons to restore power to appliances such as washers, dryers, and ranges. Some ranges have separate plug-type fuses for oven operation; make sure these fuses have not blown.
  • If the appliance uses gas or water, check to make sure it is receiving an adequate supply.
  • Check the owner’s manual for the appliance. Many manufacturers include helpful problem/solution troubleshooting charts. If you don’t have a manual for an appliance, you can probably get one — even for an old or obsolete appliance — from the manufacturer’s customer service department.

All right, now that we have the preliminaries out of the way, it’s time to dive right in. Move on to the next section to learn how to disassemble a major appliance and the details on grounding systems.

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

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

 

 

 

STEAM DISHWASHERS

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Believe it or not, the modern world largely runs on steam. Most people associate steam power with antiquated steam boats and the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, but the truth is, many of today’s power plants still rely on it. Whether it’s a fossil-fueled or nuclear power plant, its process involves heating water to its gaseous state — steam — to turn a turbine and create electric power. But simple steam also has more hands-on modern uses.

For instance, one of the most common ways we use steam in our daily lives is in ironing our clothes. When an iron infuses fabrics with steam, wrinkles disappear. Steam also is a fast (though all-too-temporary) cure for congestion from the common cold. By loosening mucous, the steam allows it to easily drain, which opens air passages. Aside from these home uses, steam also can effectively sanitize things with its high temperatures. Hospitals, where cleanliness is paramount, use steam in pressurized mechanisms to thoroughly sterilize their instruments.Why not use that same sterilizing power in the home? That’s precisely the idea behind the advanced steam dishwasher, a follow-up to steam washers and dryers.

For many people, traditional dishwashers are a pain. If you don’t rinse your dishes in the sink before you load them into the dishwasher, you may find food dried onto your dishes and flatware when you unload. This prewashing largely defeats the water-, time- and energy-saving benefits of a dishwasher. Not only that, but rigorous dishwashers may swish your precious heirloom china into bits.

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

Phone lines

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

 

 

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT A KITCHENAID ICE MAKER

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If you enjoy serving cold drinks and iced cocktails to your friends and family, having an ice maker already built in with your freezer could prove to be a good investment. Luckily, KitchenAid offers a line of freezers that offers this very convenient feature. However, just like any other appliance inside your kitchen, the ice maker may eventually break down. If this happens, do not be too hasty in calling a repairman. Follow these simple steps in troubleshooting the KitchenAid Freezer ice maker first before calling in a professional.

  • If the freezer is plugged in but the ice maker is not functioning, check the on/off lever. The switch arm can be seen right above the ice bucket. There are instances when somebody dispenses too much ice, the ice cubes in the bucket pushes up the lever and it gets stuck in that position. If this happens, the ice maker is switched off automatically. Simply push on the lever one more time and listen if the motor will start running again. If the ice maker does not respond, proceed to the next step.
  • Check if the water hose supplies the trays with enough water. The water supply that feeds the trays comes from an outlet or faucet near the freezer unit. Impurities in the water can buildup in this hose causing the line to get blocked. If not enough water reaches the trays, the ice maker will not be able to produce ice. If you suspect that this is the problem, try to inspect the water hose from one end to the other. If there are parts that are bent or pinched, the water will not be able to pass through. Replace the hose if it has signs of wear or is damaged or punctured. Smooth it out if it has kinks. Push the hose firmly into the slot if it is hooked up loosely. This should solve the water supply problem and help your ice maker function properly again.
  • Pinch the ice maker’s filling hose to check if it is frozen. The filling hose is the tube that supplies water to the individual ice trays. If the water inside this tube freezes, water will not flow into the trays and the ice maker will not have any ice to dispense. To check if this is the issue with your ice maker, squeeze the hose and see if it still bends. If it feels hard, switch of the freezer and ice maker and wrap the hose with a washcloth or towel dipped in very hot water. You can also use a hair dryer to thaw the ice stuck inside the tube. Avoid using too much heat as the filling hose could melt.
  • Make certain that your freezer is set at 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the KitchenAid freezer ice maker requires that the temperature inside the system stay above 10 degrees in order for the ice cubes to freeze quickly. Your ice maker might encounter problems in dispensing ice as quickly as needed if the freezer temperature is higher than the prescribed setting. Lower the temperature setting and observe the performance of your ice maker for a few hours and see if the problem has been addressed.

 

Once you have addressed any damage or defects in the ice maker, make sure that you maintain a clean and hygienic refrigerator to avoid contaminating the ice. If the ice starts to taste and smell funny, check the coating of the ice bucket. With frequent use, the interior coating of the ice bucket might erode and get mixed with the ice. This can affect the smell and taste of the ice being dispensed. If you see any peeling inside the bucket, go to the department store or any home improvement centers and purchase a brand new ice bucket.

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Here at Absolute Appliance Repair, we have made a commitment to provide the most reliable and dependable service to our customers in San Francisco Bay Area.

We provide fast and reliable repairs on all makes and models of major household appliances.

We specialize in providing 100% satisfaction guarantee on:

Refrigerator repair, cook top repair, dishwasher repair, disposal repair, dryer repair, range repair, stove repair,oven repair and washer repair.

Please call Absolute Appliance Repair to make an appointment if you have any problem with your appliances.

Phone lines

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

Listed below you’ll find some of the best appliance repair coupons and discounts you can use. Please mention the coupon when making an appointment.