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How to Avoid Refrigerator Repairs

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Spend 30 minutes on these simple maintenance steps to keep your fridge running in tip top shape. It’s hard to believe, but six simple maintenance steps will prevent almost 100 percent of refrigerator breakdowns and eliminate those service calls.

Step 1: Clean the condenser coils (5 minutes)

Step 2: Clean the condenser fan (5 minutes)

Step 3: Wipe down the door gasket (2 minutes)

Step 4: Clear the freezer vents (5 minutes)

Step 5: Set the temperature controls to the middle settings (1 minute)

Step 6: Clear and clean the drip openings (2 minutes)

DISASSEMBLING A GAS RANGE

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A gas range cabinet comes apart very easily. Here’s how:

Step 1: Take out the screws that hold the panels, and pull off the control knobs. On the control panel the knobs are friction-fit; pull them straight off. Some knobs may have setscrews in the base of the knobs; back out these screws using a screwdriver or Allen wrench and pull off the knobs.

Step 2: Remove the back service panel on the control panel by backing out a series of screws around the edge of the panel. To remove the front panel, take off the control knobs and remove a series of mounting screws that hold the decorative panel to the frame. These screws may be hidden by molding or trim; pry off the molding or trim with a screwdriver, or take out several screws.

Step 3: To gain access to the burner assemblies, remove the burner grates and then the top of the range. The entire range top should either lift up and off the range or open up and back on hinges. The oven door can usually be removed by pulling it straight up off the hinges on both sides of the door. Some hinges have a latch that must be unlocked before the door can be removed.

Step 4: If the surface light of the range burns out, remove retaining screws and panels as necessary to gain access to the bulb. Replace the burned-out bulb with a new one of the same type and wattage; check the ends of the old bulb for this information. Then replace any retaining panels.

Step 5: If the oven light burns out, unscrew it and remove it from the oven. Replace the burned-out bulb with a new one of the same wattage, made for oven use.

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

Phone lines

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

WASHING MACHINE REPAIR

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Belt Replacement

Look around the top rim of the drum to see if there’s a piece of fabric wedged in between the basket and the drum. Pull it out.

A piece of clothing stuck between the inner and the outer tub on your washing machine or a load that’s too large can stop the drum, which causes the drive belt to slip on the pulley and burn. So if your washing machine is running and you smell burning rubber, first shut off the washer and unplug it. Clothing tends to get stuck more often in Maytag washers, so that’s what we’re showing here. Check along the rim of the drum to see if there’s something stuck there (Photo 1). After removing the item, you should replace the damaged belt. Remove the two screws located on the bottom of the front panel and swing the bottom of the panel out to unhook it from the top. Then prop the front of the washer up on paint cans so you can reach the belts. Remove the belts by starting the edge over the pulley and spinning them off. The motor is spring-loaded, so the belts will come off easily. Take the damaged belt with you to the appliance parts store to get a replacement. Reinstall the belts in the reverse order.

Getting Lint Out

Every year, nearly 25,000 dryer fires cause millions of dollars in damage and hundreds of injuries, some fatal. Dryer fires start when built-up lint near the motor, gas burners or heating elements catches on fire. This fire can then spread to ignite lint in the vent pipe.

The best precautions are to empty the lint trap after every load, vacuum behind the machine regularly, keep flammables away from the dryer, and annually clean lint from inside the dryer cabinet and vent duct.

We show how to “de-lint” a gas dryer with a front access panel. Electric dryers have a heating element instead of a gas burner. If you have an electric dryer, or your dryer differs from the one shown, consult your manual for instructions on accessing the heating element or cabinet interior.

The most important step in cleaning the dryer is to remove any lint buildup around the motor and gas burner or heating element. Then clean out the vent duct with a 4-in. dryer vent cleaning brush (sold at appliance repair stores, or online).

If your dryer has a plastic vent ducting, replace it with a metal one. The plastic ducting itself can catch on fire and set the house ablaze.

Finding the Lint Traps
  1. Unplug the machine and turn off the gas valve. Pry the access panel loose with a big flat-blade screwdriver. Vacuum the inside of the cabinet, especially around the gas burner and motor. If you have a brush attachment for your vacuum, use it to loosen built-up lint.
  2. Disconnect the vent from the dryer and push a vent cleaning brush through the exterior vent hood. Otherwise, disassemble the vent and clean it by hand.

 

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

Phone lines

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

 

 

ABOUT HEATING APPLIANCES

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What do you know about 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.

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

Phone lines

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

 

 

 

 

REPAIRING A GAS FURNACE

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Natural gas and propane burn cleaner than fuel oil, and most gas furnaces present fewer operational difficulties than oil burners do. In fact, the problems that affect gas furnaces typically involve the furnace’s thermocouple, the pilot light, or some component of the electrical system.

Gas furnaces and heaters have control shutoffs to prevent gas leaks, but they are not fail-safe. If you smell gas in your house, do not turn any lights on or off, and do not try to shut off the gas leading to the furnace. Get out of the house, leaving the door open, and immediately call the gas company or the fire department to report a leak. Do not re-enter your home.

 

Most natural gas furnaces have few operational difficulties. 

 

 

 

 

On some gas furnaces and heaters, a plug-type door covers the pilot light assembly. To gain access to the pilot burner, pull the door out of the furnace housing. On other units, remove the panel that covers the pilot and gas burners.

The pilot light controls, reset buttons, gas valves, and thermocouple are usually contained in an assembly at the front of the furnace. The furnace limit switch is located on the plenum (main chamber) or main duct junction on the upper housing of the furnace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

Phone lines

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

 

 

REPAIRING AN OVEN

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Gas and electric ranges and ovens operate fairly simply, and they’re usually easy to repair, mainly because the components are designed for quick disassembly.

Most of the malfunctions that affect gas ranges involve the supply and ignition of gas in the burners and the oven. Most malfunctions that affect electric ranges and ovens involve faulty heating elements. In this article, we’ll discuss how the main parts should work on gas and electric ranges and ovens and how to service them regularly to avoid larger, more expensive problems. The first step is taking a peek inside to assess the problem.Caution: Before doing any work on a gas range or oven, make sure it’s unplugged, or turn off the electric power to the unit by removing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker at the main entrance panel or at a separate panel. If there is a grounding wire to the range, disconnect it. Also close the gas supply valve to shut off the unit’s gas supply.

 

MAINTAINING AN AIR CONDITIONER

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Central air conditioners have two separate components: the condenser and the evap­orator. The condenser unit is usually located outside the house on a concrete slab. The evaporator coil is mounted in the plenum or main duct junction above the furnace.

Most central air conditioners are connected to a home’s forced-air distribution system. Thus, the same motor, blower, and ductwork used for heating are used to distribute cool air from the air conditioning system. When a central air conditioner is operating, hot air inside the house flows to the furnace through the return-air duct. The hot air is moved by the blower across the cooled evaporator coil in the plenum and is then delivered through ducts to cool the house. When the air conditioner works but the house doesn’t cool, the problem is probably in the distribution system.

Both the evaporator and the condenser are sealed. Therefore, a professional service person should be called for almost any maintenance other than routine cleaning. Central air conditioners should be professionally inspected and adjusted before the beginning of every cooling season. However, don’t let your maintenance end with this annual checkup. While there aren’t many repairs you can make yourself, there are specific maintenance procedures you can follow to keep your system operating at peak efficiency.

Caution: Before doing any work on an air conditioning system, make sure the power to the system, both to the condenser and to the evaporator assembly, is turned off.

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 REPAIR A DISHWASHER

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The control panels on the latest dishwashers can look intimidating. They’re loaded with so many dials, push buttons, and other features that the machine looks too complex to repair. This is actually not the case. With the exception of the control panel, dishwashers haven’t changed much in basic design over the last two decades. You can repair most dishwasher malfunctions yourself, and we’ll discuss tips for do-it-yourself service and maintenance in this article.

Dishwasher parts can be replaced as a unit, which is often easier and less expensive than having a professional service person make repairs. If you aren’t sure a part is still usable, remove it from the dishwasher and take it to a professional for testing. You can then decide whether to buy a new part or have the old one repaired on the basis of the repair estimate.

­Dishwashers usually run on 115-volt or 120-volt power. The water they use comes directly from the water heater, and wastewater is drained into the sink’s drainpipe. The dishwasher is not connected to the cold-water supply. For best dishwashing results, set the temperature control of the water heater to no less than 140 degrees Farenheit. Water cooler than this usually doesn’t get the dishes clean, unless your dishwasher is a newer model that preheats incoming water. The water shutoff for the dishwasher is typically located below the adjoining sink.

Caution: Because the dishwasher is connected to both the plumbing system and the electrical system, you must consider both systems when working on this appliance. Before doing any work on the dishwasher, make sure the unit is unplugged or the power to the unit is turned off, and remove the fuse or trip the circuit breaker that controls the circuit at the main entrance panel or at a separate panel. Shut off the water supply to the dishwasher at the shutoff in the basement or crawl space under the kitchen.

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