Jump to content
Click here to check out our on-demand appliance repair training webinars.

FAQs | Repair Videos | Academy | Newsletter | Contact


Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

  • entries
    861
  • comments
    1,395
  • views
    2,679,756

About this blog

Pearls of appliance repair wisdom from the Appliantology Forums

Entries in this blog

Triac Operation for Appliance Techs

Had some good questions at the webinar on the Bi-Directional PSC drive motor system used in Whirlpool VM washers. Professional Appliantologist members can grab some popcorn and watch the webinar recording here: Bi-directional PSC Drive Motor Systems in Whirlpool VM Washers During the webinar, Joe asked how triacs are turned off. I wanted to give a more complete and accurate answer in this post.  To understand how triacs are turned off once they're turned on (and conducting) we need to

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

The Willie Method ™ for testing the radiant (flame) sensor in a gas dryer burner

Gas dryer not firing up and all the components of the burner check out good but you're not sure how to check that flame sensor on the side of the burner tube? Samurai Appliance Repair Academy Fellow Budget Appliance Repair (a.k.a., Willie) reveals the wax on-wax off moves for testing the radiant sensor in a gas dryer. Here's the part link for the replacement radiant sensor ==> Flame Sensor This video shows you how to replace it: Source: Maytag gas dryer LDG9334AAE not heating--can I jump

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Free Trial Membership at Appliantology

Are you a professional appliance repair tech and want to see what this Appliantology thing is all about? Here’s how to get a free sample membership. All you have to do is send in the form below to request a free upgrade to a Trial Tech account. Once we approve your application, you’ll get set up for a one-week membership that will let you see what this site has to offer. What features of the site will the Trial Tech membership give you access to? All of them! For the duration of the tr

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Memberships

How to troubleshoot and diagnose the high voltage system in a microwave oven

If you're troubleshooting a no heat problem in a microwave oven, the first thing to check is the door interlock switches. If those check out good, then you're off the high voltage circuitry in the microwave. This video will show you how to troubleshoot the high voltage system ==> Download Video (180mb, .mov file) To learn more about your microwave or to order parts, click here.

Replacing the Door Boot Seal on an LG Front Load Washer

Every battle-hardened professional Appliantologist has his favorite technique for replacing the door gasket (also called the "boot" or "bellows") on front load washers. Although the door gasket on all makes of front loaders are very similar in construction, there are enough differences among the brands that certain techniques work better on some brands than on others. For example, many Appliantologists prefer to replace the door gasket on a Whirlpool Duet washer without removing the entire front

Tech Memberships at Appliantology

Appliantology is an invaluable resource for working appliance repair technicians, providing service manuals and datasheets, continuing education technical training, and a community of thousands who have your back whenever you need help or have questions. To maintain the quality of our community and keep it ad-free, we do charge an annual fee of $297 for our Professional Appliantologist membership, which unlocks all that Appliantology has to offer, including tech-only help forums and unthrottled,

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Memberships

3 ways to half-split warm refrigerator problems

Whenever you're dealing with a warm refrigerator problem, your first question to answer is, "Am I dealing with a failed sealed system or a control problem?" In other words, you need to half-split the problem between the sealed system and the controls (air movement, defrost system, temperature control, compressor start device, etc.). I'm going to talk about three ways to half-split warm refrigerator problems to either rule in or rule out the sealed system and the controls.  1. Frost pattern

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

The Master Samurai Tech Alumni Program

Training at the Master Samurai Tech Academy is already a killer deal: comprehensive, state-of-the-art training that’s online and on-demand at tuition low enough that anyone can afford it. Well now we’re kicking it up to 11 with the Master Samurai Tech Alumni program. If you have been certified* in the Core course at the Master Samurai Tech Academy (formerly called the "Fundamentals" course) or earned Master Certification at the Mr. Appliance Academy (Bundle 1 only), you can get full te

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Memberships

Master Samurai Tech Radio, Episode 29: Appliance Repair Triage Tools or Dummy Directions?

Triage tools for appliance repair service calls are all the rage today. Whether based on a frequent parts replacement database or more sophisticated database queries and constructs using AI, there's lots of talk about these products.  Team Samurai weighs in on this topic to discuss the proper and improper use of these tools. In the hands of a skilled tech, they can be a time saver. But triage tools cannot make a skilled tech out of PCMs. Lots of nuances to this topic so listen in.

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Podcast

Using a Resistor Substitution Box to troubleshoot appliance temperature sensing circuits

Many modern appliances use a computer to control the various loads in the appliance. But computers are also used for temperature monitoring and sensing. Typical temperature sensors used in modern appliances are NTC thermistors (refrigerators, dryers, washers, dishwashers) and RTDs (resistive temperature devices--used in ovens). If you're a member here at Appliantology, you can watch this webinar recording on Appliance Temperature Sensing Devices & Technology for a deep dive into how the comp

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

How to use the schematic to select and locate your test points on the appliance

This video shows the essential skill that all competent appliance repair techs should have: using the schematic to identify and locate your physical test points on an appliance. This process goes on both inside our heads and with our hands. This is the high skill, high dollar part of our job and it's what distinguishes real technicians from parts changing monkeys. We're using the example of a dual fuel range but this essential skill applies to any appliance. Learn appliance repair

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Sealed system repairs: the mystique, the reality

Many professional appliance techs do not currently offer refrigerator sealed system repairs but are thinking about adding it to their service repertoire. In this post, I’ll offer some thoughts to help you decide if this makes sense for your service area. I'll also offer some resources for learning sealed system repair if you decide that makes sense for you. I encourage any of my Brethren in the Craft to post their comments and experience.  The false mystique of sealed system repair  Fi

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Samurai's Big Three Troubleshooting Secrets

It's tough for appliance techs today. Our biggest competition is from cheap replacement machines. The proliferation of pricey electronic boards in appliances (and their uncertain procurement these days) means that if you can't quickly do a slam-dunk diagnosis, you are at risk of losing customers and your profitability. Meanwhile, electrical troubleshooting is largely a lost science. What exactly have we lost? The Old Skool troubleshooting techniques that us old timers learned way back. And

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Gas dryer not heating, troubleshooting with only a jumper wire

Problem: I'm on a gas dryer service call-- no heat complaint. Solution: Using only my jumper wire at the main board, I proved a problem with the Neutral sense line from the motor and made the burner fire up.  Question: At what two points did I place my jumper wire to troubleshoot this problem?   

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Refrigerator troubleshooting quiz

Problem statement: Freezer (FC) at 0ºF. Refrigerator (RC) section is warm. Tech's questions— help a brutha out: How can we force defrost in the RC compartment? Explain your answer. How can we make sure the RC fan is running? Explain your answer. How do we make sure the compressor is running at full speed? Explain your answer. How do you explain the high temps in the RC?  (For you computer virgins, you can mouse over the schematic and click for a larger vi

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Troubleshooting a Thermador Wall Oven F34 error code with ZERO disassembly

You arrive on the call for Thermador wall oven. Complaint: F34 error code-- cooling fan rotation problem-- shown on the display when the oven is turned on. As a black belt in the martial art of schematic-fu, you pull up the schematic on your tablet computer. With one simple move, you identify the exact cause of the problem with ZERO disassembly.  Question: What slick move did you make to identify the specific cause of the problem with ZERO disassembly?     

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

How does the air baffle assembly work in this refrigerator?

1. Which wires are the power supply circuit for the damper motor?  2. What does that switch by the damper motor do?  3. What's with the line going from one side of the switch back to the board?    Hint: This is a dead simple circuit. The motor does not reverse direction of rotation. The schematic alone tells you everything you need to know. You do not need any additional “inside baseball.”   Don't let me down, comrades. First one to answer all three questions correctly w

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

What's the best way to test the defrost circuit in this refrigerator?

Hint: Please don't bore us with any amateur hour "ohm out" answers.  Extra credit: What is the function of the brown wire at pin 5 of the ADC controller?  Double extra-special credit: Enroll at Master Samurai Tech and a get free premium tech membership here at Appliantology.   First person to post the correct BEST answer, I'll hoist a mug of my flavorite brew in your honor. AND if you get the Extra Credit question, too, you'll get an electronic plate of my special cardboard c

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

How does this old skool dishwasher drain the water?

Y'all grab a cold one and gather 'round-- crusty ol' Samurai's gonna tell you a story. This here's a story about one o' them old skool dishwashers like yo momma had when you were still but a glimmer in yo pappy's eye. These old skool dishwashers didn't have a separate, dinky little drain pump motor like today's gelded dishwashers. Nawsir, these old skool dishwashers had just one big honkin' motor that did double duty washing (more like sandblasting) the dishes and draining the basin. They d

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Watch this dryer motor centrifugal switch in action

The lowly and dirty centrifugal switch mounted on the motor gets little love and attention. Always taken for granted and ignored and never respected.  But without the centrifugal switch, to take the start winding out of the circuit once the rotor gets spinning from a dead stop, the motor will draw high amps and kick out on internal thermal overload protection.  Well, boys and girls, in this exciting episode of Appliantology TV, we're going to see the mighty centrifugal switch in action

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Tech Talk

Non-PCM Repair on a Jazz Board Refrigerator

This is a newish Maytag jazz board refrigerator presenting with a warm FF and cold FZ. This was not your typical defrost failure. The failure here was the evaporator fan was not running. I troubleshot the problem without disassembling the freezer-- did it all from the jazz board.  Even though this is a modern, computer-controlled refrigerator, what you're about to see are actually old skool troubleshooting techniques that have been largely lost in the appliance repair trade today: r

Programming Instructions for the HV Control Board used in some Whirlpool-built Bottom Mount Refrigerators

Some models of Whirlpool-built bottom mount refrigerators use a high-voltage control board that, at some point, you may need to replace. These boards are used in certain models of Whirlpool, Maytag, and Kenmore-branded bottom mount refrigerators. Here's what the HV board looks like: Part number: AP4568436 When you replace this HV control board, you will need to program it to work in your particular model. If you don't program the new HV board, you'll get the error code PEO 000 in the dis
×
×
  • Create New...