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Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

A blog by Samurai Appliance Repair Man in General

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About this blog

Pearls of appliance repair wisdom from the Appliantology Forums

Entries in this blog

Troubleshooting a Whirlpool Duet Washer with an F11 error code and repairing it without replacing parts

Many appliance servicers have been befuddled by the elusive and mysterious F11 error code in these Whirlpool Duet front loading washers (also sold under the Kenmore brand). In their confusion and frustration, many will go into Parts Changing Monkey mode and start blindly replacing expensive control boards without really fixing the problem (but still charging the customer, of course). The Appliance Guru never does business that way. Customers hire me to solve a problem. Period. I give a quo

Defective customers and Youtube

There's a lot of great stuff on Youtube on just about any topic you're interested in. You can even find detailed how-to information on appliance repair, for which the premiere, go-to channel is this one. But unless you know how to apply what you're seeing on Youtube to your exact, specific appliance repair problem, then Youtube videos just become a source of noise and confusion. In fact, if you are someone specially endowed with the Cheesedork mentality, then Youtube videos will only make you d

Customer Qualification: The Cheesedork Challenge

You are a cheesedork if... you resent paying anything to have me drive to your house to troubleshoot your appliance, even if you decide not to repair it. You are a cheesedork if... you call troubleshooting your appliance "just looking at it." You are a cheesedork if... you expect me to drop what I'm doing and get right over to your house, know exactly how to repair your appliance, have the part on my service van, and get it repaired in that same service call but you carp and whine nine ways to S

Understanding how the Water Level Sensor in LG Washing Machines work

Water level sensing in LG washers is done differently from how you may be used to seeing it done in other brands. Whirlpool, GE, Electrolux and others use an air tube connecting an air dome on the tub to a pressure sensor with a physical diaphragm or transducer that "feels" the water level increase as an increase in pressure inside the air tube. LG uses frequency measurements. How's that again? I'll let Brother john63, Dean of LG Appliantology explain: Source: LG PRESSURE SENSOR OPERATION

A Backdoor Test for the Mode Shifter in the Whirlpool VM Washers

These new Whirlpool vertical modular (VM) top-loading washers are pretty easy to troubleshoot, mostly because they practically troubleshoot themselves with fault/error code combinations that you can read in diagnostic mode. The mode shifter has turned out to be one of the common-fail parts on this washer and it's regular rolling inventory for me. Although the fault/error codes will point specifically to the mode shifter if there's a problem with it, there may be situations where you want to t

How to Troubleshoot the New Inverter Compressor Refrigerators

The new inverter compressors ain't like the old skool compressors used in yo momma's beer cooler. Oh, they still do the same basic job-- pump refrigerant vapor. But you have to troubleshoot them differently from the old skool compressors. In their quest to comply with increasingly onerous Energy Star requirements, all the appliance manufacturers are producing refrigerator models that use inverter compressors. Like it or not, inverter compressors are here to stay. Many a fine tech has been befudd

How to install the upper rack stops and rack rollers in a Whirlpool-KitchenAid dishwasher

Both the upper rack stop and roller assembly in the Whirpool-KitchenAid dishwashers are amazingly simple to install... IF you know the trick. Ain't that the way it always is in appliance repair: it's all a cake-walk IF you know what you're doing. And that's a big fat IF. Problem is that most people don't know what they don't know but they THINK they know it all. Case in pernt: Had a customer call me yesterday (Saturday) because the upper rack in their dishwasher came out. They insisted that I co
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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The Big Three Deadly Dishwasher Mistakes

Deadly Mistake Numero Uno: Using a gel detergent or powered detergent that is old or has already gotten wet. The main tasks of a detergent are to remove soil from surfaces and prevent the re-deposits of soils on the surfaces. The best detergent formulations will be powdered. Do not use gels or liquid detergents. Why powdered detergent? Because in today's phosphate-free world, you need two types of cleaners in a detergent formulation to get dishes clean: 1. Enzymes to remove protein-based stains
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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Dryer Auto Dry cycle not working - a simple fix using the Dean's Method

Most dryers have an Auto Dry cycle where it sense the dryness of the clothes and adjusts the cycle time accordingly. Sometimes, clothes will stop drying properly on the Auto Dry cycle but still dry normally on the Timed Dry cycle. Brother john63, the Dean of LG Appliantology, has developed a simple procedure to correct this problem and it works on all brands and models of dryers with an Auto Dry feature. Source: Samsung Dryer DV350AEW/XAA auto dry not working
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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How to replace the chopper-mascerator blade in an LG Dishwasher

Many dishwashers have a part called the macerator or chopper to cut up larger chunks of food before sending the waster stream back to the wash impeller. These are not meant to function as a disposal but to protect the wash impeller from stray chunks of food that may be circulating in the dishwasher. The best way to prepare dishes for the dishwasher is to scrape off all the chunks with a fork and leave the rest. Don't pre-rinse because you'll just create a caustic slurry that will etch your gl
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

0

Dishwasher Filmology: Handling Hard Water and Mineral Buildup Problems in Today's Wimpy Dishwashers

Intro The dishwashers being made today ain’t like yo mamma’s dishwasher. Dishwashers made as recently as 1997 used big honkin’ motors that practically sandblasted your dishes clean and then reversed direction to pump the water out. They used a lot more energy and water than the delicate little dainties being made today. They also lasted much longer and weren’t as prone to having problems with mineral buildup inside of ‘em… but don’t get me started on that rant. Prodded along by the Beltway Bandi

Old Skool washing machine motors: a quick, simple explanation of how they work

The Old Skool washing machine motors that we all know and love are the big, honkin', clunky motors in all the older model top loading washing machines. They are controlled with simple mechanical timers and switches. Depending on which contacts are made on the timer, the direction of rotation can be controlled. In order to have different speeds, the motor has to have different windings physically built into it at the time of manufacture and then the timer or selector switch can energize these

LG WM3677HW Combo Washer/dryer - washes okay but doesn't dry

One common problem with these combo laundry units is that they'll stop drying the clothes. The dryer portion of the combo unit is a condenser type dryer. It works on the principal that water condenses on a cool surface, similar to moisture collecting on a cold drink on a hot and humid summer day. A fan circulates air through the warming duct, drum, and condenser and over and over. The air is warmed because warmer air holds more moisture than cooler air and the heat causes more of the water to be

How to manually cycle the GE WR30X10093 icemaker

A useful and handy diagnostic technique when working on an ice maker problem is to manually initiate a harvest cycle to see with the ice maker will or will not do. Here's how to manually cycle the GE WR30X10093 ice maker: If the ice maker won't do the manual harvest, replace it. Here's the replacement you need: http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Ice-Maker-Assembly/WR30X10093/1399596 Source: how do you cycle test the WR30X10093 icemaker

Installing the foamed-in-place refrigerator door gaskets used on some Whirlpool and Kitchenaid models: A War Story

Brother Willie shares his battle-scarred experience with replacing these types of refrigerator door gaskets. To summarize in a word: DON'T. Or, if you must because you're a professional Appliantologist, make sure you charge a lot for the job. But Brothers PDuff and JJ Surfer offer these consoling words of wisdom: Source: Kitchenaid fridge. KBRC36FKS02. Sporadic temp problems

Things customers say while you're in their home on a service call...

Every day, professional Appliantologists have the unique privilege of going into people's homes on appliance repair service calls. And it really is a privilege... most of the time. We meet all kinds of people and every professional Appliantologist has fond memories of those "special" customers because of some of the things those customers say to brighten our day while we're in their homes and working on their appliance. Here's a slice-of-life collection of some of these memorable pearls from our

Appliance Repair Pricing Systems: Comparing Flat Rate vs. Time and Materials

After reading a lively and long-lived discussion about flat-rate vs. time and materials pricing at another blog that Brother Durham brought to my attention, Mrs. Samurai felt The Calling to weigh in and write up her own opus magnum on the topic. We decided to post it here at my blog since she wants hers to be mostly about food, home, and health-related topics. So I'm posting it here under her by-line. It's a great read! Whether you're a professional appliantologist or a client of a professional

What looks different about this cheap Chinese replacement motor for a Kenmore or Whirlpool dryer compared to the OEM replacement motor?

Buying cheap, generic parts is always false economy and ends up costing you way more in the long run, not just dollars but aggravation, time spent here at this forum when you coulda been squeezin' on your lady-love... just sayin'. Don't waste time and money on cheap, imitation replacement parts-- come git you a real, OEM replacement motor with a one year return policy: Part number: AP3094245 Source: Kenmore electric dryer shuts off

A warning about buying cheap appliance parts from Amazon or Ebay

Like to shop around Amazon or Ebay for cheap stuff, including appliance parts? Did you know that you may be buying either cheap Chinese knock-off parts or used parts? Do these parts come with a one year replacement or refund warranty? No? Hmm... did you know that all parts purchased here at Appliantology.org are new, OEM parts that can be returned for a refund or replacement for 1 year, including electrical parts like circuit boards that have already been installed? Yeah, I know, it's insane! Ye

How to tell whether the touchpanel or control board is bad in a Whirlpool dishwasher

Many times when troubleshooting a Whirlpool-built dishwasher (also sold under the Kenmore and Kitchenaid brands), you'll have a problem that looks like it could be either a bad touchpanel or the control board, but you can't really be sure. Examples include: - Normal light keeps blinking but the dishwasher won't run - none of the lights on the panel work and the dishwasher won't run Could take on lots of other variations but the thing they'll all have in common is that dishwasher won't run. The c
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