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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

New and Improved Download Program for Chief Appliantologists

We’ve had to make some adjustments to our server because our server resources were being pushed to the max. It was getting to the point that it was affecting the stability and performance of the server. And it was affecting Professional Appliantologist users who pay an annual fee to support the site.   When server resources get limited, you can do one of two things: 1. get a bigger server 2. allocate server resources among users   We did the bigger server thing a few years ago and, while it help

9 Ways to Beat Odor Problems in Modern High-Efficiency Front Load and Top Load Washers

1. Use Only HE (High Efficiency) Detergent And no, using a smaller quantity of conventional detergent is not the same as using HE detergent, as explained below. HE detergents are not simply a concentrated formulation of the regular stuff. Since front loaders and HE top loaders use much less water than conventional top loaders (about 12 gallons per wash load vs. about 56 gallons in a conventional top-loader), HE washers require a detergent with a whole different chemistry. You can read more about

Fixitnow.com Radio: The Whole Sick Social Web Trip

Listen in on Samurai Appliance Repair Man and Mrs. Samurai having an honest discussion on the pros and cons of using social media, like Facebook and Twitter, as a venue for promoting a business. How useful is social media for communicating with existing customers or users and how effective is it for reaching out to new people? (show duration: 10 minutes) http://fixitnow.com/wp/2012/03/27/fixitnow-com-radio-the-whole-sick-social-web-trip/ (I tried to post the audio player here but the forum sof
Tech Talk

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

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GE Refrigerator Repair Survival Kit

Brother Durham has assembled a very handy collection of essential technical manuals and tools needed when working on GE refrigerators. Brethren, let us attend: Adding a couple shameless plugs of my own... How to test GE refrigerator fan motors with a 9-volt battery: http://appliantology.org/topic/45190-how-to-test-the-evaporator-and-condenser-fan-motors-in-a-ge-refrigerator-with-a-9-volt-battery/ How to troubleshoot GE inverter compressors: http://appliantology.org/topic/44976-troubleshooting-an
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

8

The Facebook Zuck n' Jive

Unless you’ve been living under a washing machine all this time, you’ve undoubtedly heard the kerfuffle where Facebook was recently caught selling the personal information of over 50 million people to a marketing firm. I'm not surprised-- saw this coming a long time ago. So did Facebook Dear Leader and CEO, Mark "The Zuck" Zuckerberg. Here's an exchange between The Zuck and a friend shortly after founding Facebook: [Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-03-25/dumb-f-ks-jul

[video] Troubleshooting a Kenmore-Electrolux Dual Fuel Range F30 Error Code

This dual fuel range was flashing an F30 error code. The tech sheet says this points to a problem with the RTD (temperature probe). A parts changing monkey reading only the error code description without looking at the schematic replaced the RTD only to have the exact same problem: F30 error code. Watch how a real technician uses both the tech sheet and the schematic to accurately diagnose the problem without guesswork.      Get online, on-demand 24/7 appliance repair train

Ultimate Appliance Gift Ideas

<p>The Samurai has scoured both the Innernet AND the Outernet rounding up those perfect Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa, and Festivus gift ideas for that special Fixer Dude or Dudette in your life.  <strong>Click the photos</strong> for more info or to purchase.</p> <p> </p> <p>Stay warm AND safe with this Pocket Air Check combustible gas leak detector. Works with Natural and LP gas.</p> <p><a href="http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Ga
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

7

Daughter of Samurai's Big Fat Greek Wedding: The Movie

My daughter got married September 2 this year in Syracuse, NY. It was a Big Fat Greek wedding just like in the eponymous movie. I'm half Greek and half white so my family contributed a little, watered-down Greekness. But my daughter married into a huge and very Greek family. The reception was a blast: open bar with beer, wine, mixed drinks; live Greek band; lots of Greek dancing, partying and having a good time. There was so much prep leading up to the wedding that I got behind my other work an

A Christmas Eve Service Call on Smarts Mountain

The Samurai is ready to go wherever and whenever there's a broken appliance! No place is too remote for a service call from the Samurai. Here's a Christmas eve service call I made today to a home on the summit of Smarts Mountain with a broken Dacor range. <img alt="Smarts Mountain" src="http://cdn-3-service.phanfare.com/images/external/4169021_5401211_146375562_WebSmall_2/0_0_91223cb0112f1a486080be50f36fd652_1"> The view from Lambert Ridge heading up Smarts Mtn. near the outset of this f
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

7

Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Updates

Feel like a mushroom (kept in the dark and fed bovine excrement... or worse!) when it comes to news about the radiation dangers from the Fukushima meltdowns? Well, the Samurai's doing an end-run around the corporate media spin meisters and info-blockaders! I'm frequently updating my Evernote notebook on the Fukushima nuclear disaster with hand-picked news from alternative news sources that I have used for a long time and have proven to be trustworthy. No corporate media spin! Book mark this
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

7

Finding service manuals for Kenmore model numbers in the Downloads section of Appliantology

Here's a quick tip for finding service manuals for Kenmore model numbers in the Downloads section here at Appliantology.  Let's say you have a Kenmore model number like 796.31512210. The site search doesn't play nice with special characters like the "." in the model number. Easy workaround: Use the search wild card character, "*" to replace the model number prefix including the "." like ahso: *31512210 Copy and paste that search term into the search bar at the top of the

Refrigerator Troubleshooting and Repair: Ice, Frost, and Condensation

A common problem with refrigerators is the appearance of various forms of water in places where it shouldn’t be. Examples are: water at the bottom of the freezer and dribbling out the door in a side by side refrigerator; fuzzy frost built up on the back wall inside the freezer compartment; moisture on beer bottles and the side walls inside the refrigerator compartment (also called the Beer Compartment); solid slab of ice on the bottom of the freezer compartment. In each of these examples, we’re

Master Samurai Tech Radio, Episode 9

- Samurai and Son of Samurai are off to Dacor training. - Manufacturers focusing on producing higher-profit upscale major appliances and what this means for your service bidness. - Sub-Zero doing a huge expansion in Wisconsin to crank out upscale dishwashers and ranges. What are these manufacturers seeing that you should also be seeing as an appliance repair company? - A recent Samsung warranty debacle shows how there’s a huge need for skilled appliance technicians but the trade is still ate-up
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

6

Using an Oscilloscope to Understand 120 VAC Split-phase Household Power Supplies

Can you believe there are techs out there who use an o-scope to look at the output from a sound mixer and conclude this is how Line voltage works? The output of a sound mixer is the output of a summing amplifier (Google it). It is an electronically modified signal. To look at this output and assume that Line voltage behaves this way is the height of stupidity. I call it "Idiot with an O-scope syndrome."  Household power supplies in North America use what's called a split-phase system. The t

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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