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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

When you buy a GE appliance, the initial purchase is just the beginning of your long, corporate gang rape

Hi, boys and girls! For today's excursion into Corporate Gang Rape™ excellence, we have a Frigidaire-built washing machine with a GE label slapped on it. Frigidaire parts will work in this machine just fine-- if you happened to know that it was built by Frigidaire in the first place. That's where the Master Appliantologists in the Samurai School come in. In this example, Master Reg shows us the difference in price for two identical motor control boards for this washing machine. The only di

Gas range goes BOOM! after a particular stove burner is lit

In this adventure into appliance dysfunction, the customer called me with a scary problem with her gas range. After she would fire up the left-front (LF) cooktop burner and it was on for less than a minute, a big flash-boom would erupt from underneath the burners. I reproduced the problem when I was there and it was a pretty impressive explosion! I wish I had gotten video of it but thought better of repeating it. I knew I was dealing with a gas leak and had to get to the burner gas supply tubes
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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Tool Backpack: The One Year Report

Well, it's been over a year now ridin' with my trusty tool backpack, doing service calls in every imaginable situation, including hiking up snowy and icy driveways to get to the house and I just wanted to give an update. I LOVE this thing! Keeps my tools clean and organized so I know exactly where they are when I need 'em. Impresses customers, too. Get one for yourself, your favorite toolhead, or that special fixit dude or dudette in your life. Currently 37% off retail at Amazon! https://www.am

[Tech Tip] How to find Whirlpool tech sheets at Appliantology quicker using the PUB number

We have have a huge and growing library of technical literature here at Appliantology. If, after searching the Downloads section using the techniques shown in the how-to search video, you're not finding what you need, I have a trick for you that applies to all Whirlpool-built appliances, including those that are Kenmore-branded Whirlpool-built.  Whirlpool-built appliances include the following brands: Whirlpool Kitchenaid Jenn-Air Amana Maytag some

Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp Update

Just wanted to give a quick update on the Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp. Don't think we've forgotten about it! In fact, just the opposite-- developing the course has been an all-consuming task for me and Mrs. Samurai (she's a world-class technical editor). You can get a sneak-peak and what we've been doing at the Boot Camp website: http://ApplianceTechBootCamp.com You won't be able to click into the units and view the contents but you can see the basic course structure and the units that we'v

MST Radio Episode 27: Online Appliance Repair Schools- the good, the bad, and the scams

In this special international episode, the Samurai is in Fiji at Samurai International Headquarters, while Mrs. Samurai is in the Team Samurai New Hampshire pavilion. Although halfway around the globe from each other, Team Samurai comes together through the miracle of the Internet to deliver you this timely and crucial information in this episode of Master Samurai Tech Radio. We compare and contrast three online training options with the Master Samurai Tech Academy.     
Memberships

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

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Everything you ever wanted to know about those new Evernote enex ZIP files in the Downloads section

You may have noticed the recent files added to the Downloads section of the site have a funny ending not seen here before: Evernote enex ZIP. There's a not very long and maybe less interesting story about these files. I'll also tell you how to use them. Periodically, I run across paper service bulletins (actual paper! I mean who does that?) that are worth storing for later retrieval. A great source of these is the MSA World magazine where they include lots of manufacturer service bulletins in th
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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Hillstomping Update: Mt. Sava with the Oz Man, 3/15/2011

Up the Ammonusuc Trail and down the Jewell Trail. Amazing conditions for these last few days of winter: snow was still stiff, consolidated and buoyant, warm temps (around 0F with wind chill), and full on sunshine on this bluebird day. Lots of other hikers out, too-- look for 'em in the slideshow, best viewed in full-screen mode with your volume turned up so you can groove on the soundtrack.

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.

Team Samurai Heading off to the Old Country

Well, mah Bruvahs, Mrs. Samurai finally convinced me that we needed to take a vacation. It's been decades since we've taken a true vacation that wasn't a business trip in disguise. The past couple of years have been especially intense and transformative ones for Team Samurai (me, Mrs. Samurai, and our two sons Stephen and Sam) with the creation and development of the Samurai Tech Academy. I know I make all this look easy and it seems like one day I just whipped out MasterSamuraiTech.com like, "O

Master Samurai Tech Radio, Episode 10

- We're back from our bidness trip last week but Mrs. Samurai has a cold so this episode is mostly Tech Talk. - Visit to American Appliance in Golden, CO, one of Sub-Zero's premiere partners. - Recap of Dacor training in their Android-controlled ranges - GFCIs and AFCIs. What they are, what they do, how they're different, and current NEC requirements. - Voltage and current in series and parallel circuits.   Listen here or subscribe on iTunes or Android.  

Refrigerator Checklist - Spring 2013

Spring 2013 is finally here! When I think about spring, I think, "Oh, goodie: Refrigerator Season!" Why do I get excited and squeal like a little piglet in a donut shop about Refrigerator Season? Because I know my phone is about to explode with a whole lotta high-dolla warm refrigerator repair calls. Here are five simple things you can do to your refrigerator right now to keep your beer tooth-crackin' cold right on through the up-coming summer heat wave. 1. Clean your refrigerator condenser s

Appliantology 3000 Microchip Implant Now Available

<p>As many of my long-time grasshoppers know, the CIA occasionally calls upon the Samurai for special assignments which are particularly dangerous. </p> <br /> <p>I have recently completed yet another covert assignment for The Company; this one involved testing a prototype of an implantable microchip. My assignment was to be the human test subject and to have this protoype implanted into my spine. </p> <br /> <p>The Agency has declassified portions o
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

5

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

Sub-Zero Wolf Factory Training

I had the pleasure of attending Sub-Zero Wolf (SZW) factory training last week in Madison, WI. Flew in on Monday, training was Tuesday thru Thursday, and then flew out on Friday. The class consisted of 15 techs from around the country but also included a tech from Puerto Rico and another from Barbados. The techs included a few students from Master Samurai Tech and some Appliantology members.   This session was all Wolf products: gas and induction cooktops, gas and dual fuel ranges, vent hoo

The Smart Kitchen of Tomorrow is Here Today

I know from comments on my previous blog post on The Future of Appliance Repair: a Profession or an "Idiocracy"? that many appliance techs are bemoaning the increasing computerization of appliances. For most of these techs, it's because they have no idea how to troubleshoot them and so feel threatened. Many are even thinking, wishfully but incorrectly, that the increasing use of electronics in appliances is just a fad and will go away.  Nyet, tovarish!  Computers in appliances are not
Memberships

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 , you can get full tech access to ou
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man in Memberships

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ASTI 2014, Evernote Edition

Well, mah bruvahs, heading out on that big ol' jet airliner from Logan tomorrow afternoon making that long haul to San Diego for the 2014 ASTI. Looking forward to seeing some of you there and will miss those of you who can't make it this year. For my absentee brethren, the Samurai's got your six! I'll be taking copious notes and will post them all as PDFs in the Downloads section when I return. Additionally, if any of you have any specific questions you'd like me to ax the instructors, plea
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

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