Jump to content
Click here to check out our structured, online appliance repair training courses for rookies and experienced techs.

FAQs | Repair Videos | Academy | Newsletter | Contact


Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Blog

A blog by Samurai Appliance Repair Man in General

  • entries
    862
  • comments
    1,409
  • views
    3,419,437

About this blog

Pearls of appliance repair wisdom from the Appliantology Forums

Entries in this blog

Secrets of the Ten-Step Tango™ Troubleshooting Method Revealed!

I've been working with appliance techs online for over 20 years. One of the biggest changes I've seen in the tech community during that time is a steady decline in competence in troubleshooting electrical circuits. It's to the point today that many techs don't even know what real troubleshooting is or looks like. A common misunderstanding is that pattern recognition and parts changing are what constitute "troubleshooting."  Real troubleshooting starts with a succinct problem statement that an
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

26

Scrotum Scrubber Roundup

Here are a few of the scrotum scrubbers I've repaired in my distinguished career as an appliance repair professional. Personally, I don't use this type of appliance-- why have an appliance do something that a simple wash cloth will do? Saves money and energy and it's better for the environment. Honestly, I think our society's obsession with technology is unhealthy sometimes. The Poly Scrub Has a more gentle scrubbing action than some of the others but may leave some skin behind and may not be a

Screencast reply to a comment on our podcast episode, "Why do all new dishwashers suck?"

Rtnoww posted a long, rambling and erroneous comment to our podcast episode, "Why do all new dishwasher suck?" He claims that we are incorrect in saying that one of the purposes of rinse aid is to help dishwasher dry the dishes. In this short screencast, we show Rtnoww with Whirlpool's own technical training documentation why we are correct and how he is just plain out to lunch on this issue. Here's the link to the original podcast post page ==> http://fixitnow.com/wp/2012/03/29/why-do-all

Scientists discover toxic dishwasher fungus

Scientists discover toxic dishwasher fungus June 22, 20 Once rarely found in nature, the potentially deadly black yeast fungi have begun to expand their territory. And the new frontier could be your kitchen. A team of European scientists sampled nearly 190 dishwashers in family homes around the world. They found black yeasts living on 62 percent of the rubber seals surrounding the dishwasher door. The study appears in the journal Fungal Biology. According to the researchers, black yeasts ar

Schematic Diagrams, Timing Charts, and Open Neutrals

Here's an excerpt of a 20-minute training video now available in the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair training course on how to use the schematic diagram and timing chart to troubleshoot a problem with a washer drain pump that would not operate. The drain pump itself was good and getting voltage. Turns out that the problem was an open neutral. The full training video explains these important troubleshooting concepts in detail: - how to break down a complicated schematic and read it to solve th
Samurai Appliance Repair Man

Samurai Appliance Repair Man

0
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

10

Samurai's 12 Laws of Appliance Repair

Samurai's Ichiban Law of Appliance Repair: Never replace a part unless you have proof that the part is bad. This distinguishes the Samurai School of Appliantology from the Monkey Boy School of Appliance Repair. When I replace an appliance part, it's because I have proven that the part is bad. This proof could be something subtle, like an electrical measurement, or something simple, like laying eyeballs on a burned wire connection. It could be direct, meaning the part is getting proper input but

Samurai Tech Academy Open House and Campus Tour

NOTE: The meeting details have been edited. Who: YOU! What: You've undoubtedly heard of the Samurai Tech Academy, where young apprentice appliantologists and seasoned appliance warriors alike come to hone their troubleshooting skills to razor-sharp deadly accuracy. Here, now, is the opportunity you've been longing for to peek behind the bamboo shades of the legendary dojo of Master Samurai Techs in training. Come join us for an open house and campus tour of the Samurai Tech Academy and watch wit

Samurai Tech Academy Certification: A Standard of Excellence

Being a “Certified Appliance Repair Technician” sounds impressive and can open doors with employers and customers. But when people look into where your certification came from, will it pass scrutiny? Read on as we explain how to evaluate the merit of Samurai Tech Academy certification: http://mastersamuraitech.com/samurai-tech-academy-certification-standard-excellence/

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

Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp Sample Course

We're still pecking away like little Woody Woodpeckers writing unit lessons, making screencasts, creating quizzes, working from sun up to moon rise to get Part 1 of the Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp ready to unleash on an unsuspecting and woefully unprepared world by April 13. Yep, that's our deadline so picked because it's right before Holy Week. Seemed like a good place for a deadline. Meanwhile, as promised in my last post, I've prepared a little morsel of the course which you are invi

Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp Orientation

We launched the beta-testing phase of Part 1 of the Samurai Appliance Tech Boot Camp last week and our beta students are busily working their way through the course. We plan to have Part 1 ready and open for general enrollment by June 15th. The Orientation presentation gives you some idea of what to expect:

Samurai Appliance Repair Man's Hard-Earned Pearls of Life-Wisdom

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in. I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people are just jerks. I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only suspicion, not proof, to destroy it. I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to others - they are more messed up than you think. I've learned that you can keep puking long after you think you're finished. I've learned that we are responsi

Samsung Dryer Troubleshooting and Electric Circuits Review

Many techs have trouble interpreting a schematic diagram and understanding how to use it for troubleshooting. In this webinar, held on March 29, 2019, we used a Samsung electric dryer and a GE double oven as case studies to review electric circuit principles and troubleshooting. Some of the topics we talked about: Neutral sensing in Samsung dryers: what that means, what it does, and how it affects troubleshooting Series and parallel circuits and how to identify them on a real-worl

Rigging and using a compressor test cord to manually operate a compressor

One of the many things that can make a refrigerator warm up is the compressor is trying but failing to start. You may occasionally hear this type of noise from the back of the refrigerator (starts about 15 seconds in): This is the sound of your compressor trying, but failing miserably, to start. Best case scenario: Bad compressor start relay. Worst case scenario: open compressor start winding or seized compressor bearing == buy a new refrigerator. Question: How do you tell which is which? Answ

Return policy on appliance parts purchased through this site: 365 Days. Period.™

No harm in buying and trying! Electrical parts? Out of stock parts? No problem! Get a free replacement or your money back if you return a part within one full year. This is the best return policy in the industry and applies to all parts purchased through any of the Repairclinic banners and links at all Samurai appliance repair websites: www.appliantology.org, www.fixitnow.com, www.applianceguru.com, and fixitnow.posterous.com.

Retrieving Fault Codes Stored in a Bosch Dishwasher Control to Help Troubleshoot a Problem

Bosch dishwasher not heating? Stalling in cycle? Not filling? Some other weird problem? Wouldn't it be nice if you could get just get some clue about what's wrong? Well, you can! All Bosch dishwashers (and most modern appliances that use electronic control boards) store fault codes pertaining to specific areas the appliance is having a problem with... or at least the areas that the control board thinks is having a problem. Anyway, it's a good place to start. These control boards all hav
×
×
  • Create New...