Craft questions

[RedToryTy]

To the Dojo,

If we are to avoid ISC work as the hari-kari-like sentence it is, how can a non-ISC appliantologist like me keep up with ALL company service bulletins and updates for factory-created boo-boos? Could one of the certified Masters start a forum for such wisdom?

I feel I should be practicing on refrigeration and circuit board-related repairs; junkers would be a good start, right? What method(s) do you guys use--junkers again, home study (which one)? What is a good home-study curriculum for electronics, or should I go to tech school (keep in mind I'm a working journeyman appliantologist)? What are some go-to tools for electronified appliances?

Thanks in advance,

Tyrus (aka RedToryTy)

[jb8103]

I'd say tech school, if your local community college offers HVAC. I got a pretty good grip on electrical from the program I took.

Seems to me, no tech schools offer appliance repair. I look for this to change soon because we are definitely past the pliers-and-screwdriver level.

I also bought and scrounged a few scrap washers and dryers, rebuilt them and made a bit of profit. Good basic learning experience, but junkers will be old technology.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

You really don't need to know and understand electronic circuitry to troubleshoot. It can be helpful for insight but it's not a crucial skill because really all you're doing is checking for input and output voltages on a board. As long as you have those specs for a given board/model then you can usually make a proper diagnosis. You're not troubleshooting to a bad component on the board because you're not repairing the board-- you're replacing it no matter what's wrong with it. So, if you can use a multimeter and read a wiring diagram/tech sheet, you can troubleshoot electronified appliances!

[jb8103]

Exactly right (as per usual). The board is just a black box to us, aside from some that have replaceable relays.

And we could say the same about sealed system work. Being an HVAC tech, I have the tools to deal with refrigeration systems. Recovery pump, vacuum pump, manifold gauges, all the hoses, recovery cylinders, pressure regulator, nitrogen cylinder, a good $1200 invested, plus the license to buy refrigerant. But it should never come up in appliance repair - we just need to know when and why the sealed system has failed.

But if you want to know more about motors and controls, tech school is the way to go.