Appliance Repair Do's and Don'ts

Hello readers! Hope you had a wonderful Independence day, here's a quick post of some appliance repair do's and don'ts. Hope this helps!

When a household appliance stops working, or has other issues, most people start to panic and get all in a tizzy. When this happens, they end up making a wrong decision that results in costing them money, time, and creating a whole ordeal about it. If you can follow some relatively simple guidelines when you are faced with this problem you can save yourself a headache, some cash, and also your investment!

A broken or non-functioning appliance can mean several things. It could be just a minor pain in the rear end, or it could sometimes be a safety risk. Too many times we see homeowners call an appliance repair person out to their house to fix something simple. So if you have a dryer that isn't turning on, or a refrigerator that won't keep cold, just keep in mind these simple appliance repair do's and don'ts.

DON'T: Be in a hurry to purchase a new appliances at the first sign of trouble. It's almost always more affordable to repair your appliance rather than purchasing a new one.

DO: Refer to your owner's manual as soon as you notice your appliance acting strangely. Delays can cause more damage to the appliance, and it just means you will have to deal with the faulty appliance for a longer period of time. If you can find out what is wrong with your appliance quickly, it will just make it easier to complete a successful repair. If you cannot find the answer to your problem in the owner's manual, then it may be time to contact a service person.

DON'T: Fix the problem yourself if you haven't done any repairs before. Just reading the manual is not an adequate substitute for professional training. Don't open up your machine right away and start messing with things. That can be extremely dangerous, you could damage your appliance and yourself severely if you don't know what you are doing. If you are unsure about the repair, call a technician to take a look at the machine.

DON'T: Try to create a temporary solution. Using duct tape and other odds and ends around the house to try and fix the problem can also result in serious injury. Homemade fixes can damage your appliance further and create safety risks too. So be sure to only use proper parts and tools when you are doing a do-it-yourself fix.

DO: Remember that your appliances need to be cleaned of lint, debris, and dirt at least once every six months. This preventative maintenance can help you from having the same problem with your appliance in the future.

DO: Call a professional technician and request emergency repair if you suspect a gas leak, or risk of a fire. If you think that you could be in any type of dangerous situation because of your appliance, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

If you can stick to these guidelines, it will help you keep your investment for a long time. I hope this post has helped you learn about some appliance repair do's and don'ts.

How a Dishwasher Works

This is a minorly lengthy read, but I hope this blog post will help you learn how your dishwasher works! Thanks for reading!
The first section of the dishwasher I will explain is the motor and pump. Your dishwasher probably has one motor which is attached to a pump. The pump forces water into the spray arms. During your dishwasher’s drain cycle it also pushes water out and into the drain. The motor is located behind a panel on the underside of the dishwasher. Some models have reversible motors and others do not. If your dishwasher has a reversible motor it is mounted vertically in the center of the bottom of the dishwasher, and the shaft is pointed up. The pump is attached on top of the motor, and also attached to the underside of the dishwasher. When the dishwasher pumps water into the spraying arm it runs one way, and while the pump is draining the motor runs the opposite way. If your motor runs only one way, it is mounted horizontally, the shaft is pointing sideways and it’s located near the middle of the bottom of the dishwasher. The top of the pump is also mounted underneath the dishwasher. When the motor rotates it pumps water to the spraying arms. Another mechanical arm activates to pump the water to the drain. There are two other older styles of motor systems which are no longer being made. One is a system which uses belts, and the other is a motor which is mounted vertically and uses a separate valve which is used for the drain cycle.

Next, I will explain the controls, switches, valves, and solenoids; a dishwasher has from three to six of those components. The timer is located behind the control panel at the top of the dishwasher or behind a lower panel. It can be either a mechanical device, or it could be fully electronic with a digital display. The timer runs the dishwasher in a set pattern; it also provides the electricity to different components at a specific time and for a set period of time. The selector switch lets you choose different wash cycles, drying cycles, temperature of the wash/rinse; this switch also tells the timer which cycle options to engage. The water inlet valve is located at the bottom right or left side of the dishwasher, behind the panel. This valve controls the water flow for the wash cycle. The hot water supply and a tube attached to a side of the dishwasher is what this valve is connected to. When the timer sends electricity to the water inlet valve it will open up and let water into the dishwasher. The valve stops when the timer stops sending electricity to it, or the float switch is tripped. Now the float switch is a safety mechanism to keep your dishwasher from over filling. When the water level in your dishwasher rises, so does the float; when it gets to a certain height it will activate a switch which cuts the electricity to the water valve. The soap and rinse aid dispenser work the same way, when the timer says it is time for the soap or rinse aid to be released into the dishwasher it sends electricity to a switch which opens up the dispenser. The thermostat protects the dishes, dishwasher, and you by turning off the heat element that warms the water or air in the dishwasher. The thermostat will reset automatically when the temperature falls to a cooler temperature. The door switch shuts off the dishwasher if the door is open. The drying fan is beneath the dishwasher, and it blows heated air into the dishwasher to dry your dishes. The heating element heats the wash and rinse water to the correct temperature. It also helps in drying the dishes. Also, some models of dishwashers have an extra heat element to warm the air blown into the dishwashers for drying purposes.
Next, of course, is the inside of the dishwasher. The inside of the dishwasher is where the dirty dishes go. It contains the racks, spray arms, the mechanism that sprays water at your dishes, top part of the pump assembly, and water filter.

Frequently Asked Refrigerator Questions

Here are some of the most commonly asked questons about refrigerator problems, and answers.
The first question is: Why is my refrigerator not cold enough? Answer: Here are some simple, quick things to check for. Are the lights turning off when your refrigerator door is closed? Are the fridge and freezer doors closing all the way so the gaskets seal? Is the freezer fan running? Is the condenser fan running? Do your condenser coils need a good cleaning? You can check if your fridge light is turning off by standing in front of your refrigerator and open the door quickly, you will be able to see the light turn on then. To check the gaskets, shut a piece of paper in the door, and try to slide it out. If it doesn’t pull out then your door gaskets should be fine. To check if the fans are running, just listen to the machine and you can hear them run.

The next frequently asked refrigerator question is: My refrigerator is leaking water inside underneath the crispers, where is it coming from? Answer: Usually this is the defrost water that is leaking into your fridge. Once a day the fridge turns off and the defrost heater in the freezer melts the frost, turning it to water. If the defrost drain is clogged with bits of food or other debris, the water is unable to reach the drain and that is when it spills out into the refrigerator and pools underneath the crisper bins. If your refrigerator has an icemaker, inspect the icemaker to make sure that the fill tube is not leaking.

Another frequently asked refrigerator question is: why does my refrigerator feel warm on the front? Answer: Older refrigerators have heaters on the edge of the cabinet to prevent moisture build up, especially in the summer. These heaters had an on/off switch so you could turn it on in humid weather. In newer style refrigerators, the manufacturers had to stop using the electric heaters. So they decided to run condenser tubing on the edges of the cabinet where the heaters used to be. If you feel the fridge getting warm on the opening of the door you should first clean your condenser coils; if they are dirty that can cause the tubing to be warmer than normal. Check and clean the condenser fan; if the fan motor is too slow it can get very hot to the touch. If your condenser coils are clean and the condenser fan motor is running, check the temperatures of the fresh food and freezer section. If the refrigerator is not operating well and the temperatures are warmer than normal inside of your refrigerator that can cause you to feel more warmth than normal.
Thanks for reading!

How to Troubleshoot a Gas Dryer – Part One

Here is the first part of a two post series on how to troubleshoot your gas dryer. Happy reading!

If you are having problems with your gas dryer, here is a handy guide on how to troubleshoot your gas dryer, and get it in working order again. Remember that before you do any repairs on your appliances, to disconnect it from the power source. If you don’t do that, then you could risk serious damages to yourself and your dryer. Here are the problems that I will cover the problems and solutions to in this article: dryer doesn’t work at all, there’s no heat, and if your dryer dries too slow.
If your gas dryer does not work at all you can check the power coming from your house, the door switch, timer, and thermal fuse. To check if there is power, first see if your dryer is plugged in. (Yes, it might sound stupid, but it happens more often than you’d think!) Does the power outlet where the dryer is plugged in work? To test that, plug a lamp or something else in the outlet and see if it works. Also, check the circuit breaker and see if something has tripped a circuit or blown a fuse. If your door switch is faulty, then that could be a reason why your gas dryer doesn’t work at all. Your door switch is located inside the dryer main housing next to the door frame. If the part tests out bad, then you should replace it. Next, you can check the timer to see if that is the problem, basically if there are open contacts in the timer it won’t work. Lastly, you can check the thermal fuse. The fuse is actually a safety precaution measure in the dryer; it will blow if your dryer overheats. This fuse is located on the exhaust duct inside the back cover panel. If your fuse has blown, and you test it with ah ohm meter, it won’t have continuity. If this is what is causing your dryer to not work at all, you will need to replace the fuse because it cannot be reset.
If your dryer is not heating, you can check the igniter, gas valve coils, and the thermal fuse. Most gas dryers use an electronic type of igniter to ignite the gas coming in from the gas valve. If it glows a bright orange, it is working properly. When your igniter burns out, the dryer will still tumble your clothes, but there won’t be heat because the gas cannot ignite. If your igniter is burned out you will need to replace it. The igniter is located inside the dryer housing, near the front and towards the bottom. The igniter is usually in a metal cone shaped tube. It’s mounted to the far end of the burner tube and it should have some wires attached to it, or to the tension bracket. The next thing you can test are the gas valve coils. The first thing to watch for is the igniter, if it glows orange and then shuts off without igniting the gas, then there may be some faulty coils on your gas valve. When these coils get energized, they open the gas valve. If they are faulty then the valve won’t open and the gas can’t ignite. If this is the case with your dryer, it’s best to replace all of the coils at the same time. To check the thermal fuse, you can follow the exact instructions I stated in the previous paragraph.
If your dryer takes too long to dry your clothes you can check the vent, the flame sensor/gas valve, internal ductwork, and the cycling thermostat. Most of the time there is some sort of clog inside the venting that goes from your dryer to outside of the house. For a dryer to heat up, the duct has to be clear of any sort of clog or lint. To clean this out, you can use a vacuum. Also, vent cleaning should be done at least once a year, if you do laundry often. Next, you can check the flame sensor/gas valve. The flame sensor is next to the igniter. The gas may shut off before the cycle is finished if the flame sensor is defective. Sometimes one of the electrical coils on the gas valve fails. If this happens, the flame will shut off before your thermostat can send a signal, which will make the drying time a lot longer. If the sensor or the coils are the problem, replace them. If your dryer’s internal ductwork gets clogged, it won’t be able to run correctly. Most of the time you will need to disassemble your dryer to reach the ductwork, to clean out the clog. You can check this quickly by sliding out your lint filter, and use a flashlight to look inside the duct. If you see a buildup of lint, you should clean it out with a vacuum. However, if you can’t remove the clog with a vacuum, you might call a serviceman to do that for you. The cycling thermostat is not a common reason why your dryer would take a long time to dry clothes, however it does happen sometimes. If this thermostat breaks, it can cause your dryer to heat improperly. You should replace it if it is faulty.
In summary, if this guide did not help you fix your problem, you should contact an appliance technician to repair it. However, I hope this article was handy in giving you some information on how to troubleshoot your gas dryer in the future. In my next article I will help troubleshoot some more common gas dryer problems.

How to Troubleshoot Your Gas Dryer – Part Two

Here is part two of how to troubleshoot your gas dryer, this is a continuation of another article about this subject.
In part two of how to troubleshoot your gas dryer I will address these common gas dryer problems: your dryer won’t tumble, if your dryer seems to run forever, if your dryer is noisy, and if the light doesn’t work. Read on and I’ll explain how to troubleshoot and fix these gas dryer problems.
If your dryer won’t tumble, you can check these three things: the belt, the motor, and the door switch. Dryers have a belt that turns the clothes drum that is called the drive belt. If this belt breaks the drum will stop turning. If this is why your dryer won’t tumble, then you should replace the belt and also the idler pulley because they tend to break at around the same time. Here is how to test your motor: if the motor only hums when you push the start button, your motor could be burned out. First remove the dryer belt, then check for any obstructions in the blower fan housing, and then manually rotate the motor shaft. If you cannot rotate it, or if it is very stiff, and the blower fan is clear of any obstructions then you will need to replace your motor. If your motor will turn freely, then run the motor with the belt removed and the blower still in place. If the motor runs with the belt removed, there could be a problem with the pulley or your dryer drum. Try to turn the drum by hand. If it’s hard to move, try to fix any problem with the rollers, pulley, rear bearing, or the front glides, put your dryer back together and try it again. If the motor hums but it doesn’t turn with the belt removed (but you can still move it by hand) you will usually need to replace your motor or the motor start capacitor. Your dryer will not start at all if you have a faulty door switch. This switch is located inside of the dryer’s main housing next to the door frame. If this switch is defective you will need to replace it.
Here’s how to troubleshoot your gas dryer if it seems to run forever. This could because of a clogged dryer vent or internal ductwork. Your dryer might have an automatic cycle which turns the dryer off once your clothes are dry. It does that with a special type of thermostat, or a moisture sensor system. Here is what should be happening during the automatic cycle: the thermostat will tell your dryer to heat up until the dryer reaches a preset temperature. When the dryer reaches that temperature, the thermostat then tells the timer to begin advancing. If you have a moisture sensor system then the timer will advance once it senses the moisture content of the clothes is low enough. The timer will run until the inside of the dryer is cool, and then the thermostat tells the timer to stop and tells the dryer to heat up again. This cycle should continue until the clothes are dry. If your vent is clogged the dryer might not be able to reach that preset temperature. No signal is sent to the timer, and your dryer will run forever, even if your clothes are dry. To fix this problem you will need to clean out the venting and ductwork with a vacuum.
If your gas dryer is noisy, here is what you can check: the rollers, idler pulley, glides, rear drum bearing, and blower wheel. Most dryers use rollers to support the drum, when these rollers wear out they can be noisy. Replace these as a set if that is the case. The idler pulley keeps tension on the drive belt, and when it wears out it can get noisy as well; replace it if it’s worn out. Plastic glides or nylon glides are located at the front of the clothes drum, they are used for support. If these are worn out, they can make noise and again, you should replace them. Some dryers use a rear center spindle instead of rollers for drum support. The spindle can either be a ball and socket or a shaft through a sleeve type. When these get old and worn out they can create quite a racket; replace them if that is why your dryer is making noise. Lastly, check the blower wheel. The blower wheel pulls air over the heat source, through the drum, and past the thermostats, and then it goes out the duct. If this is noisy, it could be clogged with lint. Clean out the blower and see if it is still noisy; if it is, replace it.
If your dryer light won’t work here’s what to do. If your dryer has a light on the inside, it probably is just a standard 40-watt appliance bulb. Make sure to double check with your owners manual though. If the light bulb is good, but the light will not come on, check your door switch. When the door is closed the door switch turns off the light and then allows the dryer to start. When the door is open, it turns the light on and it prevents the dryer from starting.
In summary, I hope part two of this article helped show how to troubleshoot your gas dryer. Keep this guide for troubleshooting your gas dryer handy, in case you come across a problem with your dryer in the future.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Common Refrigerator Problems

Greetings! Here is a new post about troubleshooting and how to fix some of the most common refrigerator problems. I hope this helps!

When one of your household appliances goes on the fritz, the first step you’ll need to take is to find the root of the problem, and then of course you’ll need to find out how to fix it. I doubt that anytime your appliance has an issue, you would run out to the nearest appliance dealer and purchase a brand new one. In this article I will explain some of the more common refrigerator problems, and how to troubleshoot and fix them. This guide will be generic because most of the refrigerators today are pretty similar. If you get stuck or have an issue with the refrigerant, it’s probably a good idea to just call a service technician instead of trying to do it yourself. Remember though; always unplug your appliance from the power outlet before you do any repairs, doing so could save your life and your appliance. So just read on, and I’ll go through how to troubleshoot and fix some common refrigerator problems.
My compressor doesn’t seem to be running and the light won’t come on. Solution: is there power coming to your fridge? Make sure the fridge is plugged in, and check your circuit breaker to see if it has tripped a circuit. Is the cord damaged, frayed, or loose? If your refrigerator’s power cord is damaged in any way, you should replace it.
The refrigerator light comes on, but the unit doesn’t run. Solution: is your temperature control knob turned down low, or turned off? You should adjust the knob. Is your compressor overheating? You should clean off your refrigerator’s condenser coils. You can use a vacuum or a specially designed coil brush to do this. Tip: you should be cleaning your refrigerator’s coils at least once a year, and if you have pets you should be cleaning them at least three times per year. Is your compressor defective? Call your local service technician to order a new one; it will need a charge of refrigerant. Is the condenser fan faulty? Replace it. How about your temperature control or defrost timer? You can test both of those parts with an ohm meter, if they test badly, you should replace those parts.
Does your refrigerator get too cold, or does it not cool properly? If it gets too cold you can check the temperature control knob first, is it turned up too high? Adjust that. Is your temperature controller faulty? You can test this part, if it is bad you should replace it. If your refrigerator doesn’t cool properly you can again, check the temperature control knob and adjust it accordingly. If you think there might be a refrigerant leak you should call out a service technician. Is your refrigerator door closing all the way? You can inspect the door seal itself for any cracks or tears; if it looks old and worn you should replace the seals. You can also raise or lower the front leveling legs so it closes properly. If your coils are dirty you should clean them, this can cause your fridge to cool improperly. Test your evaporator fan; if it is faulty then you should replace it. Is your evaporator full of ice? First, defrost your refrigerator, then check the defrost timer, the defrost limiter switch, and the defrost heater with your ohm meter.
In summary, the refrigerator is for the most part, a very simple appliance. Many of these common issues can be fixed by anyone with some basic handyman skills and a few tools. If these solutions have not helped fix your problem, it is probably a good idea to call up a service technician. But hopefully this guide has helped you troubleshoot and fix a common refrigerator problem.

Thank you for reading!!

New Parts Return/Warranty Form

Hello Readers, here's a quick update for you.
If you are having a problem with a part that you ordered, we now have a form on our website http://www.balcum.com - under the customer service tab.
Fill out that form completely, and submit it to our customer service guy. He will respond as soon as he can, and take care of your issue. Remember to please give us the full model number of your appliance, otherwise it will take longer to process a return, refund, or replacement part.
So if you have any questions about our new form, please give us a call at (715) 392-4808 or e-mail us at help@balcum.com
Thank you! :)