Dishwasher Float Switch

Our Western Appliance Repair technicians run into a lot of unusual appliance service calls.  Here in this picture you will see a small mushroom looking object in the lower right side of the picture.  This device is float switch sensor, also called an overflow sensor.

Most dishwashers will fill with water for a programmed duration.  This duration is not failsafe though.  Many homes have higher water pressure as compared to others.  Higher pressure will lead to more water in the tub. How do the designers compensate for this?  Use a float sensor. In homes with high water pressure the float sensor will shut off the water before the programmed duration is completed if the water rises to a specified point.  If the dishwasher has low water pressure then the programmed water fill duration will shut off the inlet valve when duration is complete.

This floating piece of plastic has a shaft on the bottom of it which triggers a shutoff switch if water gets too high.  Sometimes these float sensors will get stuck in the “up” position and won’t allow water to enter the dishwasher at all.

Frigidaire Dryer Heater

This is what a heater element looks like in a Frigidaire dryer stack unit.  When I say stacked I mean a dryer that is stacked on top of the washer.  In this instance the dryer is actually part of the unit, but I still call it a stack.  Anyway, this heater element has seen better days.  It’s very burned towards the very top of the pan which suggests there may be an air restriction in the system.  When air is restricted the heater element will burn hotter and in this type of heater, the heat usually burns hotter towards the top.

As you can see, the coils near the top of the “pan” are broken.  I was unsure of it was broken because of excessive heat but I found out later that the customer had tried to take this apart with the power ON.  Yes, there were sparks and flames I was toldJ.  So, this may have been the cause of the breaks however, the original problem was a dryer without heat.

Well, in a nutshell, the dryer heater element was bad and we had this repaired in no time.  This stack unit cost about 1300.00 new so a two hundred dollar repair was well worth the money.

Rich

Western Appliance Repair of Meridian Idaho
Meridian Idaho 83642

Oven Repair in Meridian - Mouse in the house

Mouse in the House

Field mice can reach on appliances once they have entered a home.  I’ve seen a lot of damage over the years by these pesky critters.

Mice will chew a hole in the back access panel of a refrigerator and make themselves a nest.   Eventually some of them take a wrong turn and run right into a spinning fan blade. The mouse body gets wedged between the fan blade and the sheet-metal housing.  This will stop the fan completely and the refrigerator compressor overheats.  I had two of these repair calls in Meridian  Idaho in  one week.  Unbelievable!

In this picture it shows what a mouse can do when it gets into the insulation of a stove.  The mouse droppings will get warmed up when a homeowner turns on the stove and cause a very wretched smell.  The smell may be eliminated once the affected insulation can be removed and/or cleaned.  Many home-owners decide to buy new appliances.

Oven heating element failure

One big reason for premature failure of a oven bake or broil element is contamination of oils or greasy residue that can accumulate on the red-hot heating coils.  Types of contamination is grease that splatters or drips from cooking food such as fried chicken.  When the grease gets hot during  the bake or broil process, it can become unstable and drip on the element thus creating a hot spot that burns hotter then the rest of the element and weakens the insulation of the element material. If the grease spot is real bad or if this happens repeatedly it can cause a rupture and a small explosion.  Most customers describe this event as a flash fire in the oven or a arc-welding type of event.  Many times the 240V circuit breaker will trip and will need to be reset.
If this happens to you, disconnect power to your appliance and call a repairman.  If you would like to attempt the appliance repair yourself then turn off all power to the appliance before doing anything.  Inspect the element carefully using a flashlight.  If the element is similar looking the the picture above then replace the element.

Rich
Appliance Repair in Meridian Idaho

Maytag Neptune Washing Machine Problem

This is a picture of a very reliable and top-end front-load Maytag Neptune washing machine.  This washer, once the cycle is started, will not lock the door when it is suppose to.  When the door is locked the front panel light should illuminate.  In this case it is not happening.  The first thing we want to look for on this board is the R11 resistor on the front of the main control board.  Remove the screws from the back panel and gently remove the access panel.  The main control board will be attached to the back panel.  You will have easy access.  Inspect the front of this board very carefully and look for any burn marks.  Sometimes the burned components will give off a bad smell.  If you find that the board is burned, the board will need to be replace.  Please note: the wax motor, which controls the door lock, will also need to be replaced at the same time.
Western Appliance Repair
208-599-1086

Don't run a oven self-clean before Holiday

Folks, it's very common for people want a clean oven for holiday meals especially when you have visitors.  My advice- don't run a self-clean.  Clean the oven with a good quality spray cleaner instead.  If a malfunction occurs in the oven controls or thermostats during a self-clean you may be without a oven until help arrives after the Holiday. These problems are not uncommon since the stress on the oven and components are great when the oven reaches 900F .  If you really need to do a self-clean, my advice is to wait until after the holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving folks!    208-599-1086.  http://www.appliancerepairmeridian.com. 

Dishwasher dispenser indicates problem

When we see this kind is soap buildup it suggests a problem with water circulation.  A healthy dishwasher will wash away any residual detergent and leave the dispenser clean after each wash.