Model #GVW9959KL2, this top load high efficiency washer would not finish the wash cycle and water would remain inside the tub. The customer tried to start the cycle again several times, but this only resulted in more water in the tub. After wringing out a load of wet clothes, it was time to call for service.



This particular washer may have been a little ahead of its time, as it was an early attempt at producing a high efficiency(read low water use)washing machine for the American market. Front load washers had been out for some time, but some consumers were having a difficult time making the change and the Calypso seemed to offer the best of both worlds. Top load convenience with now water usage.

The Calypso featured an agitator plate in place of a traditional center agitator to wash the clothes. Very little water was used in the cleaning process as the clothes were basically tossed through what little water there was. There are plenty of opinions on this particular washer from great to awful. Personally, I have found many of them have worked well in the right environment, while others didn't hold up for very long.

When I arrived at this call, I already had a pretty good idea of where the problem was given the description by the customer. Large amounts of water visible in the tub is a sure indication of water not draining. The the continuous starting of the cycle will only add more. The drain pumps were redesigned on these models several years ago to help deal with this problem.

Typically this problem will be accompanied by an error message such as 'LD' or long drain. This washer didn't have a working LED display so the customer was unaware of any problem the machine may have been displaying. But once I put the washer into a diagnostic cycle to test the drain motor, it was obvious from the lack of water flowing that something was in the way.

Access to the pump and motor are from underneath the washer, which can be difficult if it is full of water. But once the bottom panel was removed, I was able to begin draining water from the tub by removing one of the water lines to the drain pump. Be aware, any water in the tub will quickly be on the floor once these lines are removed so plan accordingly. With all the water out, I could remove the pump cover and that is where I found the blockage.

The good thing here was once I freed the pump impeller, a quick test in diagnostics showed it was still working fine so no dame was done. I put each of the hoses and clamps back in place before performing a live test with water. The washer filled and drained as expected and no water leak could be seen. The customer was able to get going again on the laundry, which was occupying most of the laundry room.

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Model #FLSC238DB2,this side by side refrigerator seemed to be cooling properly and doing everything else the customer expected, except it was doing it while making excessive noise. The sound would come and go and was difficult to localize because of how the refrigerator was mounted inside an enclosure. Not a pressing problem, but the somewhat constant noise was making it difficult to be anywhere near the kitchen.



Noise problems can be the result of a common problem, but all to often, then are simply a component making noise. Not that that makes the failure any less likely, but when it comes to looking for the problem, the solution can usually be found simply be getting your ears involved.

Squeaks, clicks, pops and any other random noises are things that can and will occur at some point in an appliance. As the mechanical parts begin to show their age and are continuously subjected to temperature changes, dust and dirt, along with their daily workouts, little sounds begin to appear. Sometimes these noises are quiet and intermittent, while other times they can be heard from the other end of the home. Either way, they need to be looked into because little noises are usually the precursor to something louder in the future.

When I arrived at this call, the customer commented that the noise had stopped shortly after our conversation and really didn't know what to make of it. I figured the noise was due to one of the fan motors and since the compressor was off when I arrived, the fans were to. By selecting a lower temperature to force the compressor and fans on, I was able to quickly recreate the noise and more importantly, pinpoint its source.

The noise was from the back of the refrigerator and most likely from the condenser fan. This fan and motor are used to draw air across the refrigeration condensing coils and the compressor itself to aid in the refrigeration process. If this fan is not moving air properly, the results can range from an excessively warm door liner, to poor cooling, or even failure of the compressor itself.

With the rear cover removed, I could hear the sound clearly as the fan blades rotated, but it didn't become obvious what the problem was until I stopped the motor to have a look. Two of the blades had cracked at the hub allowing them to flex outward and contacting the fan shroud while in use. I replaced the fan with a new one with five working blades. The sound difference between the two was like night and day. The customer was happy to have the refrigerator repaired and working quietly again.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Thermador® Built-In Ovens

Units: About 37,000 (42,000 built-in ovens were previously recalled in June 2007)

Manufacturer: BSH Home Appliances Corp., of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Hazard: The ovens can have gaps in the insulation where overheating can occur and when used in the self-cleaning mode it can cause nearby cabinets to catch fire. This poses a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: BSH Home Appliances has received three additional reports of incidents, including two that resulted in fires that damaged surrounding cabinets. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall involves Thermador Brand built-in double ovens with model numbers C272B, C302B, SEC272, SEC302, SECD272 and SECD302 and serial numbers between FD8403 through FD8701. Model and serial numbers are located on the underside of the control panel.

Sold at: Appliance and specialty stores nationwide from June 2004 through July 2007 for between $3,000 and $4,400.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the oven’s self-cleaning mode and contact the firm to schedule an inspection and free repair, if necessary.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Thermador at (800) 701-5230 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.thermador.com

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Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Model #GLTF1670AS0, I received a call from this customer the other day asking if I wanted to take a look at her front load washer. The catch was, she had already had a service company working on it and after several visits and parts later, they finally gave up leaving her looking again for a fix. Always enjoying a challenge, I made an appointment to visit here the very next day.



When I arrived, the washer was as it was left, in pieces, which is one of my pet peeves as a technician. Allow me to rant for a moment. If you take something apart while in the customers home, put it back together as you found it. I know many techs will say, "but I will need to take it apart again when I come back". I don't care. Leaving anything in pieces makes it much more easy for parts to become misplaced, it's usually in the customers way, and it simply looks unprofessional. Enough said.

Once I put the machine back together, I started my troubleshooting process by verifying the failure. A piece of advice, never start troubleshooting where someone else left off. Start over at the beginning or risk wandering down the same merry path they did.

Sure enough, the washer did nothing. No lights, no sound, but there was power to the unit as verified with the help of my trusty multimeter. And while it was still in my hand, I began tracing wires in and out of the timer following the wiring diagram to see where the circuit may be open. About 2 minutes into this process the door locked, and the water began to flow.

What I had stumbled upon was a loose connector. Either through dumb luck, or well practiced skill (I pick that one) I had found the wire leading from the timer to the door lock was not making contact. Thus the door was not locking and without the door locked, this washer wasn't going to do anything else.

Now what caused this problem is a mystery since the previous tech did change the timer, which would require unplugging and then replugging in this connector, but my guess is over the years of vibration from washes, the contacts become loose and intermittently began to fail. Then once the timer was changed, the contact probably expanded enough to fail all together.

The good news for the customer was it turned out to be a simple fix, and she was able to get going on that pile of laundry that had accumulated. The bad news for the customer is she lost some money to the other service company, and the delay created a pile of laundry.

I often times like to sum up things by pointing out there is a moral to most stories. Even mine. The original technician never really started troubleshooting the problem, but instead started by changing logical parts. This is a bad habit every (yes every) technician gets into when pressed for time, and really doesn't want to take the extra few minutes to verify their assumption.

You see, we technicians encounter many problems and it doesn't take to long before you have seen the same problems over and over again. So instead of troubleshooting each repair, it's easier and quicker to assume the failure is the same as the last 10 of these we visited. But my motto has been to always verify the failure, because it is much better to leaver the customer knowing you are ordering the right part to resolve the problem, then to HOPE you are ordering the right part.

If you are hoping to fix a broken appliance, it may be time to rethink your career, or as a consumer, time to hire a professional. I prefer to know I am going to fix a broken appliance. Always follow a good trouble shooting process, even it is going to take a few minutes more. The time you save in the long run will be yours to keep.

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Model #SVE47100W, this slide in downdraft range had been working normally, but while recently cooking dinner, lasagna to be exact, a fire started inside the oven and after that, it would no longer heat. The broil element was still working which is a good indication the unit still has both electrical circuits functioning. A pretty simple problem to repair, and not much to diagnosing.



Electric ovens, ranges, and cooktops, all use two 120 volt AC circuits to provide the needed current to get the elements hot enough to do their job. At the wall or appliance connection, these two circuits are generally referred to as a single 240 volt AC connection. Just like any other electrical connection, a complete circuit must be made for current to flow. On a normal 120 volt AC circuit, this would consist of the hot lead and the neutral. Because the 240 volt AC connection has two circuits, and a neutral line, components that only require 120 volts AC to operate can use either of these leads and the neutral, while both leads together are used for the heating circuit.

The reason for this explanation is any of these 240 volt AC appliances will still have functioning components such as the oven light, control panel and even convection fans even if one of the circuits has failed. The general rule for trouble shooting is if none of the heating elements is functional, start with the circuit breaker and find out where the circuit is dead. If only one of the elements isn't working, start with the element itself.

Because everything was working on this range, except for the bake element which had caught fire, the reason for the lack of heat was obvious. This element had failed opening the electrical circuit. The resulting fire was probably more for show than anything else.

The important thing to remember when servicing elements is to turn off the power to the oven. Older models, such as this Jenn Air will have voltage going to the element at all times. So if you remove the screws and attempt to pull the element connectors and wires forward to change the element, a shocking surprise may be in store for you.

Once the power was off and the element terminals accessible, I used my meter to verify the condition of the element, which measured as an open circuit to no real surprise. I installed a new element making sure the terminal connectors were tight and not likely to slide off. Put it all back together and with power again to the unit, the new bake element heated just like before.

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