FreeLists / homeclinic / [homeclinic] Homeclinic Friends, Here's Your DRSNews!

[Dave Harnish <drs@xxxxxxxxxx>]

The DRS News
November 2002

Hello Homeclinic Friends,

Welcome to your current issue of the DRSNews!
This newsletter is sent once each month, and by request ONLY. 
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I sincerely hope these notes will be of value to you by supplying useful 
appliance information, DIY tips, an occasional encouraging word, and 
maybe even a smile from time to time.  I've wanted to do something like 
this for our friends for many years, and am thrilled to finally have the 
opportunity!  Thanks for subscribing!  
    - Dave Harnish, Dave's Repair Service, New Albany, PA

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In this issue:

1)  How to Test your Microwave Oven's Wattage
2)  The 'No-Heat' Dryer
3)  The 'Busyness Demon' (longer article, but a great read)

1)  Ever wonder if your '700 watt' microwave's actually cooking 
anywhere near its rating?  Does it seem slower these days
than when you bought it?

Here's a quick & easy way to find out what's taking place 
in there:

Fill a Microwave-safe container with 1 carefully measured liter 
of water, preferably at 70F or higher, and measure its temperature 
(Fahrenheit) as accurately as possible.  Write that temp. down, 
and place the container in the MW.  Set the timer for 2:03, and 
hit start.  

Carefully measure the 'end' temperature and multiply the 
difference by 19.4.  The result is the approximate energy gain 
in watts.  (I know you're wondering about those 3 seconds - 
it takes about that long for the magnetron tube's filament to 
heat and start to 'fire', and we want exactly 2 minutes of heating)

Keep in mind that it's normal for a microwave to produce less 
energy as it ages (hmmm... sounds familiar somehow!), but 
your results should be within about 50-75 watts of the rating. 

2)  Here's a complaint we hear nearly every day this time of year: 
'My dryer runs, but doesn't heat.'  So I thought I'd share a few 
quick tips on the most common reasons for this.  To keep it brief, 
I'll deal only with electric dryers here, though some of this can be 
applied to your gas machine as well.

First, in many cases, the dryer actually IS heating, but there's just 
not enough airflow out the vent to take advantage of it, so the 
end result's the same as 'no heat'.  So first determine that there's 
a full flow of air out the vent.  I can't stress this enough - low 
airflow's the no. 1 cause of dryer problems, not to mention dryer 
fires.  Then check if there's any heat in the drum when running 
empty.

If there doesn't seem to be any heat at all, first check for 240V 
present at the dryer. I can tell you that many hours have been 
wasted over the years by not *doing this first*!  Neglecting this 
is probably THE most common mistake of the novice appliance 
tech. If you have a tester, meter, or 240V bulb, etc, just check it 
coming in to the dryer term block, and you will save some 
aggravation and possibly a service call.  If you have no way to test 
this, or you are at all uneasy about messing with 240V, just go to 
your breaker box and throw the dryer breaker off/on several times.  
(If your dryer is connected with fuses, replace both of them and try 
it again.)  Sometimes - just sometimes - resetting the breaker like 
this will restore 240V.  Especially in damp basements.

(On the handiest tool list: a 240V/10W bulb with leads/allig clips, 
carried in your pocket - a real timesaver - Grainger # 5V324 - far 
superior to neon testers)

How you proceed from here depends on your abilities, and I'm 
not able to get too involved in this short article.  I'd probably 
suggest calling a pro if you've proven 240V to the machine, 
there definitely is no heat, and there's plenty of air out the vent.  
I will say to those of you who are 'handy' - start at the heat source 
and work backwards.  If there's nothing obvious (burnt wiring, etc) 
attach that 240V bulb to the element leads, and fire the dryer up.  
Light = open element. No light = other problems (tstat, thermal 
fuses, etc).  Keep it simple.  It usually is.

3)  And Homeclinic Friends, I don't know if you're dealing with the American 
'hurried 
and harried' malady I call the 'Busyness Demon', but if you find yourself 
rebelling against it like I am, read on.

'Perhaps you've run across the following story of a father and son who took 
two different views toward the proper use of time.  They had the same last 
name and some similar physical characteristics, but other than that they 
were as different as the night is from the day.
They farmed a little piece of land, and a couple times a year they would set 
out with their wagon filled with vegetables for the market in a nearby city.  
The father set a modest pace leading the ox as the son sat fidgeting on the 
seat.
'Dad, we need to hurry so we can make it to town by tonight.  We've got to 
set up early enough to get the best prices.'
'Don't worry; son, we'll get there soon enough.' After an hour and a half of 
watching his father casually walking beside the beast, the younger man 
insisted on taking his turn at leading. The father laid down on the seat to 
take a nap as the son started poking the ox with a stick and harassing him 
to pick up his gait. The father peered out from under his hat at his impatient 
boy.
'Take your time son. You'll last longer.'
The determined boy just shook his head in disgust. He swatted the ox's 
back with a vengeance.
Several hours later the father sat up and stretched.
'Look son, my brother's house. Pull in so I can visit him. We live so close but 
see each other so little.'
'Father, we don't have the time!'
'What do you mean? All we have is time. That's why I want to use some of it 
talking to him.'
The two men visited and laughed while the son paced. After an hour the 
father and son were back on the road. The father was leading when they 
came to a fork in the road. He nudged the ox to the right.
'The path to the left is quicker!'
'But this way is prettier.'
'Have you no respect for time?'
'I certainly do. That's why I like to spend it looking at beautiful things.'
The young man pulled his hat down over his eyes, crossed his arms, sat 
back in the seat, and tapped his nervous foot against the harness. He was 
so busy fuming inside that he failed to see the beautiful garden of flowers 
that blanketed both sides of the path.
Toward dark the father pulled over the wagon and started to unharness the 
ox for the night. The son didn't hide his anger.
'This is the last time I make this trip with you! If we had followed my plan we 
would have been there by now. We could have been set up for tomorrow's 
buyers and been sold out by noon. You're more interested in flowers than in 
making money!'
'Why, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!'
With that statement the father found a comfortable spot to lie down and was 
quickly asleep.
At dawn the son had the ox harnessed and his sleepy father in the seat. 
After an hour or so they came on a man whose wagon was stuck in a ditch.
'Let's help him, son.'
'And lose more time!'
'Nonsense. You may be in a ditch someday.'
They helped the man out, and then started back on the path. It was about 
eight o'clock. Up ahead a flash of lightning crossed the sky; the thunder 
rolled off in the distance, and the skies turned black.
'Looks like the city is getting quite a storm.'
'If we had been there, we would have had enough of our produce sold by 
now to not have to worry about the storm.'
'Take your time, you'll last longer.'
It wasn't until late in the afternoon that they reached the bluff overlooking 
the city. They both stared down at it for a long time without speaking. Finally 
the son looked at the father.
'I see what you mean, Dad.'
And they both turned their cart around and walked away from what had 
once been the city of Hiroshima.

-- excerpted from 'Little House on the Freeway'
by Tim Kimmel

May God bless you and yours,

Dave Harnish 
Dave's Repair Service
New Albany, PA
drs@xxxxxxxxxx
(570)-363-2404

'When I try, I fail.  When I Trust, He Succeeds.'

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