The DRSNews July 2003 Many Thanks to our Veterans, who have paid so much to preserve our Freedom. We take neither it nor you for granted, and we salute you! Hello Homeclinic'ers, Welcome to the current issue of the DRSNews! This newsletter is sent once each month, and only by request. If you enjoy it, tell your friends about it. They can subscribe by simply emailing us : drs@xxxxxxxxxx with the subject 'SubscribeDRSN' & their first name in the text. You're subscribed as: homeclinic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this message. My goal is to supply you with useful appliance information, $-saving 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 Email: drs@xxxxxxxxxx Phone: 570-363-2404 *************************************** In this issue: 1) Use Your Digital Camera to Test Remote Controls 2) We've Finally Found Anti-Spam Software that Works! 3) Perils & Pitfalls of Prewashing Plates in Palmolive! 4) Kelvinator Brand Name to be Retired 1) If you're like me, you have 5 or 6 remotes that wander all around your living room. We're even seeing them used in major appliances, air conditioners being the most common. When one of them stops working, here's a simple way to tell whether it's sending any IR light to your TV, VCR, DVD, or cable box (or air conditioner). Just point it at a digital camera or camcorder, and if it's working, the light will show up in the viewfinder! Fast and easy! We purchased a small sensor a few years ago for this very purpose, but if we'd thought of this first, we could've saved some money. Try it - it works great! Evidently CCD's used in digicams are sensitive to IR, even though our eyes aren't. 2) We've been testing a brand new piece of software called Spam Terminator for a little over a month now, and I finally feel I can recommend it to you. You can download and try it free for 30 days, after which it costs $35/year, and it's well worth it! We receive, on average, about 150 emails/day, and about 75% of those are unwanted 'spam'. I've come to consider this package another necessity, right up there with good anti-virus software. This one's unique, and can run automatically. We still have it set so we can manually double-check our list of messages while still on our ISP's mail server, but even using it this way, it saves us a ton of time and hassle! Download your free copy and see what you think: http://BlockSpamNow.com/r/6998 3) Here's a 'heads-up' on what used to be an uncommon dishwasher problem. But I'm seeing more of lately, so I thought it worth mention. If you pre-rinse your dishes, be careful to leave no (high-sudsing) hand-wash detergent residue on them when loading them into your dishwasher. This is especially important with the newer, 'tall-tub' models, because they use less water than previous designs. That means any detergent left on your dishes becomes less diluted and will cause more problems than in older machines. An incredible amount of foam can develop inside a dishwasher from this small amount of residue, especially if your water is 'softened'. The suds will actually creep out the bottom of the door, and you'll think you're in an old 'B' horror movie! The solution is simply to use only water to pre-rinse dishes. 4) And now, a moment of silence... We learned recently that the old Kelvinator brand name is going the way of the Passenger Pigeon. Our nation's second oldest appliance brand in continuous use will soon be 'retired', according to sources at Electrolux (prev. Frigidaire). Kelvinator was the first name to appear on US electric refrigerators, in 1914, and the only brand in longer use is Hotpoint, first seen on electric irons in 1903. For the last couple of decades, Kelvinator equipment has been mechanically identical to Frigidaire, Gibson, Westinghouse, and Tappan products, and sales have been declining, so I can understand the logic behind the company's decision. But it's still a little sad to see it go... Homeclinic'ers, thanks for allowing me into your inbox again this month. I hope you enjoy reading this little project half as much as I enjoy writing it for you. What good friends we're making through this great medium! May the Lord bless you & yours, and may He continue to have mercy on America. Your friend, Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA drs@xxxxxxxxxx (570) 363-2404 *************************************** 'Freedom in America is wonderful. But freedom in Christ is far better!' - John 8:31-32 *************************************** Please Visit Our Sponsors: Get Out of Debt and Retire in 5-7 Years! www.RetireQuickly.com/26556 Get Your FREE REPORT Today The 'Silent Sales Machine' Hiding on Bay: (This WORKS, folks!!) http://hop.clickbank.net/?birdguy/silentsale *************************************** The DRSNews is sent by 'opt-in' request only. Your name and email address are held in strictest confidentiality and are never shared with anyone. To unsubscribe anytime, (no hard feelings!), click: mailto:drs@xxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribeDRSN Or send us a blank email: drs@xxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe DRSN' in the 'Subject' line (And hey, tell us why, OK? <grin>) ******************************************************************** To unsubscribe send 'unsubscribe homeclinic'in subject line to Ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx View the Archives at //freelists.org/archives/homeclinic ********************************************************************