[homeclinic] Re: Homeclinic'ers, Here's Your DRSNews!

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On Thu, 06 Nov 2003 19:53:02 -0600 Dave Harnish <drs@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


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From: Dave Harnish <drs@xxxxxxxxxx>
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Subject: [homeclinic] Homeclinic'ers, Here's Your DRSNews!
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The DRSNews
November 2003
By Subscription Only
Published by Dave's Repair Service, all rights reserved

You are currently subscribed with email address:
==> homeclinic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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***************************************

Hi Homeclinic'ers!

In this issue:

1) 'Who Turned Off the Lights?' - Appliances and Electronics
2) Why Your Electric Dryer Runs When There's No 240V 
3) Cleaning Long Dryer Vents - Fast and Easy!

Before we get into the 'main' topics this month, I want to quickly 
add to last month's tip about lubricating retracting cord reels with 
car wax. Thanks to Earl Proulx for pointing out that wax also 
shines (sorry!) at lubing tape measures - he's right! Just clean it 
well, apply a light film of wax, let it dry, wipe it off, and that old tape 
will 'go home' like it's supposed to.

1) We encountered yet another thawing upright freezer-full of meat 
after a power outage this week, and I thought I'd better give you 
a heads-up on this one.  In this case the owner had run his home 
generator, then noticed the dead freezer the following day, so it 
may have been caused by 'dirty' generator electricity.

If you have one of the upright freezers with LED indicators and a 
temperature alarm in the door handle area, keep a close watch on 
it if your lights flicker or the power has been off. These are 
marketed primarily through Sears, but are manufactured by 
Frigidaire, and I assume models carrying both names are 
susceptible to this.

A microprocessor cycles these units' compressors via a relay on 
a controller circuit board, and again I have to ask, uh, WHY? For 
the life of me I can't understand why manufacturers are determined 
to complicate the simplest of appliances this way. My first thought 
was that it must be cheaper than a simple, conventional thermostat. 
But now there's a thermistor, potentiometer, and processor board 
used, along with a lot more wiring and a 9 volt battery alarm system, 
so I'm not sure cost is the motivation. If any of you have any ideas 
about this, I'd love to hear 'em - it's getting a little crazy out there!

Anyway (OK, I'm settled back down now), if you have one of these 
and the power comes back on but the freezer doesn't, first try 
unplugging it for several minutes. I've been able to reset the 
processor this way in a couple of instances, and it just might get you 
up and running. If that doesn't work, remove the 9 volt battery for a 
few minutes and reinstall. I haven't had as much success with this, 
but it's worth a try. Thirdly - and I haven't seen all the models in 
question, but this applies to those I have - there's a tiny reset 
button hidden on the circuit board. This can be carefully pushed with 
a small non-metallic pin, toothpick, etc. Those we've seen have a small 
hole in the pcboard's metal case, over the reset switch, for just this 
purpose. It's not easy to find, as the pcboard is mounted inside a 
metal case on the compressor compartment ceiling.  Use a small 
mirror to locate this. If it won't reset, call in a pro.  If it should need 
a controller, a tech could temporarily wire it to keep your food 
frozen while the board is ordered.

But in every case so far, one of the above methods has succeeded 
in restarting the freezer.

If any of you other techs have experienced this problem, we'd love to 
hear from you and 'compare notes'.

While we're on the subject of appliances and electronics (and it's 
getting to be a major subject), I'd caution you about running your 
freezer, refrigerator, or any other motorized equipment you depend 
on heavily, on a GFI receptacle. These can 'nuisance trip', especially 
out here in the country where power isn't all that 'clean'. We've seen 
more than one freezer-full of beef lost to this little 'glitch', and that gets 
expensive! Many freezers aren't accessed every day, and 
by the time you discover this has happened, it may be way too late!

2) We've written a lot on the subject of the 'no-heat' dryer before, 
but I've neglected to mention something that we get questions about. 
I don't see this as much these days when most of our electrical 
systems use circuit breakers rather than fuses, but it still happens. 

If there's no 240V supply to an electric dryer, there'll be no heat but 
the motor can still run, and this can be confusing. The simple reason 
is that the motor operates on only 120V, which can still be present 
even when one 'leg' of the 240V goes down. Hope that clears up the 
confusion a bit. Sorry I wasn't clear on this in previous articles.

3) Here's a quick way to clean that long dryer vent system, again 
using 'Clyde' the ol' wet-vac. We carry a 30-foot central vac hose in 
the truck, and it's very handy for cleaning these ducts from the 
outside of the house. If your vent hood is the louvered type, it's a 
breeze. Just pop the louvers off by bending them slightly, and run 
that long hose in with Clyde and the dryer both running. This will 
do a thorough job in very little time.

If you have a central vac system installed in your house, you already 
have the hose. If you can connect it to the wet-vac hose temporarily, 
it'll work great. Just take care with the hose ends, and don't use the 
central vac itself for this job. This can move a pile of lint, and the 
place for a clog is NOT inside your wall!

By the way, if your long exhaust system is run in flexible plastic, 
please replace it with 4 inch smooth wall aluminum as soon as 
possible. You'll save electricity in the long haul, and you and I will 
both sleep better.

***

Thanks again, Homeclinic'ers, for allowing me into your inbox 
this month. I hope you benefit from this little project half as 
much as I enjoy writing it for you.  What great friends we're 
making through this cool medium! Thanks for all your 
encouragement - I really appreciate it!

May the Lord richly bless you & yours, and 
may He continue to have Mercy on America.

Sincerely,

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

'One conversation across a table from a wise man 
is worth a month's study of books.'


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[homeclinic] Re: Homeclinic'ers, Here's Your DRSNews!

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