Yep – that’s a Freon leak! Replaced the rotten line and the customer is back in business with a cold fridge.
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Bottom Mount Whirlpool Fridge Leaking Water
If your Maytag or Whirlpool bottom mount fridge is leaking water, it might have a blocked drain in the freezer section. The symptoms typically are periodic water on the floor in front of the fridge and a sheet of ice in the bottom of the freezer. The way the defrost system works is: every 6 to 8 hours we turn on a heating element in the freezer section to melt any frost build up on the evaporator. This water drips down into a trough and then drains via a tube to the drain pan in the bottom of the fridge where it evaporates away. When that tube gets blocked, the water backs up into the trough in the freezer eventually spilling down into the bottom of the freezer where it freezes.
There is only one way to repair this problem properly so that the problem does not come back … just defrosting the unit is not a perminment repair (just a hint to those companies that I’ve been following around these days.)
What usually happens is something gets caught in the grommet which is attached to the bottom of the drain tube. (The grommet is the soft black rubber ‘duck bill’ valve that is slipped on to the bottom of he drain tube that prevents warm air from migrating into the freezer – more on this later.) The blockage could be a gummed up spill (like milk), a pea, bits of bread crumbs or anything else that could be carried into the drain. What I’m finding a lot of is bits of insulation from the manufacturing process ending up in that grommet. This blockage holds water that begins to freeze and eventually creates a dam and complelely blocks off the drain … and then you end up with water on the floor.
Here is a picture of a big chuck of insulation that was caught in the ice that was build up in the drain trough.
Chunk of insulation in drain trough.
Here are more bits of insulation in the drain trough. These bits flow into the drain tube and are caught by the grommet eventually blocking it up.
More bits of insulation in the drain trough.
This is what the grommet looks like with bits of junk and gummed up gunk in it.
Grommet with bits of insulation trapped in it.
How to Repair
The only way to properly repair this is to clear all the ice out of the trough and drain tube. Then remove the grommet from the bottom of the drain tube (accessed from the compressor compartment), clean it out and trim it open a bit. This is the part of the repair where things might get a bit dicey. Whirlpool will NOT want this done! What the grommet does is prevent the freezer from equalizing the air pressure through the drain tube when the freezer door is shut. If the grommet is not there, then when the air pressure equalizes, it will draw warm moist air through the drain tube which coats the evaporator and can cause potential moisture issues in other areas. The trouble is: the grommet opening is just a slit and is easily restricted. This is causing multiple calls for the same issue (blocked drain causing leaks.)
So what to do?
Here is what I do. I trim the end off the grommet. This allows the water to flow out more easily and helps prevent blockages while at the same time still restricts air from free flowing into the freezer through the drain tube. I’ve gone back to a number of fridges where I’ve done this repair and rechecked the evaporator and have not found any excessive frost or moisture, so I’m confident that I’m not causing other problems by doing this. However … this is not the official repair, so do at your own risk.
Here is what the grommet looks like trimmed.
Trimmed grommet.
If you are fixing these some other way, I would love to hear about it … always looking for new ways to do repairs!
Dishwasher Siphoning Out
This is a cool problem that can sometimes be hard to catch. What is happening here, is when the dishwasher goes into drain, it starts a siphon. The siphon then pulls all the water out of the machine and if it is strong enough it will also pull out the next fill. This situation occurs primarily when the drain is installed straight down into the basement instead of into a drain stub under the sink in the kitchen. When it is installed under the sink, the level of the drain is higher than the water level in the dishwasher and a siphon cannot start. However, with the drain below the level of the water, siphoning can occur. I find that even with a high loop installed on the side of the dishwasher, if the drain goes straight down from the loop a siphon will still be created. The only way to really stop this is to install an ‘air-gap’ or a ‘siphon break’ into the drain line which will allow air into the loop and prevent any siphon from occurring.
With this unit, the water siphoned out and then the heater came on to heat the water (that was no longer in the unit.) This created a higher amp draw than normal because no water was flowing over the element, which in turn took out the safety fuse in the control panel area.
This customer will have his installer back into reroute his drain.
What Bad Pots Will Do To Your Glasstop Stove
My advice: if you are going to spend $1200 on a new glasstop stove, you should also spend a $100 or so more and buy yourself some new cookware that has flat bottoms. This series of photos show what a warped frying pan looks like and what it will do to your glasstop in 6 months as well. This was an Indian customer who was also using that wire grate as a grill to grill the underside of their Chapati (Indian flatbread.) This is not a good idea as the stove was designed to have the heat from the elements absorbed by something and not to essentially be heating air. $450 for the new glasstop. Thank you very much.
Melted Stove Coil Elements
This element is 6 months old. Funny – some people go years without problems, others melt elements in 6 months. While, elements today are certainly not as sturdy as elements from 20 years ago, I’m convinced that this is caused by cooking style. Running an element red hot on high 10 to 12 hours a day will cause this every time.
Computer Problem With A Duet Washer
This is a cool problem that I’ve not seen on this unit before. The washer will start and make all the right sounds – then suddenly unlock and sit there flashing for ever. Almost like someone has touched the ‘pause’ button – except nobody has. I’m going with a CCU on this one, but it could end up being a UI (User Interface.). I’ll let you know.
EDIT: So this one ended up being a User Interface. It looks like Start button was shoring out and causing the unit to go into ‘Pause’ which is why the door was unlocking and the lights are flashing … just like someone had hit the ‘Pause’ button. Unfortuately I went with the CCU first thinking that something in the CCU was causing the stoppage – but this did not fix the problem. If you see this – go with the UI first! Live and learn.
Wrong Clutch Spring Installed
Previous company (one of those guys – you know who they are), replaced the transmission and basket drive on a direct drive Whirlpool washer last week. Customer called back to complain that her clothes were coming out wet at the end of the cycle. For some reason I was sent out. After tearing the thing completely apart again, I found that they had installed the wrong clutch spring. They used the one for the apartment sized washes instead of the full size one. On top of that, they only finger tightened the transmission mounting bolts, so it was rattling around on the spin cycle.
So, a new clutch spring and proper assembly and this unit is working again. Plus I got a 5$ tip from the customer. Sweet!
TV Show Sting Operation of Appliance Repair Companies
Recently the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) did a sting operation where they tried to catch various types of repairmen trying to cheat their customers.
To those people who have been calling and texting me: NO, my company was not featured. They featured a company called Neighbourhood Appliance Service out of Scarborough, Ontario. My company is Neighbour’s Appliance Service servicing Mississauga and Brampton. We are in no way associated … I’ve never met them before. Those were not my guys.
Here is where the show can be viewed online: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/whentherepairmanknocks/
I’m not sure if that link will work for people outside of Canada – maybe my foreign visitors can drop me a line and let me know.
Now, onto some thoughts and comments on the show.
I am really not a fan of this type of ‘aha, I caught you’ type of lazy reporting. The simulated problems are often not something normally seen in the field as was pointed out by many commenters on the CBC site. If you want to run this type of show, don’t simulate a problem – use a real problem on a real machine. Diagnose it, but don’t fix it and then see who finds the problem and who is just changing parts. I’m not a toilet guy, but I certainly understand that chains do not normally tighten themselves, so I might not have looked to that as the initial problem. I would like to think that I would have caught it, but even the very best service men are fooled some of the time – it’s what they do when they see they’ve made a mistake which separates the scammers from the legit companies.
For the dishwasher not draining problem; this was a good simulation. Blocked drains at the drain stub under the sink are very common and is the very first place any tech should look when diagnosing a dishwasher not draining. Typically, I would start at the drain stub and work backwards to sort out this type of problem. Most of the appliance guys caught that pretty quick … except for the rookie that they showed last. That guy is one of the scary ones as he clearly did not have the experience or even the common sense to start in the most likely place. Here’s a hint for consumers: if an appliance repair guy pulls up in a family car, run. In the industry, these are called ‘car trunkers’ and they have the reputation of being fly-by-nighters. Consider yourself warned.
Finally, I am uncertain how I would react with a reporter jumping out with an ‘aha’, and cameras and lights and people milling around. I want to believe that I would keep my cool and stay professional, but the purpose of this type of attack is to fluster guys up and get them to react. That is what ‘reality TV’ is all about – the reaction. As I said earlier, it is how a repairman reacts when he makes a mistake that separates the honest guys out. I am totally ignoring the companies that were blatantly trying to rip off the consumer (those guys deserve every bit of bad publicity they get) – but I really think that a couple of those guys who were ‘caught’ had just made an honest mistake and did not know how to react when the cameras were on them. How would you react in the same situation in your job? This was meant as a rhetorical question, but something maybe we all should spend a moment to prepare for with the advent of cameras everywhere and lazy reporting. I would like to have seen a bit more of the ‘good companies’ and maybe some interviews with those techs to find out how they think and act. Showing consumers what a professional repairman looks and acts like and how he thinks, might have done just as much good as showing the scammers who are harder to spot because they do everything they can to blend in. Of course, positive reporting does not sell TV shows …
Advice for Consumers.
You do not need to be a victim of a scammer … not in your appliance repairs, not in your car repairs or on the internet. If you get an email from Nigeria saying that there is 3 million dollars in a bank account waiting for you … it’s a scam. Use your head. Keep your common sense about you – if it sounds fishy, it probably is.
Have a plan. Don’t call the first guy in the yellowpages who’s company starts with AAAAAAAAAA Appliance Repair (so that his listing is first in the Yellow Pages.) Call 3 or 4 companies to get quotes and get a feel for how they operate. Don’t go with the guy you feel uncomfortable talking to on the phone just because he will undercut the other 3 companies by 10 bucks. Back to common sense – use it. Cheaper is not always better.
Spend 5 minutes on Google looking up the problem with your machine. There are very few problems out there that are not talked about in some way on the internet … not that everything you read on the internet is correct, (see Nigeria above,) but at least arm yourself with a basic understanding of your appliance and how it works. Don’t tell the appliance repair guy what you think is wrong, but make sure that what he explains to you makes sense in light of what you learned before the repair. Knowledge is good protection against scammers.
Call the manufacturer and ask who they recommend. Appliance manufacturers do not want their customers ripped off. It is in their best interest to recommend the very best repairman they can. Trust them.
Get references. Call your friends … ask co-workers. Who had a good experience with whom. Who to avoid. Word of mouth, while not always 100% accurate is a lot better indicator of performance than a colour ad in your local newspaper. Check out reviews online … but beware of reviews for companies that all look the same. Online reviews are another scam that many repair companies are using to suck in customers. In fact, one of the ‘good’ appliance repair companies shown in the show has purchased 100′s of reviews which are showing in various local review sites in the GTA. Fake reviews: run.
Get a second opinion. Back to my first point – you don’t need to be scammed. If you don’t like what you are hearing … if you are uncomfortable with what the repair guy is saying or doing – stop. Get a second opinion. Spending the extra $40 or $50 dollars might save you $100′s in unnecessary repairs. This is your home – you are in control. Don’t ever forget that.
Takeaways for Service Companies.
Dress for success. I noticed that guys who generally looked good were either the companies that did good work … or were the ones behind the sting, setting up the problems. A nice uniform will instill confidence a lot more than an old pair of ratty jeans and a dirty t-shirt. (Note to self: Add ‘New Work Pants’ to the ToDo list … lol.)
Say ‘hello’ at the door and make some small chat. I was uncomfortable watching the guys who just barged into the home with little more than a ‘where is the problem.’ I’ve found that even just asking how the consumers day is going will break the ice and open them up to you. Getting the consumer to talk to you is key to a quick repair. Once you have a bit of experience, you will find that you can diagnose many problems just by what the consumer is telling you. You’ve seen and heard it before – use your ears and your experience to help you diagnose.
Spend the extra time on the diagnosis part of the repair … and don’t think out loud. Keep your thoughts about what you are seeing to yourself until you are sure of what you are seeing and what needs to be done. This is a lesson that took me a long time to learn. I used to blather on and on about what I was seeing and what I thought the problem was only to have to backtrack later when, after spending the appropriate amount of time diagnosing, I discovered that my initial thoughts were wrong and the problem was something else. Then I had to spend extra time trying to explain to the customer why my initial thoughts were incorrect … ‘but don’t worry, I know what is wrong now.’ lol. It does not help the consumer have confidence in you.
Have a plan. Much like my advise to consumers, every repair should have a plan. That is the first mistake by the rookie appliance repair guy who had water everywhere. The dishwasher is full of water … and not draining. What happens if you hit the fill? It will flood. Nice plan. Instead, plan ahead. How can I get this water out of this dishwasher? Do I need a bucket? Is it possible that I may have some water come out – do I have towels handy? Make a plan before taking out the first screw – then work the plan. It takes seconds.
Finally … guys. Peeing in a customers coffee cup and then putting it in the sink???? Peeing in a bucket and leaving it in the corner of the garage???? REALLY????? What is wrong with you animals? I’ve never seen or even really heard of that before. There is NO excuse for this. Here in Canada we have a Tim Hortons on pretty much every street corner … what better place to take five minutes to use the facilities … freshen up a bit and have a nice coffee – all for $1.65. There is no excuse for what those guys did and I’m embarrassed for my industry to see that. To my readers who are consumers – that is NOT the norm. I’ve been in this industry for 22 years now, and I’ve never seen that before. Shocking.
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EDIT: I’ve got to say one more thing. That show was not indicative of the average appliance repairman or company that I know. I associate with probably a good dozen companies and none of them would provide the type of service that was shown by the bad companies on this TV show. I know those types of guys are out there – I do see the results of their work, but they are fewer and farther between that what CBC would have you think. There is no perspective on this show – did they go through 15 companies to find the one or two bad ones? Why did the last 3 companies in the garage door opener sting all have the same logo on their truck? What this just to pad the shows findings? They should have provided some perspective on what they did there. I would like to have seen 10 or 15 companies recommended by manufacturers put through a sting operation like that. I’m willing to bet that the vast majority of them would have passed those tests with flying colours. Maybe this is just me with my rose coloured glasses on, but I smell something fishy here based on my experience in the industry. (See point 1 under Advice for Consumers.)
Would love to hear your comments.
HE Detergent
You really must use HE (High Efficiency) detergent in your front loading washer. This is what is left behind in your washer and your clothes if you do not use HE. If I had let this unit continue running, we would have had foam billowing out everywhere – just like in the cartoons.
F25 on a Duet Washer
F25 is a pretty unusual code on these machines – I don’t see it very often. F25 tells us that the central control board (or motor control board – not sure which) is not sensing the tachometer on the motor. On this one, the motor and tachometer both ohmed out as good. It took me a good half hour of checking continuity and testing to finally find this broken wire. It was still nicely lodged into the connector, but no longer had continuity. When I gave it a good tug, it popped out of the connector.
So a new motor harness for this one. That was a fun problem.
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