c/appliance-repairers

Talked to a Maytag tech from the 80s about compressor valves

He said they used to file valves by hand to get perfect seating, and I laughed until I tried it on a seized LG compressor yesterday. Has anyone else gone old school on a modern unit and had it work better than the factory spec?

Had a washer flood a customer's basement last Tuesday - what a mess

I was swapping out a drain pump on a Samsung washer in Columbus, and forgot to clamp the hose back on tight. Turned the water on to test it and within 30 seconds there was 2 inches of water on the floor. The homeowner was watching me the whole time too, real awkward. I ended up using a shop vac and a bunch of towels to clean it up, took me almost an hour. Has anyone else had a moment where a simple mistake turned into a huge cleanup job?

Vent: Spent $400 on a dryer drum repair kit and it didn't fit

Bought this universal drum repair kit for a Whirlpool model last week, figured it would save me a service call. Opened the box and the bearings were 2mm too small, wasted half a Sunday fighting with it. Anyone else run into kits that claim universal but barely work?

That LG fridge compressor that ate my whole Thursday

I got stuck on a fridge call in Columbus last week where the compressor was short cycling and I spent 7 hours chasing a bad start relay before I finally looked at the main board. Turns out the relay was fine but a cracked solder joint on the board was causing intermittent power loss every 20 minutes. Has anyone else run into a board issue that looked exactly like a compressor problem from the start?

TIL a fridge condenser fan can be the culprit of a weird humming noise

Got called out to a house in Denton last Thursday for a fridge that was humming loud but still cooling fine. Took me a while before I pulled the back panel and saw the condenser fan blade had a tiny hairline crack causing it to wobble at speed. Swapped the blade out for $12 and it ran quiet as a mouse. Any of you run into phantom noises like that?

Found out I was over-tightening dryer belt tensioners for 8 years

I had a call last Tuesday at a house in Glendale, and the dryer was making this awful squealing noise. Customer was standing right there, so I went through my usual steps, tightened the belt like I always do, and it still squealed. Then it hit me - I pulled out my gauge and realized I was cranking it way past the spec of 1/4 inch deflection. I had been doing it wrong since I started at Apex Appliance in 2016. Anyone else ever realize they had a bad habit that just never got caught?

Went to a trade show in Denver and saw techs swapping motor pullers like crazy

I was at the ARS show last month and three different guys were raving about a new compact puller that fits in tight washer cabinets. Had anyone else seen those or got feedback on how they hold up on the really stubborn LG motors?

Debate: Do you fix in place or pull and bench test first?

I got called to a house on Tuesday, washer wouldn't drain. Found a sock jammed in the pump, easy fix. But the homeowner kept asking why I didn't take the whole machine apart on site. I've always believed in fixing what's broken right there, keeps the job quick and the customer happy. But my buddy swears by pulling the unit to his truck and testing everything on a bench. He says he catches more hidden issues that way. Which camp are you in? Does bench testing really save you a callback or is it just extra work?

Disagree on spending $200 for a used multimeter vs $50 for a new one

Worst day I've had in 15 years of fixing fridges

Last Tuesday I went to swap out a compressor on a Kenmore in Smyrna, Georgia. Got the whole thing done in about 2 hours, pulled a vacuum, and when I went to charge it the service valve snapped right off the compressor. Lost all the refrigerant and had to order a whole new unit. Has anyone else run into bad batches of compressors lately or was this just my rotten luck?

Spent $80 on a compressor unloader valve rebuild kit and saved my whole Thursday

I had this old 60 gallon Ingersoll Rand compressor at my shop in Columbus that kept tripping the breaker on startup. I was ready to drop $400 on a whole new pressure switch assembly. A guy at the parts counter told me to try the unloader valve rebuild kit for $80 first. Took me 20 minutes to swap the gaskets and check valve, and now it fires up smooth every time. Has anyone else wasted money on full replacements when a cheap kit would have fixed it?

Why does nobody talk about how bad Samsung dryer rollers are?

Had a Samsung dryer from 2019 in my shop last week from a lady in Portland. The front rollers were so worn down the drum was catching on the front panel and making this horrible screech. I've seen this on like 5 different Samsung models now, those plastic rollers just don't hold up past 3 years. Anyone else swapping these out constantly or am I just unlucky with the ones that come in?

That time I swapped a perfectly good compressor for no reason

Last Tuesday I spent 3 hours diagnosing a fridge that wasn't cooling. Turned out it was just a dirty condenser coil, not the compressor. I was dead set on replacing the compressor because the customer was sure that was the issue. Now I always clean the coils first before touching anything major. Anybody else ever jump to the wrong fix like that?

Old Whirlpool dryers were built different than these new ones

I just had to fix a 1998 Whirlpool dryer for a customer out in the suburbs. Took me 20 minutes to replace the belt and idler pulley. Then I rolled my truck to a call for a 2022 Samsung dryer. Three hours later I was still scratching my head over a bad control board. The old one had a simple mechanical timer you could see working. These new ones have so many sensors and electronics I feel like I need a computer science degree. Has anyone else noticed the repair time difference between the old and new stuff?

Wasted 3 hours on a dryer that just needed the lint screen cleaned

Spent a Saturday morning tearing apart a customer's dryer, checking the thermal fuse and belt, only to realize the lint screen was packed solid with fabric softener sheets. Has anyone else dug into a simple fix and felt like a total goof after?

Is it better to replace a compressor or just swap the whole fridge...

I keep seeing guys on job sites trying to replace compressors on 10 year old fridges. Last week I spent 3 hours on a GE unit only to find the condenser coil was shot too. The customer ended up paying $450 for a partial fix when a new fridge was $600. I get that some repairs are worth it, but where do you draw the line? I figure if the system is older than 7 years and has multiple leaks, it's time to walk away. Has anyone else run into this debate with customers who insist on the cheap route?

PSA: Watch out for counterfeit control boards on Amazon

I ordered a replacement control board for a Whirlpool dishwasher off Amazon last week because the OEM part was on backorder for 3 weeks. The board showed up in a plain box with no branding, but the model number matched. I installed it, fired it up, and the dishwasher ran the cycle but never heated the water. Checked the heating element and thermistor, both were fine. Turns out the board had a tiny relay swapped for a cheaper one that couldn't handle the load. Lost 2 hours of labor trouble shooting and had to order the genuine part from a local supplier in Phoenix. Has anyone else run into fake parts from online sellers, and how do you spot them before installation?

I finally figured out why my ice maker kept freezing up

So I was working on a customer's fridge last Tuesday in Austin, and I noticed the ice maker was making this weird clicking sound before it jammed. I thought it was the water inlet valve again, but after pulling it apart I saw the mold heater was barely warm to the touch. Turns out the thermistor was reading 10 degrees off, so the heater wasn't kicking on long enough to release the cubes. I replaced the thermistor for like $12 and it's been running smooth for a week now. Has anyone else had a similar issue where a tiny sensor causes the whole ice maker to fail? I'm wondering if there's a better way to test those thermistors without just swapping them out.

Took me 3 years to realize I was over-tightening dryer belt tensioners

Kept getting callbacks on dryers where the belt snapped after 6 months. A dude at a supply house in Phoenix asked if I was using a tension gauge. I wasn't. Fixed the issue on the next 5 jobs. Anyone else skip a basic step for way too long?

Serious question, does taking a FRIGIDAIRE main board with you to the supply house actually help match the right part?

Had a fridge compressor flash over on me in a crawlspace in Tacoma

Ngl I was knee deep in dust working on a 5 year old Samsung and the compressor just let out a bang and a puff of smoke. Scared me bad enough I started wearing safety glasses every single time I pop the back panel. Anyone else had one do that without warning?

PSA: That magnetic nut driver set I swore by, now I don't

I used those magnetic nut drivers for years on every washer and dryer job. Thought the magnets saved me time dropping screws. Then last week I had a Samsung that kept throwing error codes after a drum replacement. Turns out the magnet left a tiny steel shaving on a hall effect sensor. Took me 4 hours to figure out. Has anyone else had magnetic tools screw up electronics on newer machines?

Old timer taught me about compressor oil on a service call in Ohio

I was fixing a 30 year old fridge outside Dayton and this guy comes out to watch. He says you gotta change the oil in the compressor every 10 years or the bearings wear out. I told him nobody does that anymore and he just shrugged. He showed me his own fridge he rebuilt in 1987 that still runs cold. Has anyone else heard about doing oil changes on sealed compressors?

The Tuesday last month where I fixed three dryers in a row before noon

I mean, it was just one of those weird days where every call was a simple belt or idler pulley swap on older Whirlpool models, and by 11 AM I was already done and sitting in my truck eating a sandwich, has anyone else had a day where nothing went sideways?

Spent 5 hours chasing a leak on a 2 year old fridge

Last Tuesday I got a call about a Samsung fridge that was leaking water on the floor. Customer said it just started a few days ago. I figured it was the defrost drain or a cracked water line, easy fix. Two hours later I had pulled the back panel, checked the drain pan, and replaced the water filter just to be safe. Still leaking. Turns out the icemaker had a hairline crack in the mold where you can't even see it without taking the whole thing apart. Took me another 3 hours to trace it back. Has anyone else run into hidden cracks like that on ice makers that drove you nuts?