Household Appliance Maintenance: Share Your Successes and Failures

[RCW]

Betting many here at OTT repair household appliances themselves. Refrigerators, washers, dishwashers, stoves, etc.

Stuff is disposable anymore. Appliances don't last like they used to.

With the help of the interwebs, my success has been almost 100% for quite a few years. Crossing my fingers my luck continues.....

Our 12-year old Viking Professional Rangetop (propane) had a starting issue with one burner.

Thought it was starter coil ($90). Didn't fix it. Keep old one as a spare.

Ignitor a little wonky, and wire to ignitor had some heat damage at spade connections. A little scrub, scrub and wiggle, wiggle. Works good as new, but there is some damage...

Figured good to have a couple ignitors on hand, as well as the wire connections......

The ignitor is part of the $133 burner base. Found a replacement ignitor-only for $20, without the base. I'm okay with that.

Get this, the WIRE is $22....WTF?!?!?

$22 for a 12" piece of wire with 2 spade connectors?!?!? Maybe 14 gauge...

Both spades are a little special; one a 90* flag, and the igniter end small, but something I can get in packs 50 for $10. I'm betting I have a suitable wire here already.

As I had the cook top all put together again, I bought the wire online so I have an example to go by. I whimpered when doing so....I whimpered a lot.

You can bet I'm gonna make my own hereafter....

I've bought 3 control panel covers for our Bosch Dishwasher. Was a faulty design in MHO. $125 for a $30 piece of plastic.

While I do complain about the cost of the parts, it's still better than replacing the appliance.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

the 'wire' I assume is the ignitor wire ? If so, it is 'special' NOT regular house wiring wire. It'll probably be stranded, tinned, have high voltage insulation,maybe teflon so 'dbl sheathed) (10-25 KV),special crimps( again HV rated...).. at $22 not a bad deal in the grand scheme of things AND you did GET the parts !
I've got a 20 year old appliances and ZERO parts available,like the wonky control panel for the oven. ended up buying a $2 membrane switch from, ugh, China, reireed the computer, to use the new switch.
and.....
a LOT cheaper than the $16000 to replace the battery in a $65K, '22 Mustang EVERY 8-9 years...

 

[Magicman]

I am presently "dealing" with an eye out on our 1992 Frigidaire cooktop. Replacement elements are listed as "no longer available" so it on to finding a suitable replacement cooktop.

 

[RCW]

the 'wire' I assume is the ignitor wire ? If so, it is 'special' NOT regular house wiring wire. It'll probably be stranded, tinned, have high voltage insulation,maybe teflon so 'dbl sheathed) (10-25 KV),special crimps( again HV rated...).. at $22 not a bad deal in the grand scheme of things AND you did GET the parts !
I've got a 20 year old appliances and ZERO parts available,like the wonky control panel for the oven. ended up buying a $2 membrane switch from, ugh, China, reireed the computer, to use the new switch.
and.....
a LOT cheaper than the $16000 to replace the battery in a $65K, '22 Mustang EVERY 8-9 years...

Jay - I’ll be curious to see what the wire looks like when I get it.

 

[Motronic]

I am presently "dealing" with an eye out on our 1992 Frigidaire cooktop. Replacement elements are listed as "no longer available" so it on to finding a suitable replacement cooktop.

I had similar. One bad gas valve. I look at the parts diagram........there is a single pipe to all 4 burners with all 4 gas valves on them. Cost 80% of a new cooktop.

Built to throw away.......

 

[NCL4701]

I had similar. One bad gas valve. I look at the parts diagram........there is a single pipe to all 4 burners with all 4 gas valves on them. Cost 80% of a new cooktop.

Built to throw away.......

I seem to find more and more things manufactured in that manner; just not built to repair. If you can source parts it isn’t cost effective to fix.

$22 for a $2 wire on a Viking sounds about right to me. $2 for the wire and $20 for “Viking” stamped on the bag it comes in. They make great stuff that they’re rightly proud of and remind you how proud of it they are every time you buy something with their name in it. Cat, Deere, and sometimes Kubota do the same so they aren’t unique in that.

 

[Lil Foot]

I recently was asked by the wife to replace the oven control knob on our Whirlpool gas range/oven.
(The temp numbers were worn off.)
Went to the local parts warehouse and was told it was in stock, $48 plus tax. Went online and found it for $58, plus shipping. Shocked, I called a little Mom&Pop shop, and they had it for $22, and when I grumbled a little, they sold it to me for $18 plus tax.
I guess I got into the wrong business years ago.

 

[bird dogger]

Betting many here at OTT repair household appliances themselves. Refrigerators, washers, dishwashers, stoves, etc.

Stuff is disposable anymore. Appliances don't last like they used to.

I have a sweet tooth and a fondness for the old malt shoppe malt mixers. Been completely tearing them down and restoring them for a number of years ever since one of our boys wanted one and talked me into restoring one for his birthday. The internet is a great tool in finding supposedly non existent parts or an alternate replacement. It's now turned into a winter time hobby (sickness?). Some are given to nephews and nieces, and a few have been sold. Unlike today's appliances, these were built to be serviced and could last for who knows how long.

As good as a regular malt is on a hot day....... I discovered adding a little Kahlua or other adult flavoring of your choice really makes a tasty fine "Adult Milkshake"! We've restricted the use of the malt machine to only when we have company to help keep some room between myself and the front of the kubota steering wheel. (Even though it does have a tilt wheel!)

Been thinking of posting to your "What's Cooking" thread but this one seemed just as appropriate. Maybe I should put together a "How To" project in the "Off Topic" forum.



Anybody is welcome to stop on by for a tasty treat!!

David

 

[sheepfarmer]

I recently was asked by the wife to replace the oven control knob on our Whirlpool gas range/oven.
(The temp numbers were worn off.)
Went to the local parts warehouse and was told it was in stock, $48 plus tax. Went online and found it for $58, plus shipping. Shocked, I called a little Mom&Pop shop, and they had it for $22, and when I grumbled a little, they sold it to me for $18 plus tax.
I guess I got into the wrong business years ago.
View attachment 63151

The numbers etc wore off on my 50 yr old cooktop a few years ago, so I took some white nail polish and covered the area and then wiped most of it off, leaving the numbers in their depressions and the tick marks highlighted. When dry I covered with clear nail polish. It has lasted about 5 years.

My Maytag washing machine is also of the order of 50 years old. It has required replacing one tube that I could still order, but needed some part in the selector knob, and couldn’t find any more. It works as long as the panel cover is off and I can push and pull the knob to start the wash cycle by hand. Looks tacky but works well.

 

[Lil Foot]

The numbers on this knob were silk screened on, (poorly) with no depressions to fill.
If I still had access to the full machine shop at work, I would have set it up on a rotary table and used a pantograph engraver to simply engrave new tick marks & numbers. But alas....

 

[GreensvilleJay]

'they' figured out that if they make a quality product ,you'll only buy one unit in your lifetime,so only ONE production run is needed, then they'll be OUT of business....
add to that the SCAM that you must 'upgrade' and they'll keep fleecing your pockets, year after year after year after.....
natgas furnace is 35 years old 94+% eff.....WHY would I 'upgrade' or 'replace' it ??
this PC is 14 years old, does what I need it to, laptop is 38 yrs ,works for me.....

 

[mcfarmall]

Another lesson I learned from an insider at Whirlpool is always buy their lowest model because they use the same internals as the top-of-the-line units and all break within 5 years.

 

[ctfjr]

fwiw when it comes to 'ignition wire' I've always just used the wire we sell for oil burner ignition. It's high temp rated and insulated for well over 10 kilovolts. I've also used automotive ignition wire (with copper conductor). I have a multi-lifetime supply of spade terminals.

The killer for me was while I was in the hospital a few years ago. My wife said our dryer (LP) wasn't drying. So she called a repairman who fixed it. I asked her to have him leave any defective parts. Long story short - $195 bill to replace a 'klixon' type limit switch. We sell them to the trade (used in gas furnaces) for between $2 - $7.50. He charged $85 for the part, the rest was 20 minutes labor.

 

[RCW]

I kick myself for not taking a picture of the wire when I had it out.

It really didn’t feel or seem special, but point taken given it’s purpose. Honestly the spade connectors looked run of the mill.

Hopefully when it’s delivered we can figure it out.

Appreciate the help.

Jay - I’ve got a wall oven that I just know will have panel issues sooner or later. Matter of time…..tick,tick, tick…. The numbers are working; camera just didn’t capture it all.

 

[DustyRusty]

I have a sweet tooth and a fondness for the old malt shoppe malt mixers. Been completely tearing them down and restoring them for a number of years ever since one of our boys wanted one and talked me into restoring one for his birthday. The internet is a great tool in finding supposedly non existent parts or an alternate replacement. It's now turned into a winter time hobby (sickness?). Some are given to nephews and nieces, and a few have been sold. Unlike today's appliances, these were built to be serviced and could last for who knows how long.

As good as a regular malt is on a hot day....... I discovered adding a little Kahlua or other adult flavoring of your choice really makes a tasty fine "Adult Milkshake"! We've restricted the use of the malt machine to only when we have company to help keep some room between myself and the front of the kubota steering wheel. (Even though it does have a tilt wheel!)

Been thinking of posting to your "What's Cooking" thread but this one seemed just as appropriate. Maybe I should put together a "How To" project in the "Off Topic" forum.

View attachment 63152 View attachment 63153

Anybody is welcome to stop on by for a tasty treat!!

David

I have an old Hamilton Beach mixer in the cellar, and it is missing the brush cap. Are they available? I would love to have it working again, but it will have to fight for a place on the counter top, with my wife's mixer and Cuisinart.

 

[bird dogger]

I have an old Hamilton Beach mixer in the cellar, and it is missing the brush cap. Are they available? I would love to have it working again, but it will have to fight for a place on the counter top, with my wife's mixer and Cuisinart.

Dusty, If you're missing a brush cap for a malt mixer like these:

You can find brush caps here: Malt Mixer Man Go to his "Parts Store" and have a look. They're about $20 for a pair. I might have an extra if you only wanted one. If your brushes are worn, I have sourced them cheap and have a supply that I can fix you up from. I also have a supply of bearings, metal cups, etc. Let me know if I can help! If you need to know what the internal parts look like to replace wiring I can supply you with pics and help. Those mixers are too nice to not have running in tip top shape!!

If you're talking about a stand mixer like this:

Ebay is a source. I could check to see if the brush caps are interchangeable between the models. Not sure if I have any extra parts for these mixers. One is a neighbors I completely rebuilt for her. It turned out so nice, I found another in a local thrift store for one of our own.

LOL! Counter space is hard to come by! My mixers get stored in the basement (as you can see looking at the dust on the chrome! Ha!) Winters can be long in ND and you can never have enough malt mixers to work on!

David

 

[Motronic]

Jay - I’ve got a wall oven that I just know will have panel issues sooner or later. Matter of time…..tick,tick, tick….

I have that exact wall oven and was think about the same thing every time I look at it. It's going on 14 years old so it's time is likely coming.

 

[RCW]

Trust me, no expert. The connectors are not special.
The wire is maybe 16-18 gauge…2.25mm OD with insulation.

The cover is shiny and has a texture to it I don’t see in “standard” wire.

 

[FreezinGator]

When we moved into our current house in 2004 we took out the ancient fridge and ordered 2 stainless LG fridges and put them side by side and fixed the doors to open from center. We have 4 kids and love to cook. When the first one stopped working I went online to find out there is a fuse soldered in (no fuseholder) on the motherboard which fails (like a fuse is supposed to). They want you to replace the motherboard ($125 then). I soldered in a new fuse holder and fuse for a few dollars. I also knew just what to do when the second fridge did the same thing. Both are still going strong. My wife and I have repaired just about every appliance in the house and only replace when they are truly dead or we want something with new features.

 

[bird dogger]

An HVAC buddy helped me install a new gas furnace in the year 2000. About 5-6 years ago during the winter the furnace gas valve started to sometimes stick in the closed position. I would notice the drop in the room temperature, check to make sure the thermostat was calling for heat, etc. Tapping the gas valve with a screwdriver handle would let it open and function normally for few weeks. The wife insisted I call a heating contractor to get it "professionally" fixed. It's a good quality furnace, lifetime heat exchanger, etc.

The contractor came out to have a look after I had told him I just need the gas valve replaced. He noted the age of the furnace and said I should replace it. (It did not need replacing, only a new gas valve!) I told him I know it's just a bad gas valve and can you replace it and when. He said he'd see if he could even get one and get an estimate for me and I shouldn't be tapping the gas valve meanwhile. A few days later, he came with a $3000 estimate for a new furnace install. Didn't want to just replace the valve, if he could even find one. (Adios, to that contractor!)

I went online and quickly found a new replacement gas valve delivered for about $70. I also bought a digital manometer to set it up. For under a $100 I installed, tested and set up the new gas valve and it's been working fine since! those digital manometers sure beat using the old "U shaped" tube & water setup for adjusting the gas pressures.