Samsung Refrigerator Repair in Mt Pleasant, SC

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Samsung Refrigerator Repair Mt Pleasant, SC

Samsung Refrigerator Repair in Mt Pleasant.

Samsung Refrigerator Repair in Mt Pleasant.

My exasperated client had an issue I see quite often on Samsung refrigerators, the center door seal which slides into a groove and seals the space between the french doors was badly damaged. All three of the hinges were broken and indeed the housing itself was also getting hairline cracks.

This often leads to other problems such as the refrigerator not being as cool as it should and excessive moisture forming on the inside. All these symptoms are caused by the center seal not sealing correctly on this model.

Another issue is that in Charleston, no one carries a lot of Samsung parts, almost everything has to be ordered as was the case in this repair.

But we have a very good supplier for Samsung who was able to drop ship the part needed and have it here the next day in spite of all the bad weather that week.

We came out as soon as the part arrived and had the Samsung refrigerator working correctly again in no time. Problem solved! If you are having a similar issue and need a hand why not give us a call today, 843 568 5936.

Posted in Refrigerators, Samsung

LG Refrigerator Repair Mt Pleasant SC

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LG Refrigerator Repair Mt Pleasant

LG Refrigerator Repair in Mt Pleasant

LG Refrigerator Repair in Mt Pleasant

It’s driving the owners crazy and I can see why, their LG refrigerator is making a series of beeps every hour and flashing an error code, E followed by rf.

This code signifies an issue with the evaporator fan motor system. I replaced the fan motor a few months back when it failed, unfortunately now the computer board that powers it has failed as well.

Too explain, these fan motors were once almost fool proof reliable, back in the days when they operated on 110 volts ac electricity.

But then the greedy corporate engineers switched those fans out for cheap 12 volt dc fans, dc is the voltage your car is powered on, and they have been nothing but trouble ever since.

The issues is that they have to have a transformer on the computer board to produce the 12 volt dc, they use the cheapest ones they can find knowing that when they fail, the homeowner will have to replace the whole computer board to get a solution and often the evaporator fan motor as well.

The solution, we have another computer board ordered and on the way and we’ll update this post as soon as it’s installed. Contact us today at 843 568 5936 if you need help with your LG Refrigerator!

 

Posted in LG, Refrigerators

Maytag Dryer Repair in Mt Pleasant

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Maytag 5000 Series Dryer Repair.

Maytag Dryer Repair

Maytag Dryer Repair

I repair a lot of Maytag Dryers with a wide variety of things going wrong. This one, however, is a little unusual, it is running for a while and then throwing the breaker and cutting off the machine. It will run fine if you turn it on fluff and there is no heat being applied, but if you turn it on a heated cycle, it will heat for a bit and then throw the breaker. I suspect something is shorting to the frame and causing a ground short.

Luckily on these Maytag 5000 series, you have a front access panel which will make the job of confirming my diagnosis a little easier.

As usual, if you are attempting to trouble shoot this type of issue yourself, follow all recommended safety procedures and be sure to turn the power off or unplug the machine before you go poking your hands in it.

On this particular machine, the owner has already tried replacing the thermal cut off switch, an idea he got from Youtube. I  run into this quite a bit, owners calling me in after their guess has gone wrong. Sometimes they guess right and sometimes wrong. It’s often smarter though, to not guess and actually use a meter to confirm what the actual issue is.

After running some diagnostic tests, I discovered that the dryer is fine, pulling exactly the amount of amperage it is supposed to and has no ground shorts whatsoever, it appears that the breaker in the main breaker box is faulty and not able to handle the load required by the dryer.

At this point, as I am not licensed to do electrical work, I have to hand off this repair to a licensed electrician to replace the breaker.

If you are having similar issues, give me a call at 843 568 5836 and we can take of trouble shooting your Maytag Dryer problems.

 

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Samsung Reaches New Low!

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Samsung Washer

Busted Samsung Tub

If you keep up with my blog, you know by now that I’m not a big fan of Samsung appliances. Even though I fix a lot of them, I never advise people to purchase them and there is a specific reason for that.

The reason, as I’ve said hundreds of times, literally, is that they just aren’t made worth a damn! In fact, nowadays I’ve begun to see things happening and breaking down on washers and other appliances that you just didn’t see back in the day.

For instance, I was called out to this lovely house on the Isle Of Palms to repair a washer that was leaking. I pulled the back off and felt the rubber drain hose housing and could tell there was something inside the washer that was broken and had punctured the hose. I quoted the client a price and ordered the part and was optimistic we could get it straightened out for them.

However, being a Samsung, this washer had reached a new low. The main tub had also been cracked open as well. In fact, the debris which had torn loose from the inner tub had also jammed in such a way as to punch a hole in the outer tub. I have never seen anything like it in over 40 years of doing repairs.

Two factors I think led up to this, the first is using plastic instead of metal for the outer tub, this is a trend I have never liked. The early versions of the washer seem to hold up well enough, but obviously, they can fall apart under the right circumstances.

Not only did this cancel all plans of repair, since the cost to replace the tub would be exorbitant, it also cancelled any intention of the client to ever buy Samsung again.

Don’t let this happen to you! Buy anything but Samsnung!

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Planned Failure In Frigidaire Refrigerator In Mt Pleasant

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Bad Evaporator Fan Planned Failure

Bad Evaporator Fan Planned Failure

This is the kind of thing you’ll see me rant about on my blog from time to time, planned obsolescence.

Sometimes you see an appliance fail due to a mechanical problem or a simple electric part short, but this is more insidious than that to me.

I’ve been called out to look at a Frigidaire Gallery Refrigerator that is reading a 5YEF error code. This is the code that signifies that the evaporator fan is not working correctly. Your evaporator fan is what moves the air around in your freezer and fridge, if it is not working correctly your refrigerator effectively becomes an old fashioned ice box, whatever is close to the evaporator coils stays cool, the rest gets warmer the further it moves out.

To give you some perspective on this, this whole evaporator fan system has been engineered to fail. You see in the old days, these fans worked on 110 volts just like your compressor and were controlled by a switch on a defrost timer. It was a very simple, easy, inexpensive system to troubleshoot and repair.

Jump forward to the new computer controlled refrigerators. Now the simple 110v evaporator fan has been replaced by a 12v fan. That’s right, 12 volts, like your car uses. To get that 12 volts, there is a  transformer built into computer board, which is supposed to supply that power. This is usually the point of failure, what happens is that the transformer burns out and supplies no power at all, or as in this case, it produces too much voltage and burns out the fan. Right now a 12 volt fan is being fed 15 volts by the transformer.

So too repair this issue, we’ll have to replace the fan and the control board, which is right around 250.00 for both, add on an installation charge and we’ll be close to $500.00.

We also need to figure out how much life is left in this unit, there are another 400.00 worth of computer boards on this unit. Will they hold out for enough time for this repair to be worth it? I seriously doubt it.

Sometimes a part breaking is just that, an incidental problem, you fix it and move forward.

Sometimes a part breaking is like a canary in a coal mine, an indication that things are about to go downhill rapidly.

Posted in GE, Refrigerators

Whirlpool Dishwasher Not Draining In Mt Pleasant

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Whirlpool Dishwasher Repair Mount Pleasant

Whirlpool Dishwasher Repair Mount Pleasant

This particular Model of Whirlpool Dishwasher is famous for the problem today’s clients are having. If you accidentally break a glass in it, the fragments of the glass will work their way down into the drain pump and jam the whole apparatus up. They can be a nightmare to completely clear out and often the shards can damage the pump as well.

The worst case scenario is when they lock the rotor on the pump up and cause the pump motor to burn out, I don’t believe this is the case on this particular one because the winding on the pump motor still have continuity. Which leaves with an obstruction in the drain.

As in many cases, the client has already tried himself to remove the blockage, but to no avail. These can be a bear if you haven’t worked with them before. In this case the drain appears to be free of obstructions, but the pump is still not pumping the water out of the unit.

In the end this unit was clogged with debris in the main sump assembly which Whirlpool intentionally does not allow you any access to, to replace this assembly will be almost as much as getting a new unit so the smart move is to go ahead and get a new dishwasher. What is insidious about this whole situation is that Whirlpool has planned every aspect of this to maneuver homeowners into getting a new dishwasher instead of repairing the old one.

I can’t imagine how many dishwashers get thrown out everyday because of corporate greed. Needless to say, I don’t recommend Whirlpool dishwashers to my clients any more. What I do recommend is GE or Bosch because they are much more repairable in the long run.

If you’re having a similar issue and would like to verify what is going on with your dishwasher, please give us a call.

 

Posted in Dishwasher, Whirlpool

Oven Replacement In Charleston SC

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Emergency Saturday Oven Replacement In Charleston, SC

Emergency Saturday Oven Replacement In Charleston, SC

It’s the kind of thing I absolutely hate to have to tell a client, that even though the part that failed is probably just a tiny microswitch on  the computer board, because of the way GE has designed the oven I have to replace the whole touchpad/control board to repair it.

In these cases, my practice is to pull up the parts site and let the clients see for themselves what my cost on the part is. In this particular instance, my cost on the control board assembly is $649.00 and some changes. That’s before I add any shipping, handling or markup, also I’m going to have to add something for the installation. By the time we finish, we’re probably looking at around $800.00 to repair the oven which is already 10 years old.

To make matters worse, all the parts suppliers are out of this part so it would have to be backordered and will take anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks to arrive.

This simply won’t do, my clients have company in town for the weekend for the Solar Eclipse and they like to cook. I explain to them that the normal rule of thumb I use to advise people is that you don’t want to spend over 50% of the cost of a new appliance on an old one, especially on an appliance that is 10 years old.

To compound the issue, it is 1:oo on a Saturday, all the parts houses are closed and the appliance stores are probably not too far behind. So my client asks me if I can install a new one today if he can locate one. While it’s not how I intended to spend Saturday afternoon, I understand the predicament they are in and change my plans.

Luckily the choose an appliance store that is really fast on service, Wholesale Appliance, a local distributor. Too make a long story short, he makes a run to pick out a stove and I am right behind him to pick it up and install. By 4:00 my clients have a brand new stove installed and their old one is in my van on it’s way to the recycling yard.

So if you need emergency repairs on a Saturday try giving us a call, we can get you squared away one way or another!

Posted in Cooking, GE, Ovens

Microwave Not Working In Mt Pleasant

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GE Microwave Not Working In Mount Pleasant

GE Microwave Not Working In Mount Pleasant

“You just don’t realize how much you use a microwave until it’s broken” my client is telling me. “I needed to thaw some chicken out for dinner yesterday and had forgotten to put it out in the morning. Needless to say we couldn’t wait a few hours once I got home from work! So we ended up eating out.”

Her microwave problem stems from a chronic issue I see in appliance engineering, using cheap plastic and not making the parts robust enough. In this particular instance the door closure clip was not doing it’s job, which is to depress two microswitches in the door which tell the computer the door is closed and allow the microwave to come on.

Even worse, the part we needed to do the repair was not to be found locally anywhere. Luckily, my online supplier had the part in stock and was able to get it here in two days.

Another accommodation we make for our clients is late afternoon appointments. In this lady’s case it was imperative that she not have to miss any work in order to meet us for the repair, so we scheduled a late afternoon appointment in order to meet her needs.

We understand that it is already inconvenient enough to have to spend money on repairs without having the amount of the repair increased by the amount of time you have to take off from work to meet a repairman.

So while it turned into a late Friday afternoon service call for me, (not my favorite kind) it was worth to have a satisfied customer able to use her microwave and get back to her normal cooking routine.

If you’re having a problem with your microwave or other household appliance and you live in the greater Mount Pleasant or Charleston area, give us a call, we’ll get you squared away as quickly as possible. Hopefully without you having to take off any time from work.

Posted in GE, Microwave

Excessive Moisture In Your Dryer in Mount Pleasant

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Excessive Moisture In Dryer In Mount Pleasant

Excessive Moisture In Dryer In Mount Pleasant

My client today was very frustrated, he has had the Lowe’s repairman out on multiple occasions. The repairman has replaced multiple parts and yet the dryer is still taking too long to dry, often they are having to run it multiple times to get one load dry. Imagine what that is doing to their power bill as well.

However it only took me one look to figure out  what the problem was. The exterior duct vent was jerry-rigged in one of the most awful ways I’ve ever seen. In fact they had taken the normal 4 inch duct and reduced it to 3 inches as well as adding an almost 90 degree turn to the duct work on the exterior.

There are two factors in how well your dryer will dry your clothes, the first is the heat your dryer produces. The second is how much air flow is going through the dryer. Without sufficient airflow, your dryer simply will not be able to remove the moisture from your laundry in an efficient manner.

What I did to resolve the problem was to remove the old exterior set up and replace it with a 4 inch flap cover which is the most effective way to let the dryer air out and keep any local critters from crawling in when the dryer is not in use.

If you’re having a similar issue, you might consider giving us a call. Chances are we can have your problem resolved same day just like we did for this client.

Posted in Dryers

Samsung Top Load Washer Leaking On Isle Of Palms

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Samsung Top Load Washer Leaking On Floor

Samsung Top Load Washer Leaking On Floor

It’s a good thing my client came home when he did, just in time to keep his entire bottom floor from being flooded. Apparently his wife had started the washer and left to do some errands, something the manufacturer warns you not to do, while I have seen this lead to some catastrophic damage, luckily caught it just in the nick of time.

Still, it had completely flooded the laundry room floor, and the way he discovered it was rather painful. He came walking in the room and slipped and hit the floor hard, he was still nursing his shoulder when I showed up. I was thankful that neither he nor the house had suffered any serious damage.

The leak was caused by a faulty clamp on a hose underneath that had given way and let the hose slip off of it’s connection, thus allowing water to just pour all over the place. I once had a similar case in which the washer was on the second floor and the owners had gone out to dinner and by the time they got home the water had flooded the second and first floors.

Leaks on upper levels in a house tend to pyramid, in other words, what affected one room on the first floor will spread to 3 or 4 rooms on the level beneath and to 6 or 7 on the level beneath that.

So do yourself a favor and plan your washing around times when you can be home and you can prevent a world of problems.

Anyway, as bad as the issue was, I had the necessary parts with me to take care of the hose problem and within an hour my client had his machine back online, complete with a 90 day warranty.

So if you are having issues with your Samsung washer leaking in Mt. Pleasant, Isle Of Palms or surrounding areas, please give us a call. Chances are we can have your washer repaired same day, like this client, at an affordable price.

And please, please stay home when your major appliances are running, just to play it safe.

Posted in Samsung, Washers