Dear Samsung Salesman

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Dear Samsung Fridge Salesman,


We Are No Longer Friends.

I know it’s been about a year since we last saw each other, and I haven’t written or called.

Sorry about that.

refrigeratorActually, it’s been 1 year and 2 weeks since we last saw each other. I know that, because the last time we talked, you were selling me a new Samsung refrigerator. And my warranty just expired 2 weeks ago.

You know, the refrigerator you told me was “top-of-the-line.” The most expensive one at your store? You know the one.

Well, I’ve been mostly happy with it aside from a few issues…

It doesn’t chill my food for one thing. I don’t know what the current trends are with “top-of-the-line” refrigerators, but I don’t know if I’m a fan of the “keeping my food and drinks at at a cool 58 degrees Fahrenheit” fad. Call me old-fashioned, but I feel like my leftovers don’t keep as long, and I prefer my milk to be a little colder… and less solid.

I would just put ice in my milk and not complain, except that my freezer doesn’t actually freeze anything. No, the freezer keeps all my frozen goods at a chilly 58 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t want to be nitpicky, but I think the freezer is normally colder than the fridge.

The icemaker doesn’t make ice either, but I pulled a MacGyver today, and just chipped some of the wall of ice on the back of the fridge into my drink. It freezes over every few days, so I always have a good supply of ice forming on the outside of the freezer.

These new-fangled “top-of-the-line” refrigerators have some interesting design decisions though. I mean, cold on the outside, warm on the inside? It’s almost like it’s less of a refrigerator, and more of a box that food just goes bad in.

That’s kind of what has me peeved with you, actually. As you may remember, I did come into your store looking for a refrigerator. And you sold me a Make-Food-Go-Bad box.

I do really like the water dispenser though. I can start pouring a glass of water, plan my daily schedule, read the newspaper, organize the spoiled food in the fridge, watch a movie, and then 30 minutes after that, I have almost a full glass of water.

And if I don’t want to stand in front of the refrigerator all day, it has the neat feature of constantly leaking water, so I can just leave the glass on the floor in front of the fridge, and come back for it later. Refreshing!

Now, I’m not blaming you, refrigerator salesman. You might not have seen the hundreds of scathing reviews online. And how could you have known when Samsung doesn’t even mention these issues on their support page.

How could you have known?

But now that you do, I’d like your word that you won’t try to sell anyone else one of those Samsung Make-Food-Go-Bad boxes.

Sincerely,
Guy Who Wanted a Fridge

Posted in Refrigerators

The Failure Sequence

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Shoddy Cardboard Repair

Shoddy Cardboard Repair

It’s amazing how often I run into the following scenario, but when I think about it, I would imagine that the manufacturer planned for it to play out the way it did. Anytime I see this sort of thing it makes me sad. I think a lot of people have forgotten the lesson we learned in WW2, that a great deal of our freedom depends on our nations ability to produce quality goods and products. That, so it seems to me is a thing of the past.

So anyway, I’m called out to check on a refrigerator that isn’t keeping the food cool all the time, it will do so most of the time, but sporadically the freezer will come down enough in temperature to allow things to get soft. Ice cream is normally a good indicator of whether or not your freezer is behaving properly. If ice cream is nice and hard, everything is normally good, but when Ice cream is soft and mushy, it is a tell tale sign that something is not right.

The first thing I normally do on a unit is to remove the cover so I can check the evaporator coils and immediately I notice a problem. The coils are nice and cold where they connect to the expansion device but the further you move away from the expansion devise the colder they get.

This is normally caused by a compressor starting to fail. Like a car the compressor has pistons in it which have rings. If these rings go bad, the compressor can fail to achieve the proper head pressure. In simple terms this means the compressor can no longer provide the proper amount of pressurized freon to the evaporator which causes the evaporator to only work at a fraction of it’s capacity.

This normally can be caused by age, but it can also be caused by the compressor working at a higher than normal temperature.

On this particular brand of refrigerator, Whirlpool, the back cover is an important factor in the way the compressor works. The cover makes sure that the air flows properly over the condenser coils and the compressor and removes the heat from the bottom of the unit. However on a previous service call, the owner told me another tech had damaged the back panel and so had made one out of cardboard and then taped it into place.

On further inspection, I found that the tape had given way allowing huge gaps in the back cover which then caused the compressor to work at higher than normal temperatures. After doing so for a period of time, the compressor had reached the failure point. All because the original back cover had been poorly constructed out of paper and had been replaced by one of poorer construction out of cardboard.

Back in the 90’s these back covers were made of sheet metal, needless to say they didn’t have a problem with the failure sequence I described above then. But somewhere along the line, the corporate engineers came up with the idea to save a nickel on the production and replace the sheet metal part with a paper one. The worst part is that I’m sure they were aware of the failure sequence that would set in place and just plain didn’t’ care.

The bottom line is that instead of building appliances to last, as they did in the 50’s, now they are built to fail. The lesson to be learned, don’t allow your appliance repair tech to take short cuts. They will almost always come back to bite you.

This post is sponsored by www.appliancerepair-charleston.net

Posted in Prevention, Refrigerators

The Year In Pets – 2015

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Kittens On Toolbox

Kittens On Toolbox

One of the best things about being an appliance repair man is that you’re constantly being put in close proximity with other people’s pets. As a huge lover of animals, this is one of my favorite things about the job.

While a lot of people put up their animals as a precaution, which is totally unnecessary for me, unless they are prone to biting, which is where I bail out. However, I don’t mind a little growling and grumbling, which is where Tank comes into the story.

Tank was a two year old English Bulldog I met back in March. He and his mother ruled their magnificent domicile in Park West with an iron paw. I was called out to check out a dryer that wasn’t heating correctly and as my client met me at the door she explained the deal about Tank.

“Okay, Tank is not mean and he won’t bite, but he is going to explain the rules to you for a moment. After that he’ll more than likely ignore you.” and so it started. Tank snarled and grumbled for a minute or two while he sniffed me over. While he tolerated a scratch behind the ear, he immediately made it clear that this favor would hold no sway over his final verdict.

This verdict must have been okay because his mother immediately went back to bed while Tank got in a good position to keep himself between me and the rest of the family.

I noticed that if I made too much noise or used my drill too much, Tank would stick his head around the corner for a quick sneeze or reprimand, but that was about it. I could tell he was much relieved when the repair was wrapped up and he could shuffle me off to Buffalo.

The only real damage I got this year was from a head strong Pekinese, I should have known by the way his owner was yelling at him and being completely ignored that he was not to be trifled with. However, me being me and liking to give all animals the benefit of the doubt, I put my finger down for him to sniff. Charlie was not having it, I got a nip! Not enough to draw blood, but enough to hurt a little. While his owner scolded him a little, we could both tell her heart wasn’t in it. In fact, I think she kept him around just so he could give someone the occasional nip.

Another few mentions come from the parrot family. One of the calls I went on was prefaced by the owner putting both dogs outside as he was going to be working in the back yard while I was repairing his dryer. However, I kept hearing the dogs inside, I had even whistled to them but they wouldn’t come to me and I didn’t know what to make of it. As I was taken into the owners office after the repair, I found the issue. His parrot was mocking his dogs exactly. He claimed she took great pleasure in doing so as well.

Willy was an african gray parrot perched in the den next to the kitchen where I was diagnosing an oven. He was very interested in what I was doing and kept whistling at me to get my attention. I decided to take it to the next level. I began to whistle Beethoven’s Fur Elise back, and Willy didn’t know what to make of it. For the next thirty minutes he wrestled and ground it out, ruffling his feathers and bobbing his head occasionally, but he managed to get the whole first 10 notes in order and you’ve never seen another creature as proud of himself as Willy was. He was proudly orchestrating when I left. I wonder if he still remembers the tune?

Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt

My final and favorite story is of a pair of star crossed lovers, Teddy and Elinor Roosevelt, the nicest ferret couple you’ll ever meet. What was interesting about them was that they lived in a beautiful home in Old Park with a menagerie of siblings which by nature should have considered the ferrets lunch. However they did their thing without worrying about whether or not all the dogs and cats which were their cohabitants were pawing or chasing them. They took it all elegantly in stride.

While the ferrets were only mildly interested in me, they were absolutely fascinated with both my toolbox and the dis-assembled dryer I was working on. In fact once Teddy discovered he could fit snugly in the pouch where my cordless normally sat, he camped out there for a bit and kept returning to the spot. I had to make sure he wasn’t there on my way out to make sure I wasn’t wrongly accused of ferret napping. Elinor on the other hand had her matronly instincts to deal with. While she liked the toolbox, she had a higher interest in the dryer, I’m assuming she saw in it a nice comfy room free from the mischievous eyes of her house mates.

However, they both were cross with me in the end, Elinor because I sealed up her house and Teddy because I wouldn’t leave the toolbox for him to nap in. Oh well, you can’t win them all!

Happy New Year to all my clients! Thanks for your support!

Posted in Clients

If You Are Looking To Relocate To Mt Pleasant.

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One of the nicer neighborhoods we do a lot of repairs in is I’on Village in Mt Pleasant.

Just a short drive from the Ravenal Bridge and Old Mount Pleasant is a splendid community that integrates green spaces, schools, homes, businesses and recreation areas to create the one and only neighborhood of I’On. This community took the best of European and Old South architecture and layout styles as inspiration during construction.

The raised foundations, double verandas, wide porches, plantation shutters, Lowcountry styles, architectural details and attention to design are truly beautiful and create a graceful and charming atmosphere.

The park-like settings of the homes amid ponds, lakes, canals, green spaces and woodlands add to the atmosphere. The neighbors walk and bike from place to place, greeting each other from porches and sidewalks.

I’On Town Square is the business district and is a gathering place for socializing and meeting friends for lunch, dinner or drinks. Here you will find boutiques, restaurants, business services and more. The I’On Trust, formed by neighbors to promote arts and education, sponsors many events during the year such as movies on the green, concerts, dancers and speakers in the Amphitheater, and craft and art shows.

Posted in Uncategorized

Changing Refrigerator Water Filter

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Changing your refrigerator’s water filter, how often should you do it? Should you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations exactly or can you push it a little? Can you disregard them entirely? In most cases, because of the way the filters are made, with plastic that you can’t see through, you can’t see the consequences of not changing your water filter.

Reason why you should change your refrigerator water filter

It is important that you change your refrigerator water filter regularly.

I should also be the first one to admit that I myself have been quite skeptical of manufacturer’s recommendations in this area. But then a few weeks ago, while checking a refrigerator that was not cooling well, I pulled the water filter out to have a look at it and was suprised to find that it was clear and I could see the inner workings of the filter, I was also a little shocked by what I found there.

As you can see, debris and all sorts of various other things have a tendency to accumulate and gather in these filters. Because all your water dispensed via the door and all water for the production of ice comes through this filter and because everyone in your family and house will be drinking it, you want to make sure yours doesn’t look like the one pictured above.

By changing your refrigerator’s water filer every six months, you can minimize your family’s exposure to harmful substances that may be in your tap water or ice. If you need help in replacing or repairing a water filter, give us a call today.

Posted in Refrigerators, Water Filter

Commercial Washer Repair Mt Pleasant

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For those of you not aware of it, we also offer commercial washer and dryer repairs for any type of facility which uses commercial laundry equipment. In fact, our owner, Brett Singleton learned his trade in his families chain of laundromats, one of which is still in operation today in the Sea Island shopping center.

Veterinary Specialty Care

Veterinary Specialty Care

This is another area in which we offer emergency services as well. Last weekend we were called out by one of our clients who uses our services exclusively for their commercial washer repair. Veterinary Specialty Care in Mt Pleasant gave us a call around 1:30 pm on a Saturday because their washer had broken and they could not use it.

This is a big deal for the Vets and staff there because they are open 24/7 and they are constantly sanitizing and washing the blankets and other materials they use to treat their patients with. Needless to say, having to make trips to a laundromat throws their medical routines out of whack.

We responded immediately and were able to get their washer back up and running within a few hours. So if you have a problem and need service immediately, give us a call at 843 751 4883. Whether your washer holds one or twenty loads, we can usually get it back in service the same day!

And if you need professional help with your pet of any kind, call the professionals at Veterinary Specialty Care at 843-216-7554. Like us, they offer emergency service around the clock.

Posted in Clients, Commercial Washers

The App That Controls Your Oven

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The New GE Brillion Mobile App means that you no longer have to be tethered to the kitchen the whole time you’re preparing a meal? You may be interested in a new GE app and upgrade that will let you monitor your cooking while you’re out running errands.

Ge has launched four different models of Wi-Fi enabled ovens which give users the ability to control your oven via an app installed on your smart phone. Till now, you had to be within Wi-Fi range of your oven to be able to monitor it remotely, however a new app update will let users control the oven even when they aren’t home.

This upgrade to is available to GE’s existing line of wall ovens with model numbers PT9050, PT9550, PK7000, PK7500.

“Consumer convenience will always be a driving factor in GE’s new appliance designs, consumer’s use smartphones to manage their lives, so it only makes sense that the technologies would converge.” A company spokesperson said.

The GE Brillion mobile app for both iOS and Android syncs with the oven models and even automatically pushes updates to keep current on oven settings. Operating similarly to a remote control, it allows the user to pre-heat, adjust settings or turn the oven off if they need to.

GE’s remote-enabled wall ovens price range is between $2,299 – $3,799. Similar updates are expected to roll out to other appliance categories such as refrigerators and freezers later on in the year.

Posted in Cooking, Ovens, Technology

Dishwasher Noise – Not A Good Thing

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Dishwasher Noise – For the love of Pete, turn your appliance off if you hear it making a strange noise, I ran a call today for a dishwasher making a lot of noise when running. When I originally was talking to the lady of the house, she had told me that she just let it run through the cycle even though it sounded like a jet taking off,(bad idea!!).

Once I arrived on site and was able to examine the dishwasher, I immediately saw that their was some broken glass in the drain and impeller compartment. It was making noise because the glass was grinding away inside the impeller compartment all the way thorough the cycle that had been run.

The glass had been ground up and had eaten up the impeller and the housing and the only solution would be to disconnect the power, water and drain lines, completely pull the unit out and take it apart to visually inspect which parts had suffered damage and would need replacing.

But, due to the age of the dishwasher and the fact that a new one could be purchased for just a tad more than what it would take to repair this one, they decided to go ahead and just replace it.

The sad part was that the dishwasher had been working great until this problem occured and more than likely would have continued to work for a few more years. Lesson learned, when you hear dishwasher making noise, turn it off immediately, you’ll probably save yourself some money if you do.

Posted in Dishwasher Tagged with: ,

Refrigeration Inspiration

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Appliance Repair Marketing

Are you looking for a new refrigerator, maybe because your old one is on the blink? Or maybe because you’re renovating or possibly even because you’re sick of looking at the old one that came with your house. There are so many choices out there these days that it’s hard for us to make a recommendation on what to buy. However we have put together a Pinterest page on Refrigerators which will hopefully give you some inspiration for making your choice. Merry Christmas one and all, by the way!

Posted in Refrigerators

Dealing With Water Dispensers

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Refrigerator Repair Mt Pleasant SC

Dealing With Water Dispensors

One of the most frequent calls I get has to do with the water dispensers in refrigerator doors. There can be all sorts of causes for these water dispensers going wrong. In this post I will delve into some common problems, and offer a few solutions that you can try on your own.

Why is the water dispenser so problematic? Let’s look at the one I worked on today for example. This was on one of the top-of-the-line refrigerators on the market, a Jenn air, and the problem was that neither the ice maker or the water dispenser would work. I suspected that there was a problem with the water valve that is activated when you press in the little button on the door with your glass.

These water valves are activated by a magnetic solenoid which opens a spring-loaded valve to allow water to pass through when it is fed power by the door switch your glass presses. It is not uncommon for the door switch to short out and cease to feed power to the water valve.

It is also not uncommon for the magnetic solenoid to short out and become unable to open the valve even though it is receiving the correct electricity down to it. These are normally the first two things I check.
I normally do this by pulling refrigerator out and taking the back cover off so that I can see the wires leading to the water valve. Then I take an electrical tester, the kind you can just hold up next to a wire and will light up if the water has power to it. I have someone, normally the homeowner, press in the water dispenser to see if the switch is feeding power to the valve.

If the water valve is getting power, I next need to find out if the solenoid is being activated which I can usually do by disconnecting one of the water connections coming out of the solenoid.
However today, after checking all these and discovering that everything was okay, I found a brand-new disturbance that I had never seen before. On this particular refrigerator, the water filter device had failed even though a factory bypass had already been installed. This failure was not allowing the water to reach the valve so it could be dispensed.

Luckily, the homeowner had already bypassed the filter because the tap water in her area was excellent. So she had no problem with me actually bypassing the filter system altogether and running her water straight into the valve, which corrected the problem immediately.

Posted in Trouble Shooting, Water Dispensor