c/appliance-repairers

7

miab87•1d ago

Swapped out a 15 year old compressor on a True cooler yesterday and wish I did it years ago

I mean everyone always says to just replace the whole unit when the compressor goes, but this was a back bar cooler at a diner in Concord and the cabinet was in perfect shape. Cost me about $180 for the compressor and dryer, took maybe 3 hours with recovery and vacuum. The old one was struggling to hold 38 degrees and now it's sitting at 34 steady. Has anyone else had good luck doing just compressor swaps on older coolers instead of writing them off?

26

sarah229•4d ago

Spent 4 hours tracking down a leak on a Samsung dishwasher

Turned out to be a tiny crack in the drain hose right behind the kickplate. Has anyone else had those hoses fail like that?

6

keith264•5d ago

Chased a phantom error code for 2 hours, turned out to be a 3 dollar moisture sensor

Got a call for a Samsung dryer throwing dE error on a brand new unit. Pulled the drum apart, checked the thermistor, checked the harness, even swapped the board. Nothing. Customer had me scratching my head for almost 2 hours. Finally looked closer at the lint screen housing and saw a tiny bit of dried fabric softener crust on the moisture sensor bar. Wiped it clean with alcohol, error gone. $150 service call for something they could have fixed with a rag. Has anyone else had a brand new machine throw codes from just assembly residue?

15

gibson.mark•5d ago

Had my first fridge compressor swap go smooth last Thursday

I finally got all the nitrogen purging steps right and the system pulled down to 50 microns first try, has anyone else found that a cheap micron gauge makes a bigger difference than you'd think?

8

shanegibson•6d ago

Hit 500 washer drain pumps rebuilt in 5 years today

I was going through my work log this morning and realized I just passed 500 rebuilt drain pumps on Whirlpool and GE washers since I started keeping track in 2019. That number caught me off guard because I never thought I would see that many clogged up with socks and coins. Most of them were on the old direct drive models where the pump housing cracks if you look at it wrong. Anybody else track how many of a single part they have swapped out?

12

nelson.cameron•6d ago

Old tech at a laundrymat set me straight on dryer vent cleaning

He said I was wasting time with those brush kits and told me to just use a leaf blower. Tried it on a tricky 20 foot run last Thursday and cleared out twice the lint in half the time. Anyone else ditch the brushes for this method?

22

vera_lewis•6d ago

Heard a young guy call a 2010 model 'ancient' and it got me thinking

I was at a parts counter last Wednesday and this kid maybe 25 years old says a 2010 Whirlpool washer is ancient. I fix those things all the time. They are built way better than the new ones with all those circuit boards. I got started in this trade back in 1987 and we used to fix a washer with a screwdriver and a multimeter. Now a lot of these new machines are throwaways after 5 or 6 years because the control panel costs more than the whole unit. Does anyone else see a big drop in quality around 2015 or was that just me?

4

graceprice•7d ago

Spent 4 hours chasing a phantom error on a basic LG washer

Got a call last week about an LG front loader that kept throwing a dE error mid-cycle. I checked the door switch, the latch assembly, even swapped the control board. Took me until the third trip to realize the little rubber drain hose was kinked under the machine, causing a slow drain and tricking the door lock sensor. Four hours of my life I will never get back. Has anyone else had a simple kinked hose cause something like this?

11

tylermurray•8d ago

Caught an old Frigidaire dishwasher flooding a kitchen floor

I found something weird last week on a service call. A Frigidaire dishwasher from 2018 was flooding, but the float switch and water inlet valve tested fine. Turns out the drain pump had a tiny crack in the housing, letting water seep out during the wash cycle. I almost replaced the valve for nothing. Has anyone else run into a cracked drain pump on these newer models?

1

williams90•8d ago

Had a customer insist his dryer was possessed

Old guy calls me out to his basement. Says the dryer starts by itself at 3am. I check everything, timer, door switch, motor. Nothing. He's telling me it's ghosts. I'm thinking he's crazy. Turns out his cat was climbing on the control panel. 4am every night. Cat fat enough to press the start button. Never saw that before.

8

clairer79•10d ago

Hot take: Should you ALWAYS quote an extra 30 minutes for unexpected repairs?

Last Tuesday I was doing a simple dryer repair in a basement in Portland. Told the customer it would take about an hour to replace the belt. Then I found the idler pulley was seized AND the drum glide had melted from friction. I had to call my supplier and wait 45 minutes for delivery. Cost me my next job because I was late. Do you guys pad your quotes with extra time or stick to what you think the job should be? I'm leaning towards always adding a buffer now.

11

kim_patel89•10d ago

Conservatory in Phoenix taught me to always check the drain line slope first

Back in 2015, I got called to a commercial ice machine at a conservatory attached to a museum. Thing was down every three weeks like clockwork. Previous guy kept swapping parts. I crawled under and found the drain line had a low spot about 4 feet from the machine. Water pooled, froze, backed up. Repiped it with a straight drop and never heard from them again. $45 in parts, saved them thousands. After that, I started checking drains before I even pull a panel. How many of you have found something similar that was the real root cause?

18

terryb11•10d ago

Vent: Three hours to find a tiny piece of plastic blocking a dishwasher drain pump

I pulled the whole pump assembly apart twice before I noticed a little shard from a broken wine glass wedged in the impeller housing that was barely visible, has anyone else spent way too long hunting down something that simple?

7

morgan.mary•11d ago

TIL those ultrasonic cleaners actually work for small parts

I was fixing a clogged gas range at Mrs. Patterson's house last month and her oven valve was caked with grease. My buddy Dave always swore by his ultrasonic cleaner for burner orifices and thermocouple ends. I figured it was a gimmick until I dropped a grimy igniter electrode in there for 15 minutes and it came out looking factory new. Has anyone else found a use for these things beyond carburetors and jewelry?

4

charlie_allen•12d ago

Hit my 500th service call last month and it threw me for a loop

I've been doing appliance repair for about 8 years now, mostly fridges and washers in the Denver area. Last month I hit my 500th service call and honestly it surprised me how much that number got me thinking. It was a simple dryer fix, just a bad thermal fuse on a Samsung, nothing special. But i counted back through my old log books and realized I've done everything from $15 part swaps to full compressor replacements. What number made you guys stop and think about how far you've come in this trade?

26

robert_smith36•13d ago

Had to pick between a landlord's ancient dryer and a new one

Got a call to fix a 20 year old dryer that the landlord refused to replace. Spent 2 hours on it before realizing the drum was bent and it was a lost cause. Told the landlord straight up, and he finally agreed to buy a new one. Anyone else deal with landlords who think old appliances are immortal?

0

spencer_hayes71•14d ago

Customer told me their dryer was 'just making a weird noise' - ended up being a blown apart drum roller after I pulled 3 pounds of lint out

Overheard a guy at the parts counter say he never cleans the lint trap because 'it's fine'. Then I got a call for a dryer that 'just makes a weird noise'. Got there, opened the back, and the drum rollers were shredded. Pulled out about 3 pounds of lint packed around the motor housing. The customer said they'd had it for 5 years and never once pulled the vent hose. Has anyone else noticed people ignoring the basics way more than they used to?

26

james_ramirez•17d ago

Ran into a weird one on a fridge yesterday

Got a call about a Frigidaire that wasn't cooling right, figured it was the compressor or maybe a bad start relay. Turned out the condenser coil was packed solid with dog hair and dust, took me almost 45 minutes just to clean it out. Has anyone else seen units get that bad or is it just me?

5

sean_walker45•21d ago

That Friday where three Bosch dishwashers all had the same blown thermal fuse

Three calls in one day, three different houses, all Bosch dishwashers from the same year with the exact same thermal fuse blown. Has anyone else run into a weird pattern like that where a specific part fails on the same model across multiple houses in a short span?

23

andrewh43•23d ago

That time a washing machine tried to climb the stairs on me

I was hauling an old Maytag down a basement staircase in a 1920s building off Elm Street in Cleveland. Halfway down, the drum decided to shift and the whole thing tipped forward, nearly taking me with it. Now I always strap the drum down before moving any front-loader, no exceptions. Anyone else have a machine try to kill them on the job?

25

noah880•23d ago

TIL those cheap ultrasonic cleaners actually work for small parts

I was always skeptical of the $40 ultrasonic cleaners you see on Amazon. Figured they were just toys that would break after one use. Last month I grabbed one to clean some clogged injector nozzles on a dishwasher. That little thing got them spotless in 5 minutes after I'd been soaking them in vinegar for two days with no luck. Anyone else find a use for these on stuff besides the usual carburetors?

17

seanjohnson•23d ago

Spent $80 on a universal washing machine control board that didn't fit

I saw a deal online for a universal board that claimed it worked on most top-loaders. Bought it from a random site, waited a week for shipping. Popped it into a 5-year-old Whirlpool and the harness connector was off by three pins. Tried to rig it with jumper wires and the thing just buzzed and then smoked. Now I'm out $80 and still have the original machine sitting in my garage. Has anyone else had luck with those universal boards or are they all junk?

20

skyler_lane83•23d ago

Had a Viking range thermostat throw a fit at a house in Oak Park last Tuesday

Was out on a service call for a Viking range that had the oven running 75 degrees hot, ended up spending 3 hours chasing a bad thermostat that looked fine on the multimeter. The homeowner stood over my shoulder the whole time asking if I was sure it wasn't the igniter. Any of you guys dealt with these digital thermostats that test good cold but fail once they heat up?

13

casey393•24d ago

PSA: That $70 Bosch compressor check valve is a scam if you buy it branded

I wasted $70 on an OEM Bosch check valve for a fridge compressor last month. Got it from a parts supplier in Nashville. Turns out the exact same valve is $12 on Grainger under a generic part number. Just a heads up if you do any sealed system work. Anyone else ever get burned on OEM parts that are just rebranded generic stuff?

18

theawest•25d ago

Debate: Should we charge a trip fee or roll it into the labor rate?

I was out at a job in Maplewood last week fixing a washer that had a bad lid switch. While I was there, the customer asked why I charge a $45 trip fee on top of my hourly rate. I told her it covers my gas and time to get there, but she pointed out other repair guys just quote one flat price that covers everything. It got me thinking - do you guys prefer a separate trip fee so the customer sees that cost clearly, or do you blend it into your labor rate to make the bill look simpler? Has anyone here switched from one method to the other and noticed a difference in how many calls you get?