water

Jan

2013

Five Most Common Problems With Bathroom Faucets ~ Blog

Ok, today I wanted to show you the five most common problems with vanity bathroom faucets such as the (Price Pfister) one you see here.

One of the most often problems is a leak from the handle. Now if you are seeing a leak from the top of the handle, I am going to take this off just to show you, taking this sort of pretaking this apart with a flat blade knife and than pull the screw out. Just to make it faster.

If it is leaking from the handle it’s usually an O ring inside the top of the cartridge here. That’s one problem.

The next problem is if you have a leak from the spout. If you have a leak from the spout it’s often the bibb washer underneath here.
and that bibb washer needs to be replaced.

Now one nice upgrade you can do is to use a ceramic disc cartridge
which this one has already been done. Converted to a ceramic disc cartridge.

Here is a link https://amzn.to/2GFviej (Amazon Link) to a ceramic disc cartridge that works well for “Price Pfister” two handle bathroom or kitchen faucets.

It’s kind of nice in that it doesn’t have the same squeezing affect as a bibb washer. But anyway the most often cause of a dripping tap is from the bibb washer.

The third most common problem with vanity faucets is low flow or taking a long time to heat and what that most often is is a aerator. Now it doesn’t always appear so, you don’t always see the low flow but a lot of times that’s the cause.

First thing to check when you are having
it take a long time to get hot or you’re seeing low flow at your tap
is to change the aerator.

Fourth most common problem with vanity faucets is a leak from the supply line so looking down underneath here what you want to do is check it at all your fitting connections and feel for any leaks at all the connection points and that way make sure that your supply line is not leaking.

And the fifth most common source of trouble spots for the vanity faucet is the angle stop itself. so you want to feel in between. In between there at all of the fitting connections. You can see there’s a nut here that tightens down here sometimes this can be tightened. you want to use two wrenches if you have got a leak there.

And that is the five most common problems with vanity faucets.

Jan

2013

Five Most Common Problems With Refrigerators ~ Blog

Ok, today I am going to be discussing with you the five most common problems with refrigerators.

0:18 Number one is a stuck fridge fan. When you open your fridge and it is in it’s run cycle you should hear the sound like you are hearing now, the fan motor spinning. Sometimes what happens is the fan blades get stuck against the side or the fan blade itself goes so far back that it seats against the motor and than the blades get stuck and don’t turn.

0:42 Second most common problems with refrigerators is drips from the ceiling. Now if it’s just small drips it can be caused by food put in that’s hot like boiling or something that had boiled and than set in the fridge without a cover on it. The way to eliminate that is to keep a cover on your food.

But if your seeing excessive drips from the inside center here then it may indicate that you have a clogged condensate drain which is a very common problem with refrigerators.

01:11 The third most common problem with refrigerators is the compressor not running. If you listen back here you can kind of hear the hum of the compressor. So if you don’t hear that sound that low humming sound that’s different from the fan going than your starter may need to be replaced on the compressor.

01:31 The fourth most common problem with refrigerators is torn gaskets. The way that you prevent that from happening is to clean the gaskets here often, and to clean the fridge surface here often, where it mates. What happens is sticky foods stick in there and than pulling apart from the gasket
eventually can tear the gasket wear out the gasket so that’s the way to
kind of prevent it.

Each door manufacturer is different so you might have to consult your directions on how to replace your gasket. Some of them will have screws along the inside portion here of the gasket in order to change it.
Others will have a press in place groove that the gasket gets pressed into.
Others the entire door portion will pull apart so that you can replace the gasket. So each kind is just slightly different.

02:20 And the fifth most common problem with refrigerators is being off balance. What you want is for when you let your fridge door go you want it to just close nice and gently and close all the way.

You want the fridge to aim towards the back just a tiny bit so that condensate goes down and stays along the back of the fridge and settles into the pan that’s on the back on the top of the compressor usually. But anyway, you want your fridge to angle towards the back just a tiny bit.

If your fridge is off balance there is usually an adjustment screw here.
Or some fridges have a wheel that is turned here. This ones got a wheel that’s turned, as you can see, one on each side. And these can be adjusted
just by lifting up a little bit on the fridge and than turning this either by hand or with channel locks.

So that’s the five most common problems with refrigerators.

Jan

2013

Washing Machine: Five Most Common Problems Blog

OK, today I wanted to go over the five most common problems with washing machines with you.

00:19 The number one most often problem with washing machines is a washing machine that doesn’t drain or spin, most often caused by a broken lid switch.

You should hear a click as this goes into place. If you don’t hear that click then your, or if your washing machine is not going into its final cycles
it’s most often this lid switch here.

Sometimes you can just press on this right side and get it to engage the switch. Also occasionally you can just adjust the post a little bit
so that the post will stick further into the switch which will engage the switch. Also sometimes you can just adjust the switch or tighten it up.
Often it needs to be replaced I have a video on that.

01:05 Second most often problem with washing machines often goes undetected something you’d probably want to check regularly is that your agitator dogs are working properly. What it should do is turn the bottom one-way or the other. So this one is turning it like it should and the agitator dogs are functioning. Now if it’s not doing that than your clothes are just getting rinsed. They are not really getting washed. It is an often missed
problem with washing machines. And it is probably very common because the agitator dogs inside here are designed to break if someone’s arm was to get stuck in here or if something was to bind up too much the agitator dogs will actually strip on purpose as a safety mechanism.

01:50 Third most common problem with washing machines is a clogged pump at the impeller. Sometimes a penny or a button, or something else, a bobby pin, whatever goes down the drain line and gets stuck at the pump.

02:05 Fourth most common problem is a leak. Most often leaks occur up on the left side.

Fifth most common problem is a washing machine out of balance. Now the most often cause of the machine being out of balance is just a matter of redistributing the clothes. Usually a towel or something gets on one side and you hear the whump whump whump whump of the machine.

What you need to do is open the lid and than go ahead and readjust the clothing or go ahead and readjust the towel. Readjust the items in the bin to get it more balanced. Then go ahead and run it again see if it works out and you have no more out of balance deal.

Sometimes you could lose a spring. Most often times it’s just that the
machine is out of balance. Eventually I’ll have to make you a video showing you how to reset the spring if it did come off.

There are three different shocks and then there is a spring that holds the machine basin in place.

Now the way to check if your machine is still in balance is just ahead and run it empty with water. Let the water fill up. If the machine finds its balance than you know it was just a matter of the clothes or the laundry items being out of balance

Anyway that is the five most common problems with washing machines!

~ TFW ~..~ KFM ~

May

2011

Seven Smart Steps to Lower Cooling Bills, Improve Air Quality, and Preserve Air Condition Units

Clean Condensor Coils.

First pull the A/C disconnect and discharge the capacitor. Next rinse the coils with a garden hose and hand sprayer (make sure the spray is not too strong to avoid bending the condenser fins) starting from the inside fins thru the lid, spray as much of the dirt to the outside. Avoid getting the fan condenser motor wet but do rinse off the blades as needed. Next clean off the outside of the fins with the spray spraying straight but angle downward. Avoid spraying sideways to prevent bending the fins. Next apply the coil cleaner with a garden sprayer or by following manufacturer’s recommendations. Wait manufacturers recommended time (usually about five minutes) and rinse the coils inside and out thoroughly.

Mechanics and Methods of Air Conditioner Repair

Artwork diagram from the book Kung Fu Maintenance

Clean Evaporator Coils.

A no rinse evaporator coil cleaner is the easiest way to clean the evaporator coil. Spray it on the coils turn on the evaporator coil. Reset the panel door turn on the A/C and wait the manufacturers recommended time (usually between five and thirty minutes).

Replace Air Filters.

Replace filters every three months and every month if possible during higher use seasons. If you or a family member suffer from allergies use a HEPA filter. HEPA stands for high efficiency particle arrestor. The HEPA filter catches smaller particles so your noses and lungs don’t have to.

Clear Condensate Pans, Drains, and Lines.

Use a wet dry vacuum to vacuum out the pan and lines. On some systems you may need to hook up a smaller hose to the wet dry suction to get better access to the pan. You can make a quick rig for this with a small length of plastic hose and duct tape. Just insert two to three foot length of hose into wet dry vacuum suction hose end and duct tape in place wrapping the tape around the union covering all gaps (makeshift reducer coupling).

Add Condensate Tablets to Drain Pans.

Good condensate pan tablets contain rust and mold inhibitors. They also contain an anti-coagulant that keeps the dirt from clumping together and clogging your condensate drain. They will help preserve the life of your condensate drain pan as well as help keep the air you and your guests are breathing healthier and better smelling.

Tape all Areas of Air Leakage at Air Handler.

Apply HVAC foil tape or other HVAC rated tape to seal any open joints. Use an old dollar bill or a paper towel to locate any air leakage whether blowing out or sucking in. Hold the dollar bill or paper by one end and see if the other end is affected, either sucked towards or blown away from the air handler when you move it around the system. That is a one dollar or less air leak locator. Seal off any leakages with tape to improve the efficiency of the system.

Check for Fifteen to Twenty Degree Split.

Turn on the system and wait five to ten minutes for the pressures to equalize. Test the temperature going in the intake vent and then test the temperature coming out of one of the registers. If you have two thermometers, set one up at each, and take your readings. If your reading coming out of the register is fifteen to twenty degrees cooler then the air being sucked into the intake then your refrigerant charge is ok. If not then your system will need to be charged and the refrigerant leak located (most often at a Schrader valve, I cover this and many other factors in my book Kung Fu Maintenance). If you are not EPA certified you will need the services of a qualified HVAC technician.

~~~ Stay Cool ~~

~~~~~~ Kung Fu Maintenance ~~~~~