My Applianceblog.com testimonial! - ApplianceBlog.com

Robinh · #1 October 14th, 2009, 09:02 AM

Long story, bear with me....Okay, been coming here for years now. Been a member for years, but been visiting this site even longer than that as I waited until I had a need before signing up.

So let's look at my adventures and how Jake has helped me and my family out oh so many times. Around four years ago we had a lightening strike across the street from our house on the power transformer sitting on a pedestal in my neighbors front yard. That fed back into our houses and caused all kinds of problems. Even with battery backup, fused power strips, and isolation protection, my home computer still melted down. The connector from the power supply to the motherboard was literally melted onto the mother board.

For about 6 months, other than the computer, we didn't notice any other faults. Then things started happening, odd things, not all at once, just once in a while.

First the TV went out. Well, it was time for a new big screen anyway, so no biggie, went out and bought one of the new 62" jobbies. The very next week my wife called me at work frantic saying that the heating element in the oven had melted through and was arcing and sparking. Course I told her to turn it off, then I had to fix that. Came here, Jake told me what to do, how to do it, and what to get. Couple of burn marks on that element showed it had more than one spot of trouble. Fixed it, then the top burner elements started going out, so at Jake's advice I got rid of it and moved over to one of those nice glass top thingys (yes, technical term for 'that thing my wife uses more than me').

About 6 months go by, then the heating element in the dishwasher goes out. I've posted the photos on this site back when I was asking for help. Jake walked me through fixing that. Was cheap, took little effort, and I was ever so happy when done.

About 6 more months go by, the defrost control on my freezer went out. Now I'm starting to get upset. Everything is going on the fritz. One day, while working with Jake on the forums trying to figure out the problem with my fridge, he asked me, "has your house ever been struck by lightening?". Hmmmm...well, yes, about a year ago... he says that this sometimes leads to mechanical failures over time of major appliances if the house wasn't properly grounded at the time of the strike." Hmmmm... well, I decide I'd better check the grounding. I pulled the cover off the main panel in the garage and low and behold, the ground is there, but I can shake it all around as they never tightened the lug onto the cable so it's had a "hit or miss" ground all this time. I immediately told the builder and all my neighbors as if it happened here, it could happen to others too.

So, Jake helps me fix my fridge and off I go, with a smile on my face but knowing other items may have problems. About 6 more months go by, and darned if it doesn't happen, the ice maker stops working. So following Jakes advice, I pull it out and along the side of the fridge, inside the freezer compartment, is a long burn mark. The ice maker literally burned up. So got me a replacement from Jake, installed it, and all is happy again.

Then I start having troubles with my dishes just not getting clean. Where do I go? Of course, I come here and ask for Jake's advice. He gives me all kinds of information, I go off hunting for clogged this and broken that. Well, the pumps not working well, the grinder is clogged up, basically the motor is shot, so again, I buy from Jake the entire motor/pump assembly and get it in three days, install it and again, the entire house is happy to have nice clean dishes.

So, this being an ever so long story, Jake and these forums have been instrumental in (a) me learning how to troubleshoot my najor appliances, (2) me having some adventures following Jake's instructions on what to look for and what to test, (3) my marriage not breaking up over having to replace major appliances every 6 months, (4) my house getting a better grounding system, and last but not least, (5) me learning how to identify what is and isn't a problem with my appliances. Right now we have the control board out of our washer as it's on the fritz, and through Jake's help I'm repairing that, and as the pictures below show, if I'd not have learned lessons throughout these trials and tribulations, I'd not have known that my wife was feeding the dishwasher inappropriate meals and would likely have had to call in a repairman for what was a 30 minute fix.

So, I've learned my lessons, obviously she hasn't, but she was first to mention, "I bet you go out there to that blog and post photos of this mess now, since it was my fault.". Well, I am all for pleasing the wife, so here's my testimonial, and here's some funny photos of what NOT to feed your dishwasher....

so Ladies, and gents, plastic spoons, onions and onion skins, and chicken bones DON'T GO IN A DISHWASHER!!!!!!

Robinh · #2 October 14th, 2009, 09:11 AM

Oh, and Jake, just so you know, the only electrical items left in the house are my clothes dryer, garage door opener, and ceiling fans. I know you'll be able to help me out with one of those three, so just waiting for it to go out...lol

***Jake*** · #3 October 14th, 2009, 10:11 AM

Thanks Robinh for the testimonial.

Jake

***ApplianceJunk*** · #4 October 14th, 2009, 02:38 PM

Great post and photos.

Jake runs a great site here. I check it daily myself and even though I have been a appliance technician for years I still learn new things from Jake.

***Jake*** · #5 October 14th, 2009, 09:43 PM

Thanks AJ.

I appreciate the help you've assisted with me here too!

Jake

***ApplianceJunk*** · #6 October 15th, 2009, 06:35 AM

No problem Jake, just wish I had more time to help then I do.

***Jake*** · #7 October 15th, 2009, 10:54 AM

No Problem AJ, I know you run a great forum too.

Jake

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