appliance advice (my opinion)

[breezer]

If your appliance goes wrong.

First thing to do is consult manual, if you have no manual search the web for one. (or search for manufaturer)

2nd after doing that, and the manual doen't help read posts on this forum.

3rd, if that doesnt help post message, stating what appliance is, make and model of appliance. what is wrong and what appliance does or doesn't do, any thing on its display (if fitted)

Some things are easy to fix, like water not coming in or going out but most other things are best left to a service engineer of the appliance (i used to be one) the reason i say this is because in some cases if a part fails it is doing its job, because another part is actually at fault which is not aparent to you.

also for example a door seal, there are a few tricks in fitting them which makes it easier, but have you got the RIGHT door seal, (i have even seen a washing m/c that an independant engineer fitted a door seal that was the wrong one!)

Also some "replacement parts" are similar , but need slight altereration or slight wiring changes which are not aparrent.

I therefore suggest that unless you can see the part from outside of the appliance, get an engineer in to do it for you. Most manufacturers have their own team of engineers specialy for this.

If you get an independant company, ask for call out charge (if any) and insist on having genuine parts fitted, as they will last longer.

one other note.
Sometimes a washing m/c will stop mid cycle so it is assumed it is the timer / programmer is at fault, quite often it isn't its the heating element as the m/c has stopped and is actually waiting for the water to get to temperature, but as the element is no longer working the m/c will just "sit there"

but an engineer (and now you) will know this, so get an engineer to change the element as, as previously mentioned sometimes something else goes too which is not aparent.

some jobs are not for the diy person

 

[IanDB]

Hi Breezer, wouldn't disagree with most of what you say especially the bit about reading the instructions. After that it really comes down to how much effort you're prepared to put into finding out what's wrong and how much inconvenience you suffer along the way.

As an ardent DIYer I've turned my hand to most things but then I have an understanding wife who will put up with a washing machine in pieces across the kitchen floor at 10 o'clock at night whilst I curse and swear putting it back together only to find I haven't got the seal located properly - we've all been there.

If you've got the inclination, it's very satisfying to take something apart, understand it, fix it and get it back together again. It all helps when the next occasion arises.

I'm fairly relaxed with most of this as I've got the background in it but I do worry when people take things apart without the faintest idea about what they're getting into. The ultimate example of this was a friend of mine who was asked to look a new electric lamp that wasn't working. The owner had just put the plug on. My mate had a look. On his own admission he wasn't really up on electrics but even he knew that in order for it to work you had to strip back the insulation on the leads!

Most of the frustration of having to get people in is based around not knowing if they're any good and whether you're going to get ripped off. My recommendation is that if you know anybody who has had a job done that is satisfactory find out who did it and keep the number for future reference! Personal experience is that small independant suppliers can often offer a far better back up and support service (they're future business depends on it) than the larger retailers.

 

[robinsm4]

Thank you for your advice. I am a DIYer and love taking things apart and resolving the issues. This is not the first the washing machine/Dryer has packed up.
However, the current problem is the Dryer. When tumbling, the drum goes around and never gets warm/hot. Sounds like the heater has gone.
The only manual I have is for basic faults and I can not find anything on the web for proper manuals. Any suggestions welcome.

 

[breezer]

Perhaps i should make my self clear

People mention about being able to find the engineers manual for their particular appliance on the internet, I was previously trained as an electrician then went into appliance (home laundry) repair for a while, it showed me how much MORE their is to most appliances than even the manual shows (manuals often have updates / amendments), you need to have a very good electrical knowledge to understand the manual in short, if you can see it from out side the appliance you can change it, if you can not then call an engineer