David asks…
Why is it more expensive to repair many appliances than to buy new ones?
Fixing an ice maker and water filtration system for a stainless steel side by side refrigerator can cost more than the entire brand new fridge?
I understand when it is a small electrical item like a digital camera or laptops, but how can something as big as dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine cost more to repair than repurchase?
James Conley answers:
You can thank Henry Ford for that.
He was the one who revolutionized the assembly line. This reduces overhead cost dramatically. That sets the price of many things. Now a repair is not an assembly line process. You must have a real person come out and fix it. PEOPLE are expensive. Pay by hour or job plus parts. All expensive. TRY doing it yourself. I fix nearly every thing we have for the price of parts. I broke a few things on the way to the learning land. But I have also saved thousands in labor coast. Hope this helps.
William asks…
How hard is it to install a dishwasher?
My dishwasher has quit and it’s going to cost to much to repair so I think just buying a new one is the best way to go. I’m thinking installing a new one shouldn’t be to hard. If you’ve installed one let me know how tough it was.
Also, I’m looking at a Whirlpool to buy. If you have one is it good?
James Conley answers:
Easy enough if you are patient and can handle a screwdriver and a wrench. It helps to make a simple diagram or drawing of where all your connections are on the old one, the new one will hook-up the same way. The power cord and discharge for the new unit are usually inside the unit itself; you’ll have to hook up the electrical wires and the ground wire to the new machine, Depending on its configuration, you may have to cut an inch or two off the discharge hose where it connects to the air-gap under the sink, but it should be obvious.Step #1: take the d/w’s power cord out of the outlet. #2: turn off the hot water valve where the d/w’s water hose is hooked up. #3: The discharge hose from the d/w is usually a corrugated white hose about an inch-and-a-half in diameter, usually held onto the bottom of the air-gap with a hose clamp (some folks call it a ‘worm gear’). #4: Open the door of the d/w and look above it, under the counter’s edge, there are usually 2 screws holding it the underside of the counter…remove the screws. At this point you might be able to just pull the d/w out, being careful to ‘feed’ the water hose, discharge hose and power cord out from the sink cabinet, through the hole in sink cabinet. Sometimes you’ll have to take the lower panel off the front of the bottom of the d/w to screw the little ‘feet’ up a little higher…those are levelling feet and often have to be adjusted to make the d//w sit level on the floor. Installation is simply the reverse procedure! Connect the water supply line, using Teflon tape on the threads of the shutoff valve, then turn the water back on SLOWLY . Plug the power cord into the receptacle. Connect the discharge hose to the air-gap. Screw the ‘tabs’ onto the underside of the counter and level the feet. Turn the unit on and run it, empty except for soap, and check for leaks
James asks…
How can I fix my dishwasher door?
Before I call appliance repair and spend a 100.00 dollars, is there any way I can fix my door myself? One of my babies used it for a step stool and now it goes too far down and the lower basket falls out. It’s only a couple of years old, my last one did it too. (another child!)
James Conley answers:
One or more components have been deformed, “bent”. A repair person my be able to replace the components, which may include the door itself, (wanna guess how much that will cost)
About all you can do, is disassemble it and try to form the components back to the original shape
Personally if it doesn’t leak, I’d just live with it
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