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Types and brands of appliances we fix in the Boise Idaho area.

Dishwasher Maintenance Advice

Hello again, this is the owner of Western Boise Appliance Repair bringing to you more tips and tricks for appliances in the Boise region.  These short tips will hopefully bring some insight to you in your appliance repair endeavors.  Today we will discuss dishwasher maintenance and/or cleaning. Dishwashers need maintenance and a little bit of tender loving care in order to keep cleaning your dishes for years to come.  These pictures show a dishwasher that hasn’t been maintained very well and the water circulation was blocked by debris such as toothpicks, popcorn, nuts, etc.  These items can wreak havoc on the dishwashers.  They are not chopped up but get inside the wash motor impeller and drain pumps and cause damage.  It is always a good Idea to removed hard items such as these from plates and bowls before placing them in the dishwasher. Most dishwashers now have a filter that needs to be cleaned out often.  In these pictures the filter is not show very well but it is located right underneath the spray arm.  Your owners guide should point you in the right direction.  Regular cleaning is very important because when the filter is clogged it prevents the free flow of water which is needs to effectively pump out all of the dirty water.  Your dishwasher will have greasy and dirty deposits throughout its interior because of this.   Hope this helps and don’t forget to call Western for all or appliance repair needs!  Take care!

By |2021-01-17T11:41:05-07:00January 17th, 2021|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Dishwasher Maintenance Tips

Hello Folks!  Thanks again to all my Boise and Meridian customers who tune in and read my blogs.  I will always update blog periodically and I hope these are helpful.    Today I want to talk about techniques for getting the most from your dishwasher. Detergent Clean dishes starts with the basics – good detergent.  There are many dishwasher detergents on the markets today and some get very high marks for cleaning.    My recommendation is to choose dishwasher detergent pods.  The pods contain a measured amount of detergent for the most efficient cleaning.  I recommend Finish and Cascade. Heated Dry if the wet dishes are left inside the dishwasher to “air dry” you may start to see mold buildup on the inside of the tub.  You may also start to smell a bad odor.  For this reason I don’t recommend using this.  The phrase “air dry” suggests something that it’s not.  There is very little air circulation in the tub to dry the dishes.  It is a good idea to always use “heated dry” to properly dry the dishes and prevent bacteria and mold. Heated Wash Most dishwashers have a Heated Wash function.  Using this is a good idea.  This ensures that the water temperature is high enough to properly dissolve and drain the fatty food residuals from the dishes. Proper Water Drainage All dishwashers should have a drain loop under the sink.  The drain hose should travel from the garbage disposal to near the underside of the counter-top for proper [...]

By |2020-09-08T20:11:42-06:00September 8th, 2020|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Dryer Ventilation

Dryer Ventilation Hello Folks, my name is Rich from Western Appliance Repair in Meridian and Boise Idaho. In this blog post I’d like to discuss dryer ventilation and how important it is. Dryer ventilation originates at the blower wheel.  Dryer motors have this blower wheel directly attached to the dryer motor so that when the dryer drum is rotating the blower wheel will be rotating and blowing air out the back of the dryer at the same time.  The blower wheel is located in a housing/duct so as it is blowing air out the back of the dryer it is also sucking air from the dryer drum via ducting. This airflow is there for the purpose of removing the moisture and air from the inside of the drum during the drying process.  If there is an air restriction somewhere then the dryer can overheat and will not dry the clothes properly.  In many instances Boise and Meridian appliance users will feel that there dryer is producing heat but are confused at why their clothes are not getting dry. This can be cause by a few different things: A restricted house vent duct. This is the ducting that runs from your dryer to outside.  This is the most common problem. A clogged lint filter. A lint filter should be cleaned before every dry cycle.  I hate to say this but I am guilty of not cleaning this on my home dryer.  It happens but I think I’ve learned my lesson. A [...]

By |2019-11-22T17:54:48-07:00November 22nd, 2019|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Dryer Heater Thermostats

Hello, it’s Rich again from Western Appliance.  We did six more repairs today.  It seems that appliances never stop breaking. In this picture we see two different components.  One is a dryer high limit thermostat and the other is a thermal fuse. These important components regulate the dryer element's heat - which is used for heating the interior of the drum when you dry clothes.  They do not regulate the temperature inside the dryer drum however.  I hope I did not confuse you. The only thing these components do is regulate the dryer element heat alone, that’s it.  The dryer uses separate components which regulate the internal drying temperature.  I’ll try to explain this a better way – if you wanted to start a campfire with a match you would want that match to burn at a sufficient temperature to light a fire.  Once the fire is started then you can regulate the fire with the addition of wood or reducing the fires oxygen.  Well, these thermostats regulate the “match”.  The heat inside the dryer is controlled by a separate thermostat or temperature sensor. They are mounted to the electric heating element housing and prevent overheating.  It is very common to find these on most every dryer we encounter in Boise and Meridian.

By |2019-04-02T18:42:24-06:00April 2nd, 2019|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Lint inside the Dryer

Lint can be a real problem with dryers because it restricts the air flow inside the dryer drum during the drying cycle.  Air flow in the drum during the drying cycle is very important because the moisture from the wet clothes needs to be flushed out.  The air flow also needs to cool the heater element to prevent overheating and damage. The clothes will take longer to dry and also can cause damage to thermostats, heaters, and electronics. This picture shows lint buildup around the heater element and the thermostats.  This lint buildup suggests there may be a vent restriction.  Air back-pressure causes this lint to flow inwards and into the interior of the dryer. Dryer vents should be professionally cleaned at regular intervals to maintain proper dryer operation and to avoid costly repairs.  Western Appliance can recommend a good company to have this service performed.  For any questions feel free to call Rich at 208-344-4893 or visit our website at https://appliancerepairboise.com Thank you Rich

By |2019-03-14T20:26:47-06:00March 14th, 2019|Appliance Repair Boise, Dryers|0 Comments

Refrigerator Evaporator Defrost Pattern

This a GE refrigerator/freezer that is not getting cold enough and is not freezing the food in the freezer section.  As you can see in the video, the lower part of the evaporator has a frost pattern on it.  This frost layer can tell you if the compressor and sealed-system is operating properly.  The thin  frost layer should evenly coat the entire evaporator and not just the lower part.  Under normal operation, all the coils should be absorbing heat from the freezer.  The bi-product of this absorption is frozen condensation on the coils.

By |2019-02-06T11:53:25-07:00October 25th, 2018|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Refrigerator Icemaker Tips

Our Boise customers rely heavily on the proper operation of their refrigerator’s built-in icemaker, especially when the Boise temperatures get hot in the summer months. We want to keep the icemaker working good at all times and avoid costly repairs. When our Boise residents leave town for a long period of time, you should never forget to shut off the icemaker by turning off the power switch or pushing the lever up to disable it. This will ensure that in the event of a malfunction, the refrigerator will not leak extensively and will limit any possible damage to the refrigerator or floor.

By |2019-02-06T11:54:26-07:00July 18th, 2017|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

It’s been a tough Boise winter!

I’m real glad the snow in Boise has finally melted and from what I understand, most of my customers are too. Let’s face it folks, a little bit of snow is great and it is sure nice around Christmas but enough is enough! I have not shoveled so much snow in my life and my body was about to give out, ouch, my aching back! Let’s hope our next Boise winter will be a mild one.

By |2019-02-06T11:49:33-07:00February 20th, 2017|Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments

Refrigerators

Refrigerators are one of the most popular and important appliances we own in our house.  It keeps our food cold and without it, especially in the summer, we’re left with food that will become rotten or stale.  Our drinks will become warm and our beer lovers will be left sipping warm suds.  This is not a good thing. There are a number of different refrigerator configurations available: Top-Mount, Bottom-Mount, French-Door, and Side-by-Side. The Top-Mount name refers to where the freezer is located.  In this case the freezer is located on the top of the unit. In the Bottom-Mount unit, the freezer is on the bottom. The side-by-side refrigerator is the most popular in Boise.  The freezer is usually located on the left hand side of the unit. The French-Door refrigerator is a combination of the Top-Mount and the Side-by-Side.  The refrigerator will be on top with two swinging doors and the freezer will be on the bottom, usually a pull-out drawer. Why the emphasis on where the freezer is located?  This is because the cool air in the refrigerator comes from the freezer via an evaporator fan.  The freezer is the “main” cooling unit which houses the evaporator and evaporator fan- motor to supply freezing air for the freezer and cool air to the refrigerator. So, what kind of repairs do make on refrigerators in Boise?  Well, here’s a few things we end up replacing – condenser fan motors, evaporator fan motors, blades, thermostats, compressors, control-boards, broken dispenser arms, ice-makers, [...]

By |2019-02-06T11:55:26-07:00September 24th, 2012|Appliance Repair Boise, Refrigerators|0 Comments

Frigidaire

Frigidaire celebrated it’s 95th anniversary in 2011.   It was founded in 1916 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.   The company was originally bought from engineer Alfred Mellowes and a group of investors by General Motors.   In 1919, the company was moved to Detroit and mass production of refrigerators began. The Frigidaire Appliance division makes cook-tops, stoves, wall ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, garbage disposals, water dispensers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, toasters, coffee makers, and irons.  Frigidaire’s are built to last.  The Professional Collection has Pro-Select Controls, Heavy Duty Grates, and professional style knobs.   Ovens/stoves have Power-Plus Boil and Power Plus Convection. In 1921 GM transferred the manufacturing to Dayton, OH and a division of Delco Light.  During this time porcelain coating, insulation, and temperature controls in refrigerators were introduced.  Frigidaire also began producing ice-cream cabinets, soda fountains, drinking fountains, and grocery freezers. Mass production brought the price of a Frigidaire refrigerator to the low price of $468 by 1926.  Between 1919 and 1929 Frigidaire sold more than 1 million refrigerators.  By 1941 it had sold over 6 million. In 1929 they introduced the first home chest size food freezer.  1931 freon was used as a refrigerant.  1938 brought the first window air conditioner. During the 1930’s Frigidaire offered other appliances.  Ranges, ovens, water heaters, washers and dryers.   Right before WWII Frigidaire claimed they had the world’s largest refrigerator plant with over 20,000 employees in the U.S.    During the war production was turned over to defense items including aircraft parts, propellers, gas [...]

By |2019-02-06T11:46:56-07:00September 23rd, 2012|Appliance Brand History, Appliance Repair Boise|0 Comments
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