Archives: April 2013

Advice To Help When Buying A New Tumble Dryer

By Sam | Published: April 30, 2013

Advice on which Tumble Dryer you should buy

As with any new appliance that you are considering purchasing, you need to do your homework first.  Identify the type of dryer that will best suit your needs, and have a budget in mind.  It is a good point to bear in mind that buying cheap may be a false economy in the long run, as the tumble dryer may not be as efficient as you want, and may also wear out much quicker that you expected.  You may also find that you have to replace parts fairly often as well.

Consider where the tumble dryer will be situated in your home, as when you have gone through the types of dryer available, it may help to you to make up your mind.  Whether you will be looking for the best deal available on the internet, it is always a good idea to go to a local showroom and actually check out your top choices first before you buy.

Don’t forget to check into online and customer reviews on the particular models available, as these may well change your mind from the model you were going to select.

The types of tumble dryers currently on the market are: Read More Here…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Washing Machine Buying Guide To Help With Your New Purchase

By Sam | Published: April 24, 2013

Advice on which Washing Machine to Buy

It is quite a tricky issue to decide on which washing machine to buy, whether it is your first purchase or a replacement for an older machine.  There are a lot of things to take into account, such as:

  • Price and your budget
  • Look and finishSize
  • Energy rating
  • Drum size
  • Number of programmes
  • Spin speeds
  • Free standing
  • Integrated (also known as built-in)
  • Dimensions of machine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be quite a nightmare to reach a decision that you will be happy with. Obviously the washing machines at the lower end of the price scale are attractive when you have a small budget, but they may not be as energy efficient and could end up costing you more to run.  Also if the drum size is insufficient for your needs it will mean that you will need to use the machine more than you would want.

Most washing machines are of a very similar size, between 80-90cm high x 50-60cm wide x 50-60cm deep. If you have a limited space for the washing machine, you should disregard anything that will not fit – that’s a start anyway.

You will obviously know whether you want a free-standing machine, which is one that just fits into an empty space in your kitchen.  An integrated (built-in) machine is manufactured with a flat front allowing a matching door to be fitted over the top, so that it matches the rest of the cabinets in your kitchen –  thereby causing you to run round your kitchen opening every door until you find the appliance you need!

Please bear in mind that, in most cases, an integrated machine will be more expensive.  Read More Here…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Thermostat Failures on a Tumble Dryer And Why They Happen

By Sam | Published: April 16, 2013

Reasons why a thermostat fails

The rate of flow of air through the tumble dryer can and will affect the operation of the dryer, and may well cause a failure of the thermostat itself.

In a normal drying cycle, the drum will rotate, and may even reverse the rotation.  They cycle will depend on the settings you choose, but a timer will be slowly counting down the drying time, either mechanically or electronically.

Cold air is drawn into the machine, this passes over or through a heater and into the drum.  The clothes will then be ‘tumbled’ through the heated air.  The resulting cooled air will then be either passed out through a ventilation hose, or through a condensing element.

If the air is blocked and not allowed to pass through the appliance, this will have an effect on the operation.  The tumble dryer can overheat and the safety mechanism will be tripped into operation, cutting off the power to the appliance. Read More Here…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

A Guide Explaining How Freezers and Fridges Work

By Sam | Published: April 13, 2013

Apart from the odd few, most people are not that interested in how refrigeration systems work, other than to try to understand what is causing a specific problem with their own appliance.

In very basic terms, your domestic refrigeration appliance is controlled by a simple heat exchanger along the lines of a heat pump.  However, with modern fridge freezers, technology is now much more advanced and, especially the double door American style fridge freezers, are far more complex.

 

 

Importance of Refrigeration

In order to keep your stored food in as fresh a condition as possible within the refrigerator requires a steady temperature of:

2-5oC for cheese, fruit, salad etc.

-1-2oC for meat, fish etc

Read more here…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Information On Fridge and Freezers Icing Up

By Sam | Published: April 8, 2013

cing up in fridges and freezers can be caused by many reasons, some of which can raise concerns and will probably need the expert advice of an engineer to resolve.  Others, of course, are more simple and can easily be rectified by yourself.

Air Flow

It is very important when you are packing your fridge and freezer with food, that you don’t use every available square inch of space, as this stop the appliance working correctly.

If this is the problem, all you need to do is to repack the fridge or freezer, ensuring you have left gaps around the food to ensure the air can flow easily, thereby keeping the freezer working at the right level to keep the food at the right temperature and to avoid an ice build up.

Build up of Ice

Depending on how the ice has been formed it could indicate what the problem is and clues on how it can be rectified.

If the ice has a look of powdered snow, it is generally caused by condensation.  This is formed due to ingress of air from outside the appliance, and you need to turn detective to try to find the source. The obvious places to check include: Read more…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Information and a general guide to frost free refrigeration and repairs

By Sam | Published: April 3, 2013

Before you start to read through this article, the first rule to follow is that if you are able and prepared to carry out any maintenance on your appliance, please remember to disconnect your fridge freezer from the power source.  This is a critical action as it may well save your life!  Sounds dramatic but it is true, trying to repair any electrical appliance without disconnecting from the main supply is stupid in itself, but when you add in the possibility of water that you encounter in your fridge freezer it can become positively dangerous.

Unfortunately, manufacturers do not provide any kind of manual or instructions for you to follow when carrying out a repair.  No amount of searching on the internet will help you either, so unless you are fully competent and confident in your ability, it would be a much safer option to call in the services of a qualified engineer.  Although this will cost you more than if you did the work yourself, modern fridge freezers are not only complicated but also delicate, and it would be very easy for you to puncture the compartment wall or even the pipework.  One of which could be terminal for your appliance, and the other could mean the expense of an engineer having to regas the unit for you.

Understanding the basic principles

In order for a frost free fridge freezer to operate, either free-standing or American style, the following needs to happen, otherwise it will fail to work:

  • fans must be free of ice
  • Airflow is able to circulate around the compartment to ensure food is correctly cooled, or frozen, depending on which action you require

The frost free fridge freezer works on the air circulating and chilling the food, as opposed to the falling air principle used by the non-frost free appliances. Read more here

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment

Information On The Replacement of Integrated Fridge and Freezer Hinges

By Sam | Published: April 2, 2013

The type of hinge used by manufacturers for integrated fridge and freezers generally fall into two types, option 1 that opens the fridge or freezer door when the outer cupboard door is opened, and option 2 that allows the outer cupboard door to slide over the fridge or freezer door when the door is opened.

Obviously the hinge set up is completely different for the stand alone appliances in your kitchen, such as fridges, freezers or dual appliances.

 

Replacing damaged hinges

Neither type of hinge is too problematic to replace, but one is slightly more time-consuming and fiddly than the other.  As usual, the main concern is to ensure you source the correct spares for your kitchen units, plus the make and model of your fridge or freezer.  You may be interested to know that many of the integrated cabinets and hinges are made by the same manufacturer.  These units are then purchased by various kitchen companies who just rebrand them.  This obviously reduces the costs considerably, and also makes obtaining spare parts much easier.

Some kitchen companies do manufacture their own integrated units and hinges, but this will make replacement parts more expensive. Read more…

Posted in Everything Else | Leave a comment