Wednesday Weekly Stock: Range Items

Every week at W.L. May we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we look at a variety of  range items.

November is range month at W.L. May. You would be surprised at the age of some of the machines we get calls for at this time of year. Sometimes, due to the age of the range, parts are just no longer being made. We have a few switches and otherparts that might help if you find yourself servicing an older range.

WB21X5243

For many years, GE used a push button surface unit switch on their ranges. Eventually, they moved to a rotary infinite switch. The GE design has a few things going for it. One thing, as a part person, I have to love is that GE used the same switch for both large and small surface elements.

Another feature that makes it a versatile switch is the breakaway shaft, which helps it fit as replacement on variety of machine designs. Not all technicians like working with switches that use breakaway shafts, however, there is a certain distrust of the strength of the shaft. Fortunately, our return rates do not indicate that the shaft on these are the weak points those technicians fear.

903136-9020

Another common rotary infinite switch we are featuring this week can be found on ranges made by Frigidaire, Gibson, Kenmore, Kelvinator, Tappan, Crosley and Westinghouse. Designed for the large surface unit your part number is 903136-9020.

5500-200

Robertshaw makes a lot of controls that are used in the world of HVAC. They also have a lot of parts in their inventory that are appliance related as well. One of those parts are universal infinite switches. Robertshaw offers several styles of infinite switches. This week we feature the push-to-turn type, part 5500-200. This switch comes a breakaway shaft and adapters for both screw and palnut mounting. In addition it has a variety of slip fit adapters allowing for knob designs from a variety of manufacturers.

6700S0011

Of course, there are more than just infinite switches involved in a range console (with the exception of cooktops). There is also an oven thermostat on a range. Supco offers a useful replacement with part 6700S0011. We have talked about this part in the past, but it has been a while. It comes in a kit with knobs and adapters. It has a 60 inch capillary tube & can be used to replace most single-pole & double-pole thermostats.

RP2514G

Now that we have covered switches and thermostats that regulate the flow of energy to the various elements, lets look at the wires that current can travel on. Bulk range wire can come in very handy in a wide variety of circumstances. This week we are featuring a 25 foot box of 3 strand, 14 guage coil that has a glass insulation wrapping. Part RP2514G is very much something that should be your inventory if it is not already.

5303051519

OK, so this week we have looked at some switches and a thermostat. We have looked at range wire. Now lets look at few elements. A popular bake element that can be found on over 110 Electrolux and Kenmore ranges is 5303051519.

MP26KA

Frequently in the fall we get call asking about canning elements. What is a canning element? Well, it is basically a normal 8" plug in surface element. What makes it stand out for canning is the reinforced base that can support a heavier load-such as the pressure cookers used for canning. If you would like a canning element, ask your parts rep for MP26MA.

We have lots of other range parts in stock to keep you ready as we move through the "kitchen appliance holidays", just give us a call and even on those older ranges we can probably help  you get it back online.

               For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Wednesday Weekly Stock: Dishwasher Items

Every week at W.L. May we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we look at a variety of dishwasher items.

Starting with Halloween, and then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, the season of  Fall leading into winter is also a busy social holiday season. This time of year, lots of folks throw house parties. They might be scaring each other in funny costumes, sharing memories over a turkey dinner feast, or ripping open packages under a decorated tree. It doesn't really matter, there will be food. That means there will be dirty dishes. This is not the time of year to have an out of order dishwasher.

Servicers know to expect calls for ranges during the holiday season, but it easy to forget the number of dishwasher calls generated at this time of year. For many consumers, a broken dishwasher is problem that they let wait too long. By the time the servicer gets the call, time is of the essence. For this reason, we advocate servicers check their stock now so they can be ready to achieve first call completions when that last minute phone call comes.

SSDW7

W10685193

60423LAL

Several of the items featured this week were also featured back in August on this blog. They are still good items to have on hand. The SSDW7 is your 7 foot universal drain hose, W10685193 is the Whirlpool dishwasher installation elbow, and the 60423LAL is the disposal hookup with the rubber tubing and 4 screw clamps.

W10130695

60663

Also in that same August post we talked about a common Whirlpool dishwasher door latch. We offered the white version of this assembly, part W10130694. This week we are featuring the same assembly with the black handle, part W10130695. August also saw us feature a 72" straight pigtail (or power cord) for dishwashers. Sometimes you need an angled plug. For that situation, this week we feature 60663, it has the angled pug you need on a 6 foot long cord.

DWP24

This next part is no stranger to this blog either. Kelly has written about it and it has been a featured part in the past. That does not mean we will not mention it again today. Once again, this week the DWP24 makes an appearance. This is such an affordable bit of insurance against hidden dishwasher leaks, that we think every home with an automatic dishwasher should be equipped with one. 

12012

60421

41045

Finally this week, we have a grab bag filled with a few other goodies for dishwasher servicing. For example, to  keep you dishwasher clean we have Dishwasher Magic, the liquid cleaner for the interior of your dishwasher, part 12012. For installation jobs, the 60421 air gap can be helpful in preventing backflow. For a safe installation, the 41045 6' stainless steel wrapped hose gives great prtoection against burst hoses. With two kinds of fittings it is a one stop solution for many dishwasher fill hoses.

We carry a full compliment of parts to suit most dishwashers. If you do not see what you are looking for in this post, call us. What would you like to see us feature in future weeks? Let us know i n the comment section below.

            For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Wednesday Weekly Stock: Dryer Elements

Every week at W.L. May we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we look at a variety of dryer elements.

The element in a clothes dryer gets lots of wear and tear. They go from room temperature, to red hot back, to room temperature, every time a load is done. The result is the element eventually will fail. Often this happens sooner than other parts on the appliance. When that happens, a call to W.L. May will get you help in finding a replacement.

Y303404

There a variety of elements that are used on clothes dryers. Often they cane be a restring coil, other times it is a complete assembly "complete with the can". A common Maytag dryer assembly uses a tube type of can. The part number is Y303404.

WE11X103

WE11M232

GE dryers have a different style of "in the can" element assemblies. Rather than fitting the elements into a tube, like the Maytag, GE has an assembly that sort of resembles a trash can lid. It fits behind the drum and can be replaced as an assembly or can be restrung. It is generally a bit easier to restring than a tube style of element assembly.

This week we feature two common assembly sizes, Parts WE11X103 & WE11M23. They are very similar. If you need help, call us with a model number and we'll help you sort it out.

WE11X203

WE11X10007

As I mentioned, GE makes restringing the element an easy option. In addition to complete elements we stock their restring kits. For the WE11M23 element, your restring kit is part number WE11X10007. It gives you a restring coil and the needed element insulators.

For the WE11X103 element, the restring element is part WE11X203. This restring kit DOES NOT come with insulators. If the insulators in your WE11X103 element are in need of repair, unfortunately the restring kit will not work for you. In that case, replace the whole element assembly.

279838

Whirlpool does not sell their dryer elements "in the can" and they don't use a restring kit either. Instead, their models have a sub-assembly that then is mounted into the element can. For many years, it was simple. All the Whirlpool dryers used the same element. This made identifying a replacement easy. Things aren't so simple theses days.

The old Whirlpool dryers elements featured coils wrapped onto a wire frame. The first variation Whirlpool introduced was fairly different  in that instead of a wire frame, this element comes mounted on a metal plate. The part number for this element is 279838.

3387747

More recently, Whirlpool introduced another element that is in wide circulation. Also mounted on a plate, the 3387747 element is threaded in a sort of figure-8 like pattern that makes it fairly distinctive.

5300622032 & 5300622034

To complete a circuit of the "big three" appliance makers, we need to include dryer elements from Electrolux. We have 2 of them featured this week. These are restring coils for Electrolux dryers with rear of drum element cans. The part 5300622032 is a 3/16" coil and the 5300622034 is a slightly thicker 1/4".

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Kelly's Korner - Superhero Add-on's

Hey, All,

The posting today is going to be short and sweet.  Just a couple of things to add to your Superhero Book.  For you newbies, seach through past posts on what this is and why it will make you a Superhero to your customers.

Lots 'o Parts!

Older Maytag washer fill tube/injector assembly:  206680
Whirlpool/Kitchenaid built in ovens with inline thermal fuse - 4451042 OR 4456654
Plug for light hole in Frigidaire dryers - 131870700
Sag kit for sagging Frigidaire front load washers - 137309800
Thermostat bulb clips for GE ranges - WB2X5041D (12 in pkg)
"Duck Bill" for WP refer drains - 8055306
"P" trap for WP refer drains - W10619951

Have a great week!

Wednesday Weekly Stock: Dishwasher Parts

Every week at W.L. may we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we help you clean up with dishwasher parts for a variety of machines.

675576 (Blue) and 676453 (White)

Often we get call from do-it-yourselfers who want to replace their dishwasher rack. These folks are often surprised at the cost of dishwasher racks. Sometimes they even think that the cost of a new rack is enough to drive them to replacement the dishwasher.

Wear and tear on the rack that can lead to spots where the racks coating wears away. that is not usually enough to condemn the rack to the scrap heap. Dishwasher racks can be spot painted with touch up paints designed specifically for the conditions inside of an operating dishwasher. This week we feature both the blue, #675576, & white, #676453, touch up paints.

Not a featured item this week, but another useful repair piece that often goes with rack touch up paint are tips that slip over tines on the rack. Naturally these are called tine tips and are sold in packages of 125. These are available in white #675679, blue #12022, or grey #676458.

675813

Modern Whirlpool dishwashers generally have a control board in stead of a timer. That board frequently is designed to have a thermal fuse to protect it from overheating. The nice thing about this arrangement is that if the fuse blows, it can be replaced without servicing the whole board. For that thermal fuse your part number is 675813.

We have several other dishwasher parts featured this week as well that we have told you about in the past, such as install pieces, cords and Dwip Pans. For dishwasher parts, or for any other home appliance part, give us a call. We will be happy putting our experience to work serving you.

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Wednesday Weekly Stock: "Universal" Refrigerator Parts

Every week at W.L. may we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we celebrate labor day with refrigerator parts that can "labor" on a variety of machines.

Regular readers of this blog will remember that whenever possible, we advocate using OEM parts from the appliances manufacturer. Even though the parts we are describing today are "universal", our intent is that these be used in places where the manufacturers OEM is no longer available.

SL300T

Our first item this week is actually a piece of testing equipment. Determining the behavior of a malfunctioning refrigerator can be a time consuming process. Observation of the refrigeration cycle could leave a tech idle waiting for a while while they wait to observe the part of the refrigeration cycle that is acting up. A solution for that problem is a data logger.

For years, the common data logger was a large device, about the size of shoebox that had round paper discs with a graph that rotated. As the graph rotated pens marked the temp and time settings of the various stages of the refrigeration cycle.

Technology has greatly improved temperature data logging. These days the Supco data logger, part SL300T is a great solution. Much smaller than the old style of loggers, this unit is little more than a sensor. It is somewhere in size between a Zippo lighter and a cassette tape. The idea being you can leave the unit behind to take more detailed reading than the larger old mechanical loggers.

When you are ready to analyze the data, Simply plug the unit into the USB port on your computer. Using the included software a variety of analysis can be applied to the data, taking the guesswork out of refrigerator diagnostics.

SC1002

Cold controls that regulate the temperature in a refrigerator are one of those parts that usually stay available longer than many components in a refrigerator. Even though that is true, every day seems to give us calls for situations where the manufacturer is no longer producing the OEM cold control. A good fix for those scenarios is the Supco universal cold control, part# SC1002.

Designed for freezer installation, the SC1002 is good for a range of -6°F to 39°F (-21°C to 4°C). It is intended for temporary usage and can be mounted via suction cup, Velcro or screw mounts.

URCO410 & URCO810

A hard start is a device that helps the compressor out with a surge of power to increase the starting torque. Some technicians love these as they can help extend the life span of a refrigerator that may be on its last legs. Others feel that it does not do enough to address the root problem, and have fears of detrimental impact on the compressor. Regardless of opinion, we sure get a lot of demand for them.

The long standing favorite hard start was the 3-in-1 RCO series from Supco. As newer refrigerators do not always have a start capacitor, Supco introduced a new line of starters that can be used on machine with AND without start capacitors. For 1/4-1/3 HP compressors use URCO410. Smaller compressors in the 1/12th-1/5th HP range can use the URCO810.

SM999

Like the cold controls mentioned earlier, evaporator motors tend to stay in production for longer than many other refrigerator parts. Sometimes, though, the manufacturer discontinues even these common motors. When that happens, most refrigerators can be brought back online using the Supco SM999 universal motor kit. With an assortment of fittings this motor can be configured to mount in many ways.

UET120

Defrost timers are a part that is becoming less and less common. New designs of refrigerators often will incorporate the defrost timer into a "mother board" or they will provide a board specifically dedicated to defrost, called an adaptive defrost control or ADC for short.

Still, a lot of older refrigerators have timer failures. When you just can't get the original timer, the Supco UET120 universal defrost timer is a good fit. It is an electronic timer that can be programmed for the most common defrost settings and plugs in like a traditional manual timer. This is an item every servicer should keep on hand.

SL249

While we are on the subject of defrost system parts, here is another item you might not have considered. Defrost thermostats are frequently pretty cookie cutter in size. It is merely the temperature rating that can make the difference. That's what makes Supco# SL249 so handy. That part number gives you a 3-pack of clips used to secure defrost thermostats of a variety of temperatures.

84042

Water fittings can be a tricky item to look up. They can often be fairly well hidden in a parts breakdown. So keeping a few of these fittings on hand can be a real time saver. The part number is 84042 and it is a 1/4" OD fitting.

SH250

The last item this week is usually asked for with a request along the lines of "you know, that little t-shaped heater for the drain line." Yes, we do know. That is you part SH250, we keep it in stock for you-along with whole lot of other parts. If you have a need for a part for your appliance, just let us know. We are here to help and serve you!

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Wednesday Weekly Stock: Dishwasher

Every week at W.L. may we have several items we feature as good parts to consider adding to your stock. These parts also have special pricing available. For pricing details, ask your account representative for more information. This week we shower you with some dishwasher parts.

We have looked at dishwasher parts before as many of you may remember. this week we revisited several popular items from prior promotions. We also have a few new items that we have not looked at before in our Wednesday Weekly Stock series.

60423LAL

The first of these new items we are featuring this week is a part that we often get requests for along the lines of " I need that hose connector with the clamps for hooking up a dishwasher". Sure, we understand you mean a dishwasher drain connector. What we have here is a piece of rubber tubing the tapers down and connects the dishwasher drain to the disposal. The hose is secured by the 4 worm clamps that come included with the part. The Ez-Flo/Laloo part number for this piece is 60423LAL.

60655LAL

A dishwasher install also requires power. Generally the power cord is supplied with a new dishwasher, however if you ever need to replace one, they can be a little tricky to find, This 6 ft. cord from Ez-Flo/Laloo should do the trick for you. As your parts rep for number 60655LAL.

8193762

Another part we get calls for regularly is the thermal fuse that attaches to the control board. There are some that resemble a dryer thermostat. There are also many machines that use the style of thermal fuse we are featuring this week. More of a modular unit, it is used on many Whirlpool dishwashers and has the part number 8193762.

DWK-6572DW

A part we feature frequently is the DWK-6572DW dishwasher installation kit. That's because we feel that kit offers real value. The kit comes with 2 different styles of water line fittings. Hose style and 1/4 line style. 7 Foot long stainless steel inlet line. It also includes Teflon tape, wiring, wire nuts hose clamps, and an electrical clamp for securing unit to power supply. Best of all, the kit costs less than buying the components individually.

W10685193

Another hookup item that might be needed if you are installing a Whirlpool dishwasher is their 90 degree elbow. Whirlpool's fitting has unusual sizing of 3/4" hose fitting on one size and 3/8" compression fitting on the other side. Keep one in stock "just in case". Part number W10685193.

DW-53

SSDW-7

As mentioned, these items have been featured before. This week we featured a few parts to help with water coming into and out of the dishwasher. Getting water into the dishwasher is accomplished on many unit by the use of a single coil water valve, like the "universal" DW-53. A "universal" option for getting water out of the machine is the 7 foot dishwasher drain hose, part SSDW-7.

W10130694

 To close this weeks stock, we feature an item that has been known to cause some confusion on the research front. Here is the confusion: the latch can be purchased with or without the handle attached. The parts breakdown however does not make that clear. If you order the latch as shown on the breakdown, that is all you will get: the latch. HOWEVER, if you look up the handle, the parts breakdown won't indicate it, but you will get the handle and a latch as an assembly. 

This tip is not true for all dishwasher models, but a great many Whirlpool units use this assembly. Our featured item this week is the white version of the handle and latch assembly, part W10130694.

   
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Parts Inventory Management: Elusive and Evolving

Today we reprint an article, with permission, that was featured in the January 2015 USA Newsletter. It is by USA's Executive Director Paul Mac Donald and covers an important issue facing the appliance service industry. Thanks to Paul for allowing us to share it with you.

As I wrote last month, the best way to facilitate first call completes is to pre-diagnose every service call before rolling a truck. But the second biggest contributing factor is also worth investigating. It’s all about having the right parts to complete repairs in a single trip. Having the right part will not only make you more profitable, it leads to happy customers who are impressed with your efficiency and speed, and inclined to make recommendations to family and friends across their social network. 

Typically, replacement parts inventories are not managed well. This can be a major problem for service providers, as consumers unleash their displeasure on Yelp, Facebook and Angie’s List. Technology in modern appliances is unique to each brand and model, and repair parts are costly, making it impossible for service providers to stock their trucks with fast-moving common parts. 

Service providers are being forced to take a new approach to managing parts inventories. Gone are the days of universal parts with elements that fit in eight different models. New appliance models are released every six months as consumers crave the latest gadgets and gear. Have you seen the Dacor wall oven with Wi-Fi connectivity enabling users to surf the net from the control panel? Imagine Martha Stewart walking you through stuffing a turkey via YouTube on your oven control. I’ve seen it in action. It’s impressive, but there’s not one part in that oven that can be used on a Wolf or GE oven. 

Evolving technology in appliances presents a real repair challenge.  How do service providers ensure they have the right part at the right time to achieve a first call complete? To make money in the service business a service provider has to pre-diagnose every call. Based on a customer’s complaint and the machine’s ability to self-diagnose using fault codes and internet connectivity, the servicer must order every conceivable part before running a call to the customer’s home. This is no joking matter since you may order three parts and only need one.  The other two go back to the supplier for credit. Parts distributors are taking the brunt of this new inventory return phenomenon. Sooner or later this condition is going to come to a head and the industry will be forced to resolve it and level the playing field so that no one party takes the hit. 

It is time to raise the retail price of appliances to cover the warranty and service obligations after the sale. So far we have not seen much motivation or movement from the manufacturers, however, in my opinion, they have to address the cost of this new phenomenon. Ultimately the consumer will bear the brunt of the cost to repair appliances of the future. One manufacturer has already stepped up to the plate. When you repair a Dacor appliance under warranty the manufacturer speaks to the consumer to validate the failure and pre-diagnose the repair. Then they ship all conceivable parts to the authorized servicer at no charge so that they have every chance of completing the repair in the first trip without the burden of cost of acquisition or returning of parts. Such costs have to be accounted for in the selling price of the appliance. You can’t ask for better than that. Or can you? 

I predict the appliances of the not-too-distant future will not only self-diagnose, but also self-repair, via internet commands. It won’t cost much more to build appliances with dual components during manufacturing so that when one fails the central controller will simply switch to the back-up component without the help of humans.  

Attend the United Servicers Annual Service Training Institute the 2015 ASTI February 9-12 in New Orleans to see all the latest technology in appliances and what’s coming next. Registration and details at asti.us. 

Paul Mac Donald

United Servicers Association

Kelly's Korner - After the Holidays

EDITORS NOTE: W.L. May Company will be closed Wednesday, December 31st & Thursday, January 1st. We resume normal hours on Friday, January 2nd, 2015

Hey, All,

I'm ba-aack!  I had a wonderful vacation/birthday/Christmas and am relearning how to to my job lol!  I hope all of you out there had a great Christmas!

We just had one minor catastrophe - my water heater decided to pump out cold water instead of hot.  Now while W L May has very little to do with water heaters, we do carry a couple of thermostats and elements.  But my heater is still under warranty so I called the nice people at the manufacturer's and they were able to troubleshoot for me and give me instructions on testing.  I will go home tonight and do that and call them tomorrow with the results and they will send me the part I need (I can hit the reset on the upper thermostat to get it to work so we are not all too stinky!).  Do not attempt to do any testing or repairs on any appliance unless you absolutely know what you are doing!

The pets are exhausted - must be tough!

Hopefully, all of you made it through the holidays with no major appliance disasters.  Now all the major cooking and baking is done, now would be a good time to clean that oven.  If you have a self-clean oven and don't have anything major coming up that you'll need your oven, run the self-clean cycle.  For some reason, and it doesn't matter the manufacturer, the self-clean cycle tends to blow the computer boards on ranges and ovens, so be prepared.

Go through your refrigerator, and if you have holiday leftovers left, either toss them, use immediately, or put them in the freezer if possible - you are looking at close to a week of their preparation and need to be taken care of before they turn into a science experiment or turn toxic.  Remember:  When in doubt, throw it out!

If you did have an appliance go kaput, get on the phone now with your favorite tech and get your repair scheduled.  They are just as busy after the holidays as before so get your appointment now.

I don't know about you, but I am done with cooking for a while, so I'm going to dig out my crockpot and throw stuff in there to cook - lotso good recipes on the 'net for them!

Have a safe New Year's and I'll see you next year!

Kelly's Korner - Pest Control

Hey, All,

Mice and rats - shudder! - are often the main reason I get calls for hoses for washers and dishwashers and insulation and wiring for stoves.  The little buggers are thirsty and will chew through all kinds of stuff to get to water or to find a nice warm place to raise their young.

If you live in a rural area where rodents are prevelant (and you can get them in the city, too!), this may be a particular problem. Their front teeth grow continually and plastic, pvc pipe and rubber is perfect for them to help wear them down.  And if your area has been short on rain, or areas where they normally get water from are dried up, then they can kill two birds by chewing on your hoses and getting to the water in your hoses and pipes.  They can also get in the insulation in your stoves and make nests and chew on electrical wires - such a nice warm place to raise babies but the smell - ugh!!!

What to do?  Cats, while some are good mousers, can't get into walls where they hide.  Ferrets (they are not rodents and mice and rats are naturally prey for them) can get into the walls and hidey-holes but unless you have them trained well, they might get outside then you will have a merry chase getting them back.

Creative Commons license on image.

You can also resort to traps and/or poison bait, or hire a pest control company to come take care of the problem.  I've baited traps with peanut butter and that works way better than cheese (won a $20 bet on that once!).  Store bought poisons will work but then you have the issue of carcasses decomposing in your walls (my stomach just turned - bleck!).  Or call your local pest control company.  But be really careful using these especially if you have pets and small children.

Pest control companies will come and assess your pest problem.  Not only rodents but ants, spiders, termites and other creepy crawlies.  They usually put you on a service contract and come out periodically to check traps, spray for what is active at that time, and for general check up.  You will probably get the best bang for your buck here, not to mention the peace of mind of having all your pest problems taken care of.

Face it, they ain't called "pests" for nothing - and where you may see one or two, there could be colonies hiding in your walls or crawl spaces.  Getting on the problem now will definately save you bucks later!

Have a great week (if you can after this post - eeuuwww!!!)

Halloween Costume Ideas

The arrival of fall means Halloween is coming soon. Here at W.L. May this is a big holiday. We all let our hair down one last time before we begin the rush that is the holiday season. We traditionally celebrate by having a costume contest and a lunch. If you have a similar event that would like your participation you may need to come up with a costume.

Over the years, as you might imagine, appliance parts have been used for costume pieces several times that I can recall. Years ago, a couple of amazingly good storm trooper costumes were fashioned from washing machine and dryer parts. Sadly, I have no pictures of that costume to share with you.

Shannon from our accounting department had  a great Electric range costume last year. If you have several old parts, a big box and a can of spray paint, this would be a an relatively easy and quite flashy costume. Here is Shannon modeling her creation:

A few years ago one of our warehouse guys showed that dead appliance parts can make for an excellent robot costume. Here is a shot of that outfit for your consideration and inspiration.

Appliance parts salvaged from repair jobs can be assembled into an easy, yet impressive costumes. Just remember that if you are inspired to make a kids costume, that the child has enough mobility and that their vision isn't obstructed by the costume. Also be very careful about jagged edges. Some sheet metal parts can give you a nasty cut. Safety first! Have a fun Halloween!

For more education and entertainment from W.L. May Company click...HERE

Kelly's Korner - Super Hero Book Revisited

Hey, All,

As I mentioned before, I have been training some new employees and I have stressed to them the importance of them starting their own Superhero Book.  They have been amazed as to the answers I can pull out of it when they have been beating their heads looking all over for something that can't be found by normal methods.

So I thought I'd go back and go from the beginning.  Now some of you who are more tech savvy could put all this on a program, but I am old school and I like my paper.

Grab a 3-ring binder (decorate any which way you want) and get some dividers and label them according to the manufacturers you deal with:  Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Bosch, LG, etc.  I would put a blank sheet or two of paper for those little things that you really don't need a print out of and a divider for miscellaneous stuff.

Now, anytime you have something that comes along that you can't find by conventional means, STICK IT IN YOUR BOOK!!!!  Research on it was bad enough the first time, right?, so you definately do not want to do it a second time, and you will be kicking yourself from here to breakfast for not having it.  You can put in service bulletins, installation instructions, pictures printed off the internet (make notes on these so you can remember the why and whatfor), ANYTHING that cannot be found by conventional means.  If you have to call a manufacturer, your distributor, or if a tech comes across something that you may need in the future, put it in there.  Way better to have too much information that not enough, right?

Creative Commons license on image.

Things I have on my notebook paper are like:

Extension for icemaker bail arm for Electrolux: 218513800
Sag kit for front load washer doors:  137309800
Fill tube heater for GE icemakers:  WR51X369
4 pin to 6 pin adapter for WR30X10093 icemaker:  WR29X10049
Neptune dryer that shows both for electric and gas models but does not give part number for electric element:  35001247 for element or 35001119 for whole assembly
Zippered mesh wash bag for small or delicate items:  W10180464RP
"Duckbill" for refrigerator drain hose:  8055306

We all here at W L May have some version of our own personal Super Hero Book - that's what makes us Superheroes to you!  Now you know our secret - shhhh!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - When to replace an appliance

Hey, All,

I get a lot of calls from consumers about replacing appliances.  Whether remodeling and replacing all your appliances or you have one that has quit working, there are several factors to consider when you are thinking about replacing an appliance.

First of all, how much is repairing the appliance going to cost you compared to buying a new one?  There is a good article in Consumer Reports about the factors to consider.  But the basic rule of thumb is;  if the repair costs are over 50% of the cost of a new one, then replace.

Creative Commons license on image.

So you are looking for a new appliance?  What do you buy?  Are you brand driven?  Just looking at cost?  Or do you want all the bells and whistles?  What about repairs?  What is the warranty on what you are looking at?  Do the servicers in your area even work on the brand you are looking at?

With the influx of brands that are made outside the USA, there are a lot of servicers that won't work on them.  And getting someone out to your place to do any work and the availability of those parts might be more than you are willing to wait for.  Does the store you are buying the appliance from do service work?  Many of the "big box" stores do not - once it's out the door it's your problem.

So do your homework before you trot down to your local store to pick a new appliance.  Web crawl and get all the info on the brand(s) you are looking at.  Consumer Reports is a good source.  Also, if you have a favorite servicer, call and ask their opinion.  Better to be armed with information about the appliance you are buying than get surprised if you have issues with it.

Have a great week!