Friday Morning Videos: The Refrigeration Cycle

Any good technician should already be more than a little educated in the refrigeration cycle and how a refrigerator works. For those of you who are not technicians, you may find this video to be helpful at explaining how your refrigerator works to keep your food and drinks cool.



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Throwback Thursday: News Recap May 29, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. A lot has been happening so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Today Home recommended some ares of the kitchen to pay extra attention to when cleaning. LINK
• Some users of HE washing machines report smelly towels. The Dallas Chronicle talked about how to get rid of the smell...and how to keep it away. LINK
• Faced with going without a refrigerator for a short while? This article from Apartment Prepper may help you cope. LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• Have you ever wanted to splash around inside of a dishwasher? Folks in Cape Town, South Africa had a chance to do just that, courtesy of Samsung. LINK

We found several articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• Terrace Standard made some suggestions on how to make a machine more elder friendly. LINK
• Scientific American sent out a call out for refrigerator pictures. Their blog post talked about how we decorate our refrigerators...and why. LINK
• Argus Leader reported on a pink wringer washer returning to its roots. LINK
• From Taiwan, Toxel.com, showed us a washing machine/video game hybrid. LINK
• UK's Daily Mail reported on these 24 hour outdoor washing machine as if 24 hour laundrymats did not exist. LINK
• Solar power is nothing new as this clip from the 1930's showed us. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• The Columbian predicted growth in appliance sales. LINK
• Modesto Bee reported on a horrible accident involving appliance repair. LINK
• Made In USA Challenge posted an infographic that talks about all the reasons that consumers should shop locally. We couldn't agree more! LINK

We close with a few stories that are just for fun:

• Is getting the dishwasher emptied a challenge in your home? It is for this blogger. LINK
• Cherokee Tribune remembered wash day before indoor plumbing and electricity. LINK

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Random Parts Info

This week has found me working a bit on cleaning out my file cabinet and organizing my digital notes. In contrast to Kelly and her "Superhero Book", my preferred method of note organizing used a file cabinets with folders for various brands, product types, and other behind the scenes handouts I have accumulated. As you might imagine, I have a lot of notes after 20 plus years. For the last few years, I have put new notes into a a digital notebook (I am using Microsoft's OneNote). The time has come to convert the old notes from my file drawer to a digital version. Here are a few things I found while I did my project.

• Occasionally we get calls asking for a certain size of access valve for refrigeration. Here are Whirlpools part numbers for access valves.

1/4"-978025
5/16"-97026
3/8"-978027
1/2"-978028
5/8"-978029
3/4"-978030

• Water filters are a popular item these days. In addition to the filters from GE, Whirlpool, Maytag and Electrolux we also have replacement filters for some Samsung and LG models.

For Samsung use WF289
For LG use WF290

• There are 2 dishwasher drip pans that we stock.

Dimensions: 19 3/4" x 14 3/4" x1 " Whirlpool part: 119811
Dimensions:  24" x 20 1/2" X 3/4" "Dwip Pan": DWP24

• Chrome GE Drip Pans and their hard to find  alternatives colors part numbers:

6" Chrome WB31T10010...Bisque WB31T10012..Black WB31T10014
8" Chrome WB31T10011...Bisque WB31T10013..Black WB31T10015
6" Chrome  WB32X5075...Black WB31M20
8" Chrome  WB32X5076...Black WB31M19 

• If you ever need the wiring harness for GE washer motor WH49X10035, the part number is WH49X10007.
• Plastic tubing for water lines are also a hard to find yet common request. Here are few from Whirlpool:

5/16' x7' ... 67187-11
1/4" x 8 1/2' ... B5705307

• 34001320 drain pump comes mounted on a bracket. Part number 34001340 is the same pump without the mounting bracket. (Reuse old bracket.)

Sort of a random disorganized post today, but I do hope there was something of value to you among my old notes. If you ever need help finding that hard to find part, give us a call. With over 200 years of accumulated parts experience, we will do everything we can to help you solve your parts mysteries.

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Kelly's Korner - Whirlpool Water Level Switch Change

Hey, all,

Last week I talked about some of the reasons why part numbers change.  This week I am going to talk about just one instance.


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Several years ago (2011 actually) Whirlpool had to change the water level switch (pressure switch) in some washers to meet DOE (Department of Energy) requirements.  I won't go into all the wording in the Service Memo, but suffice it to say that they had to make changes.  Whirlpool provided us with a list of model numbers affected so we could get you the correct new switch.

If the water level switch on the Whirlpool/Maytag/Kenmore washer comes up as a W10156252 it will not sub to another part number.  You need to call us to get the correct one because it all depends on what that particular model number is.  There are two different replacements for this so please do not assume you know which of the two are needed.  Please call us here at W L May and we will get you the correct one.

We strive to get you the most up to date information from the manufacturers and the correct parts all the time.  Not to say that we aren't human at times and make mistakes, but our success rate is second to none.  Please use our over 200 years of experience! (yeah, we've only been in business for 91 but most of our parts experts are into double digits in years here!)

Have a great week!

Memorial Day

Friday Featured Client: Appliance Guys

The Crew at Appliance Guys-Glenn is second in from right on the back row.

At W.L. May Company, we realize that without our clients we have nothing. In the spirit of celebrating that relationship, every month we feature one of the companies who allow us the privilege of helping address their parts needs. This month's we profile Beaverton, Oregon's Appliance Guys.

Name?
Glenn Burk

Company?
Appliance Guys

Contact Info
Phone:(503)531-8853
Web: http://www.applianceguysinc.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/applianceguysinc
Google+ https://plus.google.com/106129899362196416897

Where did you grow up?
Silverton, Oregon.  Lived in Portland/Beaverton for 22 years

How long in the trade?
27 years – worked in warehouse before. Got into business with brother, Steve, who used to do appliance repair who now works for Hunter-Davisson.  Did some auto mechanics so good with hands and diagnoses.

How long in your current company?
1997 – unbelievable!  Has gone so fast

What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work?
Not working LOL!– Seriously, motorcross, travel, did first half marathon and also learned to scuba dive – looking forward to first grandchild in June

To what do you credit your success?
My wife, Joni, pushing me – seriously, she’s had my back in more ways than one supporting me in both life and business

What do you like about doing business with WL May?
Great service – there to take care of us – shares same business philosophy of being the best and taking care of the customer.

Can you share one piece of advice for others in our industry?
Do the job correctly and uphold the great name of appliance repairmen.

Is there anything else you like to say?
Happy to be here!

If you would like YOUR company profiled as a featured client send an email to rob.m@wlmay.com

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Appliance Tweets: Dishwasher Edition

While looking through our Twitter feed we found these dishwasher tweets to share with you.

We start off with some practical advice:

Soap film coating your dishwasher? Run it on an empty cycle using vinegar instead of detergent which will clean it and remove film.
— Busy Household (@BusyHousehold) May 16, 2014

And another post describing a scene where some advice may have helped....

"What the…! Who used Dish soap in the dishwasher?!" Tup's mom wailed as she waded thru the overflow of bubbles. Somebody's in trouble… #FP
— ApplianceTechs_Marin (@ATOMsanRafael) May 9, 2014

Here is some more practical advice, but it really only applies to beekeepers.Which just goes to show, you never know what you will learn on Twitter.

Today I learned beehives are dishwasher safe. pic.twitter.com/dp0GErDWce
— Micah Scott (@scanlime) May 6, 2014

I'd suspect we have more readers who dabble in painting than we have that dabble in beekeeping. This tip is for them...

Top tip from Daddy. Keep the cutlery thing from your old dishwasher to store your paint brushes :) pic.twitter.com/034W1WMyCQ
— TheChasinRacers (@TheChasinRacers) May 10, 2014

Maybe video games are more your "thing". Hey, even they can have a dishwasher tie-in...

I'd like to take this moment to thank Tetris for making me really good at loading my dishwasher.
— Tyler The Creator (@TyIerThaCreator) May 9, 2014

Unfortunately, dishwashers can bring out some tensions between men and women sometimes...

My Duke gender equity water bottle melted in the dishwasher. I'm sure there's a metaphor in this somewhere. pic.twitter.com/XBcUlCFRa6
— Kara N. Slade (@KaraNSlade) May 6, 2014

Things like this can happen...

Good stakes for a thriller: a guy trying to keep his wife from finding out he doesn't know how to work the washing machine or the dishwasher
— Matt Selman (@mattselman) May 13, 2014

Which can then lead to this...

Don't want to brag, but guess who got dishwasher-unsafe dishes for Mother's Day? Yep, I was gifted with chores! My life is complete.
— AcerbicSuburban (@AcerbicSuburban) May 12, 2014

Or this....

There should be some sort of bat signal that lets husbands know the dishwasher is empty so they feel safe to come home.
— Kristin Long (@KNL123) May 10, 2014

To close out, we also found a dishwasher posting tweets to Twitter. This tweet isn't bad but this dishwasher lies. Some of its tweets can be a little adult oriented, but most are just funny comments on other dishwasher related tweets.

Recent studies show that dish washers won't talk dirty to you
— The Dish Washer (@YoDishWasher_) May 15, 2014

If your dishwasher is acting funny and you need a part to make things right, give us a call. Our stock of dishwasher parts can help solve the problem in a hurry.

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Wednesday W.L.May Profile: Ken Anderson

This is the part of the blog where we share a little about ourselves. Today we would like to introduce you to one of the people that help provide you with our famously fast and accurate customer service.

Name? 
Ken Anderson

Job Title? 
Driver/Warehouse

Where did you grow up? 
Portland OR

How long have you been with W.L. May? 
22 years

What did you do prior to joining W.L. May? 
Roofing/General Handyman

What do you enjoy doing when you're not at work? 
Tinkering around with home projects, also I like riding dirt bikes, fishing (haven't made it out there in too years) and playing bingo.

To what do you credit your success? 
My mother teaching me the right thing to do.

What do you like about working at W.L. May? 
Its fun, I enjoy the people here.

Can you share one piece of advice for others in our industry? 
Consider W.L. May as your distributor. I believe we take extra steps to make you succeed. Because we do. We do go out of our way.

Is there anything else you like to say? 
I think I've summed it up pretty well. It's a good place to work.

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Kelly's Korner - 6 Reasons Part Numbers Change

Hey, All,

"Numbers, they are a-changin'..." to paraphrase Bob Dylan, represents an often frustrating and little understood phenomena in the appliance parts business.  It is especially frustrating when you have a popular part and have the number memorized and then it changes on you and you have a new one to learn.  Believe me, we have all been there more times than we can count!  Would you believe that part number 12784415 has 26 part numbers associated with it and is getting ready to change again?

Following is a short list as to why these numbers may change:

1. Part has been redesigned to correct an issue.
2. They are getting part from another vendor.
3. Company has been bought by another company and they are changing part numbers to sync with the new company's system.
4.  New computer programs are requiring a change.
5.  What has come in a kit is now being offered as separate parts.
6.  What was a single part is now part of a kit.

I know it can be frustrating, but there is a method to their madness. If anytime you are having difficulties with a part number, please call us here at W L May and we will get you the most current version. We have computer access to the major manufacturers and can access any new information almost instantly.  This includes parts that are no longer available through the manufacturer, need to be sent in for rebuild, and parts that are in the process of being changed.  We also have the ability, in many cases, to take a part number you have and find previous part numbers (example - research gives you the newest part number but you may have an older part number in your stock that will work).


W L May is your advocate/go-between with the manufacturers - please use us!

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

CC Image via Flickr

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Friday Morning Videos: Robert DIY Changes A Direct Drive Coupler

Here is a video on how to replace a direct drive coupler on Whirlpool/Kenmore washers. Basic stuff to you pros working in the field, we know. We hope this video will be helpful for sharing with any do-it-yourself folks you may be trying to help, or perhaps for showing to a rookie appliance repair person who is in training.

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

Throwback Thursday: News Recap May 15, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. A lot has been happening so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Freep posted a good article that outlined some common laundry myths. Horrible headline though. LINK
• Channel 3000 offered their tips for cleaning a dishwasher. LINK
• Detroit Free Press ran down a list of things you are better off NOT using your refrigerator for. LINK
• AZ Central made their contribution to our ongoing series of repair vs replace articles. LINK
• Joe Gagnon writes a regular article that deals with appliances and their repairs. In this article he addressed some concerns from his readers and also came up with the one of the best appliance headlines I have seen in a while. LINK
• A piece from the BBC made a few points that only apply in the UK, but the rest of it was an interesting explanation of the some of the trade offs consumers make when they buy the lowest priced models of appliances. LINK
• Huffington Post offered some laundry tips. LINK
• My Fox Philly offered some washing machine usage advise. LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• The Exponent reports a partnership between Whirlpool and Perdue University developing sustainable practices. LINK

We found several articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• NBC had video out of China of rescue workers using a chainsaw to free a young boy who was trapped in a washing machine. LINK
• Paleofuture talked about the slow adoption of dishwashers by consumers. LINK
• Engineering students from the University of Minnesota lent a hand to the Virginia Heritage Museum by repairing their 100 year old electric wringer washer. LINK
• The Roosevelts posted some creative and funny refrigerator art. LINK
• Regardless of your political opinion, this simple solution to feeding the needy seems like a pretty good idea. LINK
• An Oakland artist builds home for the homeless, using scrap pallettes and discarded building materials-that includes some appliance parts.... LINK
• Faced with a kitchen remodel, this report looked into the state of modern appliances. LINK
• BBC posted an article that features a wide variety of older appliances still in use, with pictures. I'll bet there are a few brands shown here you haven't heard of! LINK
• KSDK reported on exploding refrigerators increasing in areas with legalized Marijuana. LINK
• Fast Company reported on high end washer "subscriptions" in the Netherlands. LINK
• The Appendix that talks about the development of refrigeration and its effects on modern society. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• Mashable examined state of smart home appliances and where they see things going. LINK
• Deccan Chronicle outlines some new discoveries about magnetism that could affect refrigerators of the future. LINK

We close with a few stories that are just for fun:

• The Meat and Potatoes of Life tackled some spring cleaning-in the refrigerator. LINK
• This article may offer a bit of a smile to those who have had to deal with unreasonable customers. LINK
• Blooms and Bubbles reminded us that some women just love appliance guys! LINK 

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

6 Top Selling Electrolux Dryer Parts

One of our more common questions we get asked at W.L. May Company is "what items are popular sellers?" When clients ask that question it is because they would like to stock those items to be ready for any eventuality. It can be difficult to recommend a standard stock list that would be the same for every client. Many factors can change the needed stock for a given company. Such things as the climate, gas and electrical infrastructure in the community, energy rates, and income levels and local dealers all can have a bearing on what is needed to fill a well stocked service vehicle or parts department. Because of all the different things that can change stocking needs, I can't exactly offer you a complete list that would work for every company. Some parts, however are universally common and generally our best sellers. Today we crack open the books and share with you six of our top Electrolux dryer parts. In the future we will revisit this subject for some other top sellers in other categories. These parts are not "must stock" items (after all it IS a free country, you can stock what you want), but they are "strongly encouraged" items that should help increase your first call completes, add-on sales, and ultimately make you more efficient and profitable as a service or parts company.

• 5303281153-Rear Bearing Kit-Often called the "Trailer Hitch" bearing, because it looks like the ball and socket you might see on a boat trailer hitch. It is a long running part that was a bread-and-butter stockable part when I entered the appliance trade 22 years ago.

5303281153

• 5303937139-Front Felt/Glide Assembly-Commonly used upper felt seal for dryer drum. Comes with glides mounted to the felt and adhesive needed for install.

5303937139

• 5300622032-Dryer Element Restring Coil-This is a coil that is used to restring the element on Frigidaire dryers prior to 1996 that use the large heater that mounts behind the drum. It has 1/4" terminals and is 18 inches long. This coil is sent without a terminal block or insulators. If those are needed, you would need to replace the entire element assembly. 

5300622032

• 131825900-Rear Bearing-This is the receiver part of the 5303281153 rear bearing assembly described above.

131825900

• 134503600-Drum Belt-This is  87 3/4 inch belt used on many newer Frigidaire made dryers.

134503600

• 5300622034-Dryer Element Restring Coil-Very similar to 5300622032, this is a coil that is used to restring the element on Frigidaire dryers after 1996 that use the large heater that mounts behind the drum. It has 5/16" terminals and is 18 inches long. This coil is sent without a terminal block or insulators. If those are needed, you would need to replace the entire element assembly

5300622034

We hope you find this list helpful in determining your stock needs, Watch for future posts when we discuss other brands and product types. Happy Servicing!

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Kelly's Korner - Two more items for your Superhero Book

Hey, All,

Hope all you moms out there had a great Mother's Day!  I sure did!


My sister, Barbara, and her kids, Samantha and James - it's not only Mother's Day for her but her birthday!  Super mom and sister!



Not much happening on the appliance front at the moment so I thought I would go through my Super Hero Book and share a couple more things.

First one, Electrolux/Frigidaire has an icemaker in some of their refrigerators that are decidedly different than any others I've every seen.  I've had several calls looking for complete replacements on them and there is no such beast.  BUT, they have come out with a repair kit - 5303918495 - that replaces the main control board, bail arm and motor, ice mold and a bunch of other little parts that seem to be the main culprits in the breakdown of this icemaker.

Sometimes, when looking for the  control "jazz" board on some Whirlpool/Maytag/Amana refrigerators, the research will give you a part number of 12002756.  This is not only the board but a bunch of insulation and a new evaporator fan motor and blade.  Now if all you need is the board, the current number for that is 12784415, although there is even a newer version of this board - W10503278.

I hope you are keeping up on your Superhero Book - mine has been a lifesaver more times than I can count and every one of my customer has benefitted from it.  Be a Superhero to your customers, too!

Have a great week!

Motivation Monday

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter F. Drucker

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Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day from all of us at W.L. May Company

Thursday Trivia Challenge

So you think you know all about appliances? Here is a short set of trivia questions to test your knowledge.

QUESTIONS:
1. What percentage of farm households were electrified in 1940?
2. What year was Amana formed?
3. Where are LG machines manufactured?
4. What company introduced the vaned agitator?
5. When was the first washing machine with a drum invented?
6. This major appliance brand was owned by what major auto maker. Who are they?
7. Who introduced the coin slide washing machine for laundrymats?
8. What was the first product sold under the Kenmore name?

ANSWERS:
1. 33.3% or One Third
2. 1934
3. South Korea
4. Maytag
5. 1951
6. GM/Frigidaire
7. Maytag
8. A Washing Machine

Scoring
O-2 correct: You know a bit, but still have a lot to learn. Luckily you came to the right place.
2-4 correct: You know a fair amount about appliances. Keep visiting this blog to learn even more.
4-6 correct: You know a lot about appliances. Pass some of that knowledge on to someone.
6-8 correct You are an appliance star! Great job!

To submit your own trivia questions (and answers) email: rob.m@wlmay.com with the subject line "trivia".

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Seven Tools for News That You Can Use

Cat  Pictures Are Fun, But They Aren't News

One of our goals of the W.L. May Blog is to keep our customers informed about developments and news stories that effect the appliance repair trade and stores that sell new appliances. The vastness of the Internet and the the "long tail" that keeps old, sometimes outdated, articles online means that more than a Google search is needed to keep up. We use a few different tools to do that. All of these tools are free, except for your time setting things up.

• Google News

Perhaps the most useful tool we use to stay informed. Google News is a great way to keep up with the world. Anyone can access the basic news page that Google offers. To make this a power tool requires a few more steps. First, create a Google account if you do not have one already or log into your account if you do. Once you sign in, return to the news page. In the upper right hand corner of the page, just below the magnifying lens for search you will notice a button with a gear icon. Clicking on that icon will give you the opportunity to "personalize your news". You will notice a list of preset news topics that you can adjust to receive more or less coverage of that topic. Below that is a search window that you can use to add topics that interest you to your news page. Some ideas might be your companies name, manufacturers names or types of equipment you service.

• Google Alerts

Sort of spin off of Google News, Google Alerts is service for Google account holders that can send the articles from your Google News directly to your email inbox. This allows you the convenience of keeping up with the news when you check your email, rather than making a separate visit to the Google News Page. 

• Twitter

More than just a place to share what you had for breakfast and what you are doing Saturday night, Twitter can be a helpful news source if you set it up right. To use Twitter for news, search out and follow the places where news is likely to come from. this might mean suppliers, it might be manufacturers, it might be your competition. Twitter also can serve as way to stay in touch with your clients, making it a very versatile tool.

• Facebook

Facebook is a popular tool for staying in contact with friends and family. It can be a great way to reach out to your clients. It can also be a good source for news. A User Profile on Facebook is an individual user. A Page is created by a business or any organization that wants a presence on Facebook. For news, pages are often your best source. Any Page you "like" will potentially show you posts on your timeline. Facebook is popular though, and as a result they create a timeline for you based on your interest and interactions with other Facebook User Profiles and Pages. To counter this and stay informed requires a little extra effort. If you will notice the list of links on the left hand side of your Facebook timeline. One of those links is to "Pages" clicking on this will give you a feed comprised of only Pages that you have "like"d. Going directly to your favorite Pages timelines is also a way to make sure you are seeing everything that page posts, which will not likely all be in your timeline.

• Google+

Google+ is the new kid on the block for social media. Because of the power of Google, many Internet gurus recommend using Google+ as it likely has a bearing on your companies SEO and its placement in the results when people search for your service in your area. Like Twitter and Facebook, following people and companies in our industry should provide you with results.

• RSS

RSS means Really Simple Syndication. Most blogs and news source pages offer an RSS feed. RSS is a specially formatted version of a blog or web page that can be subscribed to with an RSS reader. Then, when new content is posted that content will show up in your RSS reader. You can then read it in your reader, sort of like a magazine. The email program Outlook includes a built in reader, but I like to use a reader called Feedly. It does the same thing but I like the attractiveness of the layout on Feedly a little more. On many pages there will be a link to RSS that will allow you to select your reader and subscribe right from the web page you are visiting. As you gather subscriptions you can sort them in your reader by topic.

• W.L. May

Of course, we use all these tools to find news and information to share with you. You can find all of that regularly here on the W.L. May Blog. Especially on alternating Thursdays when we offer our News Recap.To get email notifications of new updates you can enter your email in this form and every weekday a new post will come to you in a convenient email format.

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Kelly's Korner - A True Hell's Kitchen

Hey, All!

Saturday I was here at work and perusing my Facebook page and Viral Nova had pictures of "Cooking Fails" - things that people tried to cook and came out horrible wrong.  The first picture had me recoiling in horror.  It was really tough to even look at the rest but they weren't as bad.

http://www.viralnova.com/new-cooking-fails/

There are soooo many things wrong with this picture!  I certainly hope your kitchen/stove doesn't look like this!

1.  Obvious!  The oven hasn't been cleaned in so long that the ick on the bottom spontaneously combusts.

2.  Missing burner knob - bring in or call us with your model number and W L May can find a replacement for that!

3.  Foil being used for drip pans.  Oh, this is so dangerous in so many ways!  Grease and goo collect a lot more in this and can start a kitchen fire so much easier.  And the fact that this is a gas stove makes it more likely.  Also, the heat can be reflected up and create hot spots and shorten the life of your burners.  Drip pans are usually inexpensive and quick to change.  Check them out periodically.  I didn't think it had been that long ago that I had replaced mine, but when I was doing my staycation cleaning they were pretty bad (head hung in shame!).  Again, contact W L May and we can get replacements for you.

4.  I don't even want to guess at what they are trying to cook here much less eat it!

5.  Probably a good thing we can't see the rest of the kitchen....

If you do have a fire in your oven the best way to put it out if you don't have an extinguisher handy, is to dump baking soda on it.  DO NOT USE ANY OTHER BAKING INGREDIENT!  Flour make look the same but it is NOT.  DO NOT USE WATER!  Call 911 immediately if you can't control it immediately.

Now that I've turned your stomach a bit, take a good look at your stove and call us if you need replacement parts.

Have a great week!

Happy Cinco De Mayo

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Friday Morning Videos: How Its Made Refrigerators

The folks from the Science Channels popular program, "How It's Made" Take a visit to the refrigerator factory to show us the process. They don't say so, but close observers will note that this was filmed in a Sub Zero factory.



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Throwback Thursday: News Recap May 1, 2014

If you have been reading the W.L. May Blog but haven't checked us out on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, you may not be getting the whole story. We use all of those social media outlets to share news stories that relate to our industry as well as appliance tips we have found from other sources. Here is a recap of some of the top stories we have seen lately. A lot has been happening so without further ado:

We start with some consumer friendly articles we feel would be great for sharing:

• Ecosalon check in with their top 4 "natural" dishwasher detergents. LINK
• CBS8 has some tips for freshening up your laundry room. LINK
• A letter to Parade asked, and got an answer, to the age old question: Air dry or towel dry those dishes? LINK
• Remodelista suggested some ideas to consider when purchasing a dishwasher. LINK
• ViralNova posted some great tips for getting the most out of your microwave oven. LINK
• TheSpec.Com looked into the question of a new energy efficient model appliance vs a quality used appliance, which is greener? LINK

Next, we look at the manufacturers and how they have been in the news recently:

• GE launched a microfactory to allow for designs from students, engineers and makers to be produced more quickly than traditional manufacturing channels. LINK

We found several articles that might be of interest to those of you who love all thing appliances:

• LAist showed us this bar in Los Angeles. It looks like a yard sale-until you open the refrigerator door! LINK
• The Oregonian took a stroll through the kitchen and tells about when many of our appliances were introduced. LINK
• London24 told us about "Tony the Fridge". He has run TWO London marathons in 24 hours with a refrigerator strapped to his back to raise money for cancer research. LINK
• This article from the UK talked about the history of laundrymats, including pictures and laundry tips. Some of this is particularly British, but still interesting. LINK
• Quick and Dirty Tips suggested a great idea for a Mothers Day gift project. LINK
• ABC5 shared some tips from Angies List to help make dishwashers run more efficiently. LINK
• A Portland artist found an interesting use for old refrigerators-modern art! LINK
• Iceland in Review told us about a dicey situation where sticks of dynamite were cleaned in North Iceland washing machine. LINK

Sometimes, the links we post are related to technology, business or happenings on the internet:

• We've told you before about the website that predicts dating compatability by refrigerator contents. Here is an interview with the man behind the site. LINK
• Facebook released some important information for page owners. LINK
• Instructables posted on building a stationary bike generator from a washing machine. LINK
• Gizmodo explained why, if you have heard complaints about whites not being as white as they used to be, it might not be the appliance. LINK

We close with a few stories that are just for fun:

• Columnist John Winters' dishwasher broke. He thinks the kids can do the dishes-his wife doesn't agree. LINK
• This columnist doesn't take her appliances for granted-she appreciates them! LINK

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