Happy Halloween!

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

Thursday Tweets: Teens and Dishwashers

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

First we want to share with you some training that happened recently at the GE factory. They ran a tour and program to recruit teens into the manufacturing industry.

For the first time ever, high school students are taking a tour inside GE's Appliance Park @JCPSKY @bcpsky pic.twitter.com/VBMaph5c9R

— Samantha Chatman (@Sam_ChatmanWDRB) October 27, 2015

Students get to see first-hand the different jobs and tasks that are performed at GE's dishwasher plant. pic.twitter.com/x5661K3LaJ

— Samantha Chatman (@Sam_ChatmanWDRB) October 27, 2015

Usually we only hear about teens who are not making the dishwasher work, like in these tweets. The first of these might strike a chord with our own Kelly.

How many teen boys does it take to make sure the dishwasher is loaded? More than 3, apparently.

— Yep,they're both me. (@3sunzzz) October 27, 2015

My brother could probably kill someone and my parents would thank him but god forbid I forget to unload the dishwasher

— han (@hannaheslawek) October 20, 2015

I am 17 years old and cannot work out how to turn on the dishwasher without help. What am I doing with my life?

— teej (@tjsullivan_) October 27, 2015

We don't want people to think we are picking on teenagers. Sometimes adults have their own challenges with using the dishwasher.

My husband was trying to fix the dishwasher and, long story short, we have a cool fountain in our kitchen now!

— Spookley Britches (@BossyBritches72) October 27, 2015

What kind of idiot gets a whisk tangled in the top rack of the dishwasher and has to use a wire cutter? Me. I'm the kind of idiot.

— Annie (@HatfieldAnne) October 25, 2015

When you try and use Dishsoap for the dishwasher and it becomes a disaster 😊😊😊😊 pic.twitter.com/My65fa1u9F

— |• Rahgeme •| (@RahgemeSays) October 20, 2015

When it comes to using the dishwasher a little courtesy can go a long way.

Marriage advice for dummies: Five worst things you can do 5 Abandon 4 Lie 3 Cheat 2 Abuse 1 Forget to start the dishwasher

— Boyd's Backyard (@TheBoydP) October 22, 2015

There are two types of people in the world: people who leave dishes in the sink when the dishwasher is right there, and people who I like.

— Elise Foley (@elisefoley) October 19, 2015

And finally, because this IS the internet, here is a kitten.

Someone got grounded for trying to explore the dishwasher pic.twitter.com/pf3fPWz33x

— Animal Life (@animalIife) October 19, 2015

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

Kelly's Korner - Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

Hey, All

Thing One

Thing Two

Well, Saturday is Halloween and all the little ghosties and goblins will be out swarming the
 neighborhoods in search of loot.  We have quite a few little devils, minions, superheroes and princesses come to our door.  In the olden days (when I was a kid) we would get homemade treats a lot.  Unfortunately, in this day and age, that isn't possible to do with trick or treaters today.

Minions

But that doesn't mean you have to deprived yourself of those pumpkin goodies.  The stores have been going overboard with pumpkin flavored yummies.  While I am not a big pumpkin fan, there are a few things I do like.

My nephew got married this past weekend, and instead of a wedding cake, my mom and I made cupcakes and decorated them.  There was chocolate, lemon and pumpkin spice cupcakes and they were a hit.  Mom did the chocolate and lemon ones and I did the pumpkin spice.  They were very easy.  I used a package of Betty Crocker Spice cake mix and added a can of pumpkin to it - easy, right?  I baked them a little longer than called for as the pumkin adds more bulk and moisture.  Then topped it with cream cheese frosting (followed the Philadephia Cream Cheese recipe found on their website) and decorated with a icing rose and leaves.  They were a hit!

On last year's blog, I posted a recipe for pumpkin-raisin-oatmeal cookies and I'm going to make more this week.  Yum!

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?  I'd love it if you'd share - or just send the goodies!

Trick or Treat!

Monday Motivation

                 Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. —Jim Bishop

Friday Morning Videos: The Secret Life of Machines- The Washing Machine

The Secret Life Of Machines is a British series that looks at the development and workings of every day objects. This episode covers the washing machine, the history is obviously British-oriented. Still the program offers an interesting look, with examples, explaining many common appliance parts such as timers and solenoids.

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

Throwback Thursday: News Recap October 22nd, 2015

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. So without further ado:

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

• The Pioneer Presses Everyday Cheapskate column talked about the effects of not using HE detergent in and HE washing machines. LINK
• Everyone else does it wrong. On loading the dishwasher. LINK
• Arkcity.Net suggested that we all keep our refrigerators clean and cold. LINK
• For laundry rooms in need of a makeover. Here are some tips from Realty Today. LINK
• Pure Wow showed us five foods that you can cook in your dishwasher. LINK

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

• Whether you are enthused or dread the concept, either way-get ready. Smart appliances are coming from GE. LINK
• Law360 gave us an update on the DOJ/Electrolux case involving a merger with GE. LINK

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

• Capital Gazette looked at trends in appliance industry. LINK
• Dusty Old Thing posted a collection of old-timey kitchen tools. LINK
• An article in the Eugene Daily News examined how we went from hand washing to automatic dishwashers. LINK
• The Daily Record took a look at refrigerators. LINK

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

• The news is full of stories about "disruptive technology". Maybe the most disruptive technologies have been in your home for years. LINK
• In loosely related news, Costco's laundry pods are now coming with even more pods in a package. LINK

We close with few just for fun stories:

• Arkansas Online looked at when couple cannot see eye to eye about expiration dates. LINK
• Losing things at the back of the refrigerator? It happens. But couldn't refrigerator designers do something about that? LINK
• The kinds of things that lead to appliance repair service calls. LINK

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

Kelly's Korner - To Refrigerate or Not to Refrigerate

Hey, All,

Man, Facebook can come up with some interesting things that kinda make you think.  And some things actually make sense!

For instance, did you know these things do not need to be refrigerated?  In fact, refrigerating some of these are actually detrimental to the flavor and texture of them.  Look at this list and let me know if you agree:

Coffee and fresh herbs:  These will absorb the other flavors and smells in your refrigerator.

Avocados, bananas and tomatoes:  These will ripen faster sitting on your counter.  In fact, the skins on bananas will turn brown faster in the refrigerator and, if you have picky kids like I do, they won't eat them.

Butter:  Put it on a covered butter dish and leave on the counter.  Not only will it spread easier, but it is not going to spoil.

Creative Commons license on image.

Onions, Garlic and Potatoes:  Keep in a cool, dark, DRY place.  If placed in the fridge, they will start to sprout, get mushy and stink up other things in your fridge.  In the olden days, they were stored in root cellars (cool, dry, underground storage areas).

Honey:  It will crystalize in the fridge and that's no fun (you can always let the bottle sit in hot water or nuke it for a few seconds to reliquify if it does get stuck in there).

Ketchup (or Catsup lol) and mustard:  Now I'm not too sure about this one - what do you think?  Fridge or no?  All the vinegar must preserve them.

And one site I saw said to leave eggs out, too - nuh uh!  Nope, them babies is stayin' in the ol' ice box!

Do you have some strange items in your fridge?  And I'm not talking about science experiments because it hasn't been cleaned in awhile lol.

Have a great week!

Monday Motivation

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank

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

Friday Morning Videos: The Secret Life of Machines-The Refrigerator

The Secret Life Of Machines is a British series that looks at the development and workings of every day objects. This episode covers the refrigerator, the history is obviously British-oriented. Still the program does a good job of explaining the refrigeration cycle. It also offers an interesting look, with examples, at many common appliance parts such as compressors, cold controls, and door gaskets.

             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".

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

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!

Monday Motivation-Happy Columbus Day!

You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. –Christopher Columbus

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

Friday Morning Videos: 1983 Tom Peterson Appliance Ad

Here is a video that should bring a touch of nostalgia to long time Portlanders. For everyone else, it offers a nice look at appliances being sold in 1983.

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

Throwback Thursday: News Recap October 9th, 2015

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. So without further ado:

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

• Cagles Appliance, our friends in Ontario, California, were featured in a nice article about area businesses. LINK
• WSJ looked at the importance of hot water to cleaning and sanitizing clothes and how new detergents have changed that. LINK

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

• 10News in Tampa, Florida reported on a microwave that Whirlpool designed specifically for chocolate. Sorry, cocoa fans, you'll have to go to Europe to get one. LINK
• With FirstBuild ,GE is embracing small lot manufacturing and innovation. LINK

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

• Kitchenaid announced a new color of appliance...black stainless steel. LINK
• Eater had a great look at the history of  "The Kitchen Of Tomorrow" and why they feel it is an outdated concept. LINK
• A columnist from the Morning Sun in Central Michigan lamented the quality of various washing machine he has had over the years. LINK

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

• A judge in New York City awarded a lawsuit that proved that you can fight yelp...and win! LINK

We close with few just for fun stories:

• From Communities Digital News we get a look back on the difficulties of rural life in the 1930's and 1940's. LINK
• A columnist looked at the classic "missing a sock in the laundry" problem...from the point of view of the sock. LINK

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