Kelly's Korner - Ch-ch-changes...

Hey, All!

I am back from a wonderful two weeks of vacation and enjoyed every minute of it.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year.

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This time of year is a good time to reflect on what has happened in the past year and look forward to what's coming in the new.  Here at W L May, there have been changes and we are looking at more.

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Changes aren't easy, but it is a daily part of life - it would be pretty boring if everything stayed the same forever.  This year we have had some major personnel changes - people leaving that have been here for years and moving on to bigger and better things.  New people have come in and we are working hard to help them learn this business and to help you.  It will take some patience.

We've seen some changes in the major freight carriers rates.  We tried to absorb this, but now are having to institute a flat rate shipping fee.  You all should have been contacted by now, but if you have questions, please call.

The people behind the scenes here have been working hard on a new operating system and website that should be up and running in the next few months (fingers crossed!).  From what I've been told, it will be way more user friendly and help everyone's job go much smoother.  We are all looking forward to seeing this in action.

WL May sales force

W L May's first and foremost priority is you, our customer's happiness and growth in their businesses.  We care about you and what your needs are.  We bring you industry changes and news with our Facebook page and our blogs.  Opportunies for technical training and new business practices with our association with the manufacturers and the United Servicers Association.  And by having our sales team and support staff here to listen and help you with whatever you need.  If you have questions, concerns or suggestions on how we may help you better, call or email us.

I hope all of you have a wonderful and profitable New Year and remember that we here at W L May are here for YOU!

Kelly's Korner - Thoughts and Notifications

Hey, All,

Today will be my last post until after Christmas.  I will be on vacation from December 14-27th doing my usual holiday/birthday stuff.  Making miniature Almond Joys and my special Chex mix, cleaning and rearranging and just taking some time to relax.  That is, of course, if the whole of Portland doesn't float away in this rainstorm we are having!

This is the street in front of
my girlfriend's house - you
can't even see the sidewalk or
curbs!

According to the weather people, we are supposed to be getting about 4" of rain in the next few days and we have lakes where there should be streets and sidewalks.  No matter what the weather is where you are - please be careful driving.  Better to be late than not there at all.  Take the time to appreciate your friends and family and what you have.  Lots of people have way less.

Told you it was raining lots!

If you are having adverse weather in your area, it pays to be prepared.  Make sure you have flashlights, candles, maybe an alternate heat source, and food that doesn't require cooking - break out the camping gear! If your power goes out, shut down all electronics - flipping breakers will work because you have all your's marked, right?  Power outages and surges can fry the electronics in your appliances, too - not just the TV and computers.  Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed - it will help keep food cold longer.  If your gutters are overflowing, you may get wet, but get all the debris out.  Get out and clean the leaves out of the streets and unstop the stormdrains.  Stay away from downed power lines.  Most of all, use common sense and stay SAFE!

We will be celebrating Christmas in the new home of my newlywed nephew and his beautiful wife.  We've had a few new additions to the family this year and we love them all.  I'm looking forward to some nice down time.

Have a very safe and Merry Christmas!







Please note that W L May will be closed December 24-27th and December 31-January 3rd.  Nice long holiday weekends for us!

Kelly's Korner - Baby, It's Cold Outside

Hey, All!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we had about 25 people at my sister's, everyone talking at the same time, lots of good food and good times.

But I want to remind you of a few things:

It is still not advisable to use the self-clean feature on your oven - with less than a month till Christmas, if the computer boards go out, it may not be possible to get them fixed before Christmas.  Repair technicians are still fully booked and it may not be easy to get someone out to look at your appliances as fast as you want.

Furnace check-up:  It has been really cold here and I'm sure in other places.  If you haven't had a fall check-up on your furnace, get it done now.  Make sure that everything is running smoothly and you have a fresh filter in place.  (hint:  if you want your whole house to smell good, drip a few drops of your favorite essential oil on your filter - pine, lavender, cinnamon, etc. - and the smell will go throughout the house when the furnace is running).

Water pipes:  Now this is something that came to me in the middle of the night - make sure your garden hoses are unhooked from faucets and drained and stored for the winter.  Mine is not, but the #3 son is on it today!  Water freezing in the hose can cause weakening and burst hoses.  Also, wrap or get those styrofoam faucet cover doohickeys for the outside faucets.  A burst water pipe is NO fun!

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Don't forget your pets - if it is too cold for you to be outside, it is too cold for pets, too.  If you have dogs that sleep outside, make sure they have plenty of bedding out of the wind and wet.  And if it is freezing out, make sure their water bowl is not frozen.  It is tough this time of year for the wild creatures and they like to find warm places to sleep, too.  Make sure your crawl spaces are secure and not home to our furry and feathered friends.

Seems like there is always something to do, no matter what the season, huh?  Gutters to clean, leaves to rake - take care of your home so it can take care of you.

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, All,

It is crazy week here.  Last minute appliance repairs are keeping appliance repair companies and their technicians running full bore, and people who can't get their appliances fixed in time for the holiday running to buy new appliances or finding alternative ways to get what they need.

This is my grandmother's (far right) brothers, sisters
and greatgrandmother (center)

In the midst of all the craziness and confusion, please take time and remember what this holiday it for.  Be thankful for what you have.  Family, friends, job, a home - even if times may be tough, there are always things to be grateful for.

I am so blessed in my life - and even though I may complain - I really have nothing to complain about.  I have family and friends that I love and love me.  A good job that challenges me everyday and co-workers that I enjoy spending the day with.  A home and good kids and a mom that is there for me through thick and thin.  Who could want for more?

My Three Sons

But there a lot of people out there that don't even have the basics - do something this coming weekend to help those in need.  Donate food to your local food bank, volunteer at a shelter, spend some of your Black Friday shopping money on coats, clothes (Fred Meyer's 1/2 off sock sale it great), go through your kids' older toys and donate them to the children's hospital or Toys for Tots.  There are a lot of ways to help others - do just one thing.  Lots of grocery and retail stores have bins available right there to put your donations in and whatever you give will be deeply appreciated.

Above all, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Kelly's Korner - Holiday Hassles (and how not to make it so)

Hey, All!

Ok, Halloween is over and it is now time to officially start planning "THE HOLIDAYS"!!!  Get your groaning over because, like it or not, they are here.

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I find planning helps out a lot - lists, lists, lists!  And a huge calendar.  First, I mark dates and times of events I have to be at or other special days.  Kids' school concerts, birthdays (yes, there are a bunch of us that have birthdays during the holiday season - we don't like it either), holiday parties, and anything else you've go going on.  This way you know what dates are taken.  Or if you are more technically savvy than I am, put it on your phone - then you won't forget the list at home (my personal favorite trick)!

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Then get with your family and plan who's where and what to bring.  Our family holidays are potluck and everyone brings something - appetizers, side dishes, desserts, beverages - plan it out.  Facebook messaging is great for this - that way everyone sees what the other is bringing and no one is left out.  Gets you a head count, too.

Get your gift lists together and start shopping - every time you go out pick up something.  Or go online and get things ordered.  If it is ok with your employer, have gifts delivered to your work - that way the kids (including spouses) don't get curious and into things they shouldn't.  As they come in or purchased - WRAP THEM!  Saves staying up till three in the morning Christmas Eve doing it.  Also, save yourself a lot of shipping costs for those out-of-town gifts and shop online and have it sent directly to the giftee.  In-store pick-up and layaway are also good.

Get your grocery list together and start picking up the non-perishable or frozen stuff when ever you hit the grocery store.  Saves a lot of hassle of holiday crowds and not forgetting the small stuff - whip cream, cranberry sauce, etc.

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Get any appointments you need to fix your appliances - technicians are VERY busy this time of year.  New drip pans for your stove, change your water filter on the fridge, anything you've been meaning to do.  Most of all - do not use your self-clean feature on your stove this close to the holidays!  Using this feature may blow a board and getting it fixed before the holidays is tough if not close to impossible.

Most of all - don't let the holiday stress get to you!  Schedule times for relaxing and for your family.  Have fun not headaches!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Dishwasher Duel

Hey, All,

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I don't know how many of you have multiple people loading the dishwasher at your house, but I have several.  And we all load it differently.  My #1 son gets miffed with me most times because he thinks I load it wrong and he'll completely redo it - heavy sigh!  I just try to get the maximum amount of dishes in and make sure that the spray will hit all of the surface areas, right?  I don't prewash my dishes but do scrap as much leftovers off as possible.  In the case of rice, I will make sure that all the rice is off the dishes.  My dishwasher doesn't do well with rice.


The #2 son puts the minimum of dishes in he can get spread out so it "looks" full.

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The #1 son's girlfriend almost completely washes the dishes before putting them in.

The #3 son just unloads.

And of course the grand-dog is more than happy to help with any "pre-washing" lol!

So what is your formula for loading the dishwasher?  Weigh in and let me know how you do it at kelly.m@wlmay.com or just leave a comment.

Have a great week!

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!

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.

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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!

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!

Kelly's Korner - Home on the Range

Hey, All!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Now that the weather is (FINALLY!) starting to cool down, dinner thoughts are turning to those warm and savory meals.  I know we have actually started using the oven again (the Traeger is still tops for cooking meat!) and now is the time to start looking at your stove again.

Take a look at your surface burners and drip pans (if you have them) - are they in good working condition?  Do your drip pans need to be replaced?  Most are inexpensive, but we will need you model number to look up the correct ones.  Beware of the ones offered in variety stores.  These will fit some, but not all, stoves.  If something is not working right, contact your favorite appliance repair technician to come and fix them.  The closer to the holidays, the busier they get, so get a jump on this.

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Check out your oven - does it need cleaning?  If you have a self-clean oven, run it now.  Self-clean ovens have an unfortunate habit of blowing computer boards and you do not want this happening right before cooking the holiday meals and treats.  The boards could be a factory order, or no longer available and it is way better to find that out now, rather than the week before Thanksgiving and having to go buy a new stove, right?

German Chocolate Cookies

Also, Facebook and the internet are crawling with some great recipes - now is a good time to check these out and use your family as guinea pigs to see if it is a recipe you want to serve during the holidays.  My #1 son made a wonderful wild rice stuffing that we paired with some pork loin and it was FABULOUS!  I will post the recipe as soon as he sends me a link to it.  Definately a keeper!  I also just found a recipe for German Chocolate Cookies that I can't wait to try - yum!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Dishwasher Dilema Part Deux

Hey, All,

Last week I wrote about the issues I was having with my dishwasher.  Water was not coming into the tub and my dishes were not getting clean.

So I talked to one of my favorite techs, Patrick, and watched a couple of troubleshooting videos on it and pulled up my big girl panties to go home and see what I could find.

When I got home I opened the dishwasher - yup, still dirty dishes! - and took the bottom rack out and set it on the floor.  Then I gently grasped the float (that's the white round dome thing in the corner of your dishwasher floor) and carefully raised and lowered it listening for a click.  The float works kinda like the float in your toilet tank - once there is enough water to float the float, a switch below clicks off to shut off the water flow into the tub.  I heard it click!  Yahoo!  If it didn't click then I had Patrick on speed dial.


So then I closed the door and turned it on for about half a minute - it was running....  So I opened the door and looked to the side and bottom of the tub to see if there was water coming into the tub - THERE WAS!!!!

OK, so now I'm totally confused, right?  There hadn't been any water coming into it before and now there is?  What's up with this?  So I put the bottom rack back in, put in detergent, closed the door and let it run.  Guess what?  I had clean dishes!

On one hand, I'm glad that Patrick didn't have to come over and do a more thorough diagnosis and that I wasn't going to have to pay for a repair.  On the other, I was totally frustrated that after all the worry and whatever, the darned thing was working again!  I told Patrick I think I scared it into working again by threatening it that he was going to come over and tear is apart if it didn't behave.  He thinks I may have had a stuck float switch and me fiddling with it got it working again.  Have you ever had something go wonky and when you get it to the repair person, it runs fine?  ARGH!

So now I have clean dishes and no repair bills, but I think I need to make Patrick some cookies for being there for me.

Hope all your dilemas are as easily solved!

K

Kelly's Korner - Dishwasher Dilemas

Hey, All,

Well, this seems to be the week for dishwasher dilemas.  Mine decided not to wash the dishes that are loaded in there!  Argh!  And a co-worker is moving into a new place and his isn't working either.

I have never worked on a dishwasher and may be calling a couple of my favorite techs for help, but I think that it may be the water valve.  I am not getting water into the machine - but it could be something else.  When you are having an issue with one of your appliances there could be a couple of different reasons it's not doing what it is supposed to.  That's why calling a qualified appliance technician is vital to getting your machine repaired correctly and with a minimum of time, trouble and expense.  If you are trying to do the repair yourself, you can by-guess and by-golly all the parts you want, but if that doesn't fix the problem, most parts places won't take them back if they've been installed.  Call a tech!

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W L May is also running a weekly special on some common dishwasher parts this week - the always popular Dwip Pan , rack maintenance vinyl paint (for those spots on your racks that have chipped away and are showing the wire), hoses, and a few other things.  Don't forget to pick up some dishwasher cleaner, too.  W L May sells several different cleansers for the dishwasher - these help clean mineral deposits and get rid of smells from food particles that may be not completely washed out of the pump and hoses.  Don't forget to clean the door, too, especially around the gasket area.  Make sure the gasket is in good shape and replace if needed or you might have some unwanted leakage.

I will let you all know what the problem and solution to my dishwasher dilema next week - cross your fingers!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - It's the Little Things...

Hey, All,

Wow, I don't know about your area, but Fall has fallen here really fast.  Labor Day weekend, football games, kids back to school and COOLER WEATHER!!!!!  I actually got chilly and had my fuzzy slippers on last night.
 

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With Fall staring us in the face and Winter coming, people will be gearing up to get their appliances ready for more hearty everyday cooking and the holidays (yipes!).  I just want to point out a few small things that W L May can provide for you to help you with that.

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For our account customers:  We used to publish and mail out a monthly flyer with our top selling items.  Thanks to the digital age we have this flyer on our website.  It is called "Every Day at W L May"  and list the top parts for all appliances and the manufacturers that we carry.  This is a great tool for your stocking items and can be downloaded in several formats - reference in pdf, Excel for inventory purposes, and CVS import.  Prices are good through the end of the year unless one of the factories raise prices unexpectedly.  You will find this under the "Flyer Pricing" tab on our website.  If you are an account customer but don't use our site for whatever reason, or just would like to have a paper copy, let your account manager know and we can email or snail mail you a copy.

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And it's not too early to get stocked up on those high volume items:  Bake elements, ignitors, drip pans, maintenance kits, belts, pumps and all that.  If you are not getting notifications of our weekly specials, let us know.  These are items usually found on the flyer that we've discounted even more for the week.

And for you other people out there - if you need work done on your appliances call your local tech now and get those repairs scheduled.  The closer to the holidays it gets the busier they are, so get a jump on it and get that repair scheduled.


Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - In the Dark

Hey, All,

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We here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest just experienced our first storm of the fall season.  Thunder, lightning, wind, rain - we had it all.  And with all that, there were also power outages.  Luckily, I wasn't one of the powerless ones, but there were quite a few without for most of Saturday and into Sunday.


Now what does this have to do with appliances?  Well, let me enlighten you.  With all the electronics in today's appliances, power surges and outages can blow those boards faster than heck.  You may have your computer and TV on a power strip/surge protector, but is your microwave, refrigerator, stove, washer/dryer and dishwasher surge protected?

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For appliances that run on 110 volts (everything but your stove and dryer)  it is easy enough to plug these into a regular power strip/surge protector.  It gets a bit stickier with the 220 volt appliances - stove/oven and dryer.  For these I would recommend contacting a qualified electrician and seeing what he would recommend - do not try doing this yourself.  It could be a whole house surge protector, new breakers in your breaker box or something else.  The age and situation of your wiring will dictate what can be used, hence the certified licensed electrician.  When you compare the cost of the electrician and equipment installed versus the cost of repairing or replacing your appliances and other electronics, you will find that it is a very inexpensive investment.

Of course, there is the common sense way of shutting down electronics when there is a storm blowing through, but not very convenient for everyday life.  So add to your Fall to-do list a call into your favorite electrical company to come and have your home checked out.  You will definately save some bucks in the long run.

Have a great week!

PS:  Thanks to all the electricians that worked overtime and in rough conditions to get power restored to everyone!

Kelly's Korner - Smoke on the Water...

Hey, All,

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...and fire in the sky!  And, man, is it everywhere!  I don't know how it is in your part of the country, but it seems like the whole western part of the US is on fire.  Portland was inundated this weekend by massive smoke from the forest fires burning in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.  Everything was bathed in an eerie glow from the sun filtering through it all and it smelled like an old campfire outside.  Sunrises were pretty awesome and the moon Saturday night was a bright orange all night.

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                                                                      Now what does this have to do with appliances?  Well, some appliances filter the same air you breath - mostly air conditioners, but your refrigerator and dryer circulate air also.  There isn't much you can do for the refrigerator or dryer, but if the smoke is heavy in your area, check your filters frequently.  Even if you can't see indiviual ashes, they are there and can clog your filters pretty fast.  If you have someone in the house with allergies, asthma or other breathing difficulties, making sure these filters stay clean is imperative.

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Our massive thanks to all the people that are out there fighting these fires and trying to keep our homes safe.  And our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes.  As for everyone else - please be mindful of the parched conditions out there - just the smallest spark can set off a blaze.  So watch your cigarettes, barbeques and anything else that can get hot enough to touch off all the dry foliage out there.  Most of all - be safe!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Dwip, Dwip, Dwip

Hey, All,

There is nothing more annoying and frustrating than a leaky faucet, right?  Drip, drip, drip, day and night until you just can't stand it anymore and call a plumber.  But what if you have a drip under your dishwasher or washing machine?  You may be able to hear it, but not figure out where it's coming from.  Or you may not hear it...disaster awaits!

You all have seen the way water can shape rocks and earth with the relentless power of rain, rivers and floods.  But a drip, time after time, can be just as destructive to your house.  Think about it - these drips from a cracked hose or pump, is seeping into your flooring, sub floor and joists and soaking up that water and setting up for rot.  Not a good image, huh?  The cost of having to replace all that (and with today's expensive flooring options) is enough to turn your hair white.

DWP24

So what to do?  Well, as usual, we at W L May have a solution!  Come on in and get aquainted with the Dwip Pan - no, I'm not being silly this time!  That's what it's called.  The DWP24 is 24" x 20 1/2" x 3/4" with a lip on 3 sides.  This will catch the drips and directs the water to the front of the machine where it will immediately become apparent that you have an issue.  And at an inexpensive $39.95 retail cost, it is very cheap insurance against a potentially monstrous repair bill.  And this is made right here in Oregon!

20752

Now for your washing machine, we also carry a washer drip pan.  The 20752 is a high impact plastic and is also a very inexpensive solution at $43.92 retail.  This pan measures 32" x 30" x 2" outside dimensions and has an optional 1" drain either out the bottom or the side.  Your washing machine fits comfortably inside no matter what style of washer you have, top load or front load.

So for a minimal cost you can save thousands on potential repair bills from undetected water leaks!  You might even check with your homeowners or renter's insurance companies and see if using these qualifies you for a discount.

Better to be safe than sorry!  And all you techs out there - I'd be pushing these at every service call!

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Back to School Blues

Hey, All,

In just a few short weeks school will be starting all over the nation and that means it's time to get ready for the school schedule:  Regular bedtimes, more laundry, lunches and snacks, and everything else.

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So take the time this week to get your appliances ready:  Clean that refrigerator and freezer so you have plenty of room for the lunches and snacks.  Check to see that your dryer vents are clean and ready to go.  Get a service tech scheduled for preventive mainentence for all your appliances.  With school starting will come cooler weather (I sure hope!), so have your furnace gone over.

Start some meal planning that you can fit in around all your extra-curricular activities - it is really nice to have something brewing in the crockpot when you're short on time between getting home from work and chauffering the kids to their activities.

And don't forget to watch out for the tykes on the streets walking to school or waiting for the bus.  Please observe school bus etiquette and traffic laws.  We want to keep everyone safe!

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer and have a great school year!

Kelly's Korner - For The Birds

Hey, All,

Not all dryer vent clogs are caused by not cleaning them regularly.  Those open vents for your dryer are a prime place for birds to build nests.

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Think about it - these vents are usually placed high enough that marauders can't get in them.  And they are pretty protected from the elements with a nice warm stream of air to keep those little chickies warm.  Perfect place to raise a family, right?

For them, yes - for you, not so much.  So how do you keep your feathered friends out of your vents?  Contrary to popular belief, birds are not birdbrained.  They are very clever and can figure out a lot of ways to get into what they're not supposed to, but W L May has a couple of different products to help you with that.

PB50

One is a bird guard wall cap - part number PB50.  This will fit nicely over your 4" vents.  Inside dimensions are 7" x 7" so it will fit over larger venting, too.  And all you need to do is screw it to the wall.

PMH4WXZ

Another item is PMH4WXZ in white, or the PMH4BXZ in brown.  This does the same job as the bird guard but has a 4" rigid aluminum vent tube to go through your wall.


These two products will deter the birds from making your home theirs, and keep them in the trees where they belong.  It is a good idea to check your whole exterior for any other vents (or unauthorized openings) you have - range hood, bath fan, attic vents, and even your gutters.  Don't forget to check for the four-footed varmits, too.  Your attic makes a great place for squirrels to hide their winter stash of nuts and they will chew through wood and plastic to get where they want.  Get rid of these freeloaders (I just wished they worked for grown children still living at home lol!).

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - Stainless Steel

Hey, All,

As you might know, stainless steel appliances have been a big seller for years now.  It looks sleek and elegant and gives a new lift to an old  - or new - kitchen.

But first, a little history about stainless steel:  First recognised in 1821, stainless steel is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% chromium by mass.  This makes it extremely resistant to corrosion, rust and stains.  It also is not (usually) magnetic - so no kid art or kitten magnets on your fridge!  It is used in many applications from art sculptures to your everyday silverware because of easy adaptability of this metal.

But, as anyone with stainless appliances can tell you, keeping them shiny and gleaming is not always easy.  So how do you keep it clean and shiny?  There are many products out on the market for this, but let me tell you of a few that W L May carries.

So Junior is playing with his favorite Hot Wheels cars and runs them along your refrigerator or dishwasher door and leaves scratches - Yikes!  What do you do?  W L May carries a Scratch-B-Gone kit that has the instructions and products in it to remove most scratches and restore the shiny.  Part number for this kit is DW-SBG-HK.  Caution!  Make sure your appliance is actual stainless steel and not a brushed aluminum or other stainless lookalike - they are out there!  Magnets usually will not stick to them but it depends on the metals used in the alloy.  Do your research before using this product or you may end up destroying your finish.

And for those quick clean-ups?  Come on in a pick up some Affresh Stainless Steel Wipes from our friends at Whirlpool - part number W10355049.  These will come in handy for those sticky fingerprints and messy spills.

W L May also carries a variety of other cleaners for your appliances - come on in and check them out.

Have a great week!

Kelly's Korner - New Superhero Book Add-ons

Hey, All,

It has been awhile since I've posted any items for you to add to your Superhero Book.   What's a Superhero Book?  It is the place you put all the things you can't find by regular methods and have had to call W L May for info from the manufacturer's.  Or it is for anything that you use regularly and don't want to look it up by normal means.  Click on the link above for all past articles on this subject.

New item:  GE has a new dryer maintenance kit - WE49X21874.  This kit has the WE14M124 top bearing, 2 of the WE1M504 white glides, 2 of the WE1M1067 green glides, a WE09X20441 lower felt seal and the WE12M29 drum belt - big savings over buying these parts individually.

With that, is the maintenance kit for the older GE dryers - WE49X20697 - this has the WE3M26 (now in the process of changing to WE03X20570), 2 each of the WE1M504 and WE1M1067 glides, a WE9M30 lower felt and a WE12M29 belt.

Also, Whirlpool/Maytag is in the process of changing manufacturers of their refrigerator water filters and the old part numbers will be changing also.  I know, if you've had some of these memorized it will be a pain on new part numbers, but changing part numbers are a way of life.

Old#                                   New#
W10295370A                    EDR1RXD1 

W10295370AP                  EDR1RXD2 (2 pack) 

W10413645A                    EDR2RXD1 

W10413645AP                  EDR2RXD2 (2 pack) 

4396841
4396710
W10193691                       all sub to EDR3RXD1 

4396841P
4396710P
W10193691P                    all sub to EDR3RXD2 (2 pack) 

4396395
UKF8001                          both sub to EDR4RXD1 

4396395P
UKF8001P                        both sub to EDR4RXD2 (2 pack) 

4396508
4396918                            both sub to EDR5RXD1 

4396508P                          EDR5RXD2 (2 pack) 

4396510
8212491
8212652                            all sub to EDR5RXD1 

4396510P
8212652P                          both sub to EDR5RXD2 (2 pack) 

4396701                            EDR6D1 

UKF7003                          EDR7D1 

8171413
8171414                           both sub to EDR8D1 

WF401S                           no change

Well, this ought to keep you busy for a bit.  Remember, for excellent customer service be a Superhero!

Have a great week!