Consumer Question - Dishwasher

Q: Hello Joe Gagnon,

How do I check why my dishwasher is not spraying water? I can hear the dishwasher but no water comes out.

Thanks,

Harry

 

A:  Hi Harry,

Thanks for the note.

Make sure the dishwasher is filling with water. Turn it on and let it run for 6 minutes. Open the door - it should be full of water in the bottom. Check the spray arms to see if the little holes are plugged with food particles. The arms come off - usually a plastic nut holds them on. 

Using soap packages with a plastic sheet, which are supposed to dissolve, is sometimes a cause for the holes plugging up.

Please let me know what you find.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Sears Kenmore Refrigerator

Q: Hello, Joe,

I have a Sears Kenmore Refrigerator 

Model#: 795.76209.901

Serial#: 010MRQK08548

It is a Full Load AMP 3.5A.

When the door is closed the refrigerator makes a loud noise (like a motor.) When the door gets opened it stops. You can also open the door but push in the little lever on the side that makes it seem like the door is closed and it will then make the same loud motor noise. It makes this sound constantly. Sometimes it is a little quieter than other times, but as soon as you open the door for something and then close it, it starts getting louder all over again. Could you help with this problem?
 

Thanks so much,
Delora

A: Hi Delora,

Thanks for the note.

The noise you hear is the fan motor inside the freezer section. It may have a bad bearing that needs to be repaired. The freezer comes apart and the motor is not hard to change out. Contact a parts store in your area and they can give you a price and a breakdown of how you take out the wall in the freezer section. Let me know how this works out please.

Regards,
Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Dishwasher Cleaning

Q: Hi, Joe,

We bought a home that has a high efficiency Sears Elite dishwasher. After cleaning there are food particles on the glasses in the upper racks.
 

Is there anything we can do?
 

Thanks,

Loretta

A: Hi Loretta,

Thanks for your note. Check out the spray arms to make sure they are not plugged with food particles. The removal of phosphates in detergent is causing a nationwide problem. Kroger & Meijer carry a product called Lemi Shine which takes care of the phosphate problem. We use it in our dishwasher and it resolves the problem.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Gas Furnace

Hi, Joe,

I have a 1995 Comfortmaker gas furnace and I have a problem with it not running properly. I have a programmable thermostat that I just replaced to no avail. The problem seems to be that when the furnace needs to switch from night program to day program it will not. For example, I have night temp set at 64 and day temp to 68. Sometimes the furnace will kick on and run for a couple of minutes, then the blower continues to blow but no flame. If I turn the thermostat on and off it seems to then kick on and work fine. I have had a technician come out; he cleaned the sensor and confirmed that the furnace is in good shape. Unfortunately the problem continues.

Any suggestions you may have are much appreciated.
 

Thank you!
Frank
 

A: Hi Frank,

Thanks for your note.

You must have paid to have service rendered and they didn't fix the problem. I would call them back for service at no charge. Apparently they missed something.

If you get no satisfaction, I suggest you call Kelley Brothers at 734.462.6266. I know they can fix it.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Holes in Clothing

Q:  Dear Joe, 

We have had an ongoing issue with holes in our soft cotton clothing particularly the underwear and lightweight cotton t-shirts. They appear as small holes and can be larger at times. We have looked at both the washer and dryer trying to find what may be causing this and are a bit stumped. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike & Cathy

A:  Hi Mike & Cathy,

Thanks for your note. This is a tricky question to answer without offending the woman of the house so I’ll put it into a statement of fact.

Women with large breasts use brassieres with a wire support built into it. These wires will wear through the fabric and can then snag other clothes causing little or large holes. It took a lot of years as a service technician to find this out.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Tang Formula for Cleaning Dishwasher

Q: Hello Mr Gagnon,

 
Could you tell me the formula for the Tang treatment to clean dishwashers, please? Is this done only if the dishes don't seem to be as clean or as a regular cleaning treatment?
 

Thank you,
Michele

A: Hi Michele,

Thanks for your note. I’ve had several consumers asking about the Tang story and the Tang formula treatment. Here it is...

Recipe for Cleaning a Dishwasher - Joe Gagnon's Tang Treatment
Way back in the 1960s a service technician working for me broke a glass bottle of Tang breakfast drink in a customer’s dishwasher. He picked up all the glass and left all of the powdered Tang product lying in the bottom of the dishwasher. He ran the dishwasher and the Tang had disappeared so he didn’t worry anymore about it. The next day the customer called me to advise me that her dishes seemed to be so much cleaner and the dishwasher smelled great inside.

I then purchased several containers of Tang and experimented on my dishwasher and a few of my neighbors' dishwashers. I found that the undisolved detergent which forms a scum on surfaces was all gone and the motor impellers were as clean as new! This allowed the impellers to move more water through the spray arms giving a better wash affect. The removal of undisolved detergent from the inside cabinet allowed the door seals to seat better against the inside walls preventing door leaking problems.
 

Treatment Twice a Year
Turn on the hot water faucet until the temperature is at its maximum (140 degrees.) This should always be done every time you turn on the dishwasher.
 

Turn on the dishwasher and let it run for 6 or 7 minutes (empty of dishes.)
 

Open the door and pour in 12 oz. of Tang orange powdered breakfast drink directly into the water lying in the bottom of the dishwasher.

Shut the door and let the dishwasher run through its complete cycle.
 

Drop me note and let me know how it worked for you!

Regards,

Joe Gagnon