Dishwasher Brand Recommendation

Name: Jan 

City: Canton MI

Inquiry Type: Appliance care tip

Comments: I am in need of a new dishwasher and have checked various sites to review them and seem to get more confused than ever. Do you recommend a stainless steel interior?  Is there any brand you could recommend? I'm looking for a middle of the line variety, not high end, but one that would give good service.  Currently leading toward a Kitchen Aid or GE Profile.

Hi Jan,

Thanks for the note. If not a Bosch,go with the Kitchen Aid.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

High Efficiency Furnace

Name: John Fuhrman

Inquiry Type: General question

Comments: What is the lastest rule and dates for 90% efficiency furnaces?

Hi, John,

Thanks for your note. From what I understand, the mandates that were set several months ago have been cancelled. You might be best to contact Pat Kelley of Kelley Brothers at 734-462-6266. He is the best furnace guy in the business.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Gas Dryer Repair

Name: Roger

City: Ypsilanti

Inquiry Type: Appliance repair question

Comments: I have a Maytag gas dryer that runs but does not produce any heat. I have detected a slight gas odor. Any thoughts? I did shut the gas value off to the dryer.

Hi Roger,

Thanks for the note. Even with a failure of the gas valve system you should never smell gas. I suggest you contact Master Tech Appliance in Ann Arbor and have them check out this problem. Too dangerous a situation to fool around with.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Ice Maker Repair

Name: John  

City: Ann Arbor, MI

Inquiry Type: Appliance repair question

Comments: Hi Dr Gagnon!  Your show is GREAT and Very helpful!

Question I have for you is that our refrigerator has an ice maker - and for some reason the defroster heater stays on too long (or comes on too often)  and our ice melts down and all freezes together. Any ideas?

Thanks

Hi, John,

Thanks for your note. Before we blame the defrost system, I would like you to check a few things. Place a piece of paper towel over the ice in the bucket. Let's see if any water is leaking through the water valve after it dumps a load of ice into the bucket. If so, the water valve in the rear bottom of the refrigerator needs to be replaced. This is very common.

Next you need to check the door seals by putting a flashlight into both sections, doing this at night. Shut off the lights in the kitchen and look around both seals to see if any light is showing. If so, heat the gasket with a hair dryer and stretch it out. Door seals have a tendency to return to the original shape when heated. If you still have the problem after these checks, I suggest you contact a service technician to check out the defrost system as the newer model refrigerators use computers tied into the defrost system.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Contractor recommendations

Name: Cyndy  

City: Canton, MI

Inquiry Type: Contractor recommendation

Comments: Hi Joe,

Can you please recommend the following:

A good surveyor?

A couple of honest concrete/cement people?

A couple of honest fence companies?

And Tree services?

Thanks,

Cyndy

Hi Cyndy, thanks for your note. Take a look at my website and go to Joe's Picks. You will see a great cement company there called KC Masonry. Anchor Fence is a good company located in Westland. I don't know a Surveyor or Tree Company.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon