The Handyguys June 5th, 2008

 

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The Handyguys discuss DIY appliance repair resources. In this episode Brian stops Paul from going too deep into his DIY washing machine repair without doing a little more research on the Internet.  Listen for the full story.

What Kind of Appliance Parts Can I Buy Online?

If you are planning any do it yourself appliance repair projects then you are likely shopping around for the best place to purchase your replacement appliance parts. Traditionally, some appliance parts were carried at your local hardware store or appliance store. If the store didn’t have what you were looking for then you could special order the parts that you needed. Often, that was expensive and the parts could take some time to come in leaving you without a working refrigerator, washer, dishwasher or other useful appliance.

Today there is another option. There are now internet websites that carry a large selection of parts for your household appliances. The best part about shopping internet websites is the large selection of parts that they carry and can ship to you immediately.

Below is a sampling of some common parts that are carried by online replacement stores.

• Washer parts: Pumps, Couplings, Agitator Kits, Knobs, Valves, Motors, Switches, Belts, Hoses and Gears
• Dryer parts: Heating Elements, Lint Filters, Belts and Rollers, Thermal Fuses, Thermostats and Blower Wheels
• Refrigerator parts: Water Valves, Defrost Heaters, Thermostats, Defrost Controls and Timers, Shelves, Drawers and Bins, Doors, Handles, Door Gaskets, Compressors and Relays
• Oven parts: Igniters, Bake and Broil Elements, Knobs, Grates, Drip Bowls, Burners, Valves and Thermostats
• Dishwasher parts: Dish racks and Baskets, Rollers, Wash Spray Arms, Gaskets, Door Seals, Pumps and Valves

These parts are carried for a large variety of manufacturers, like Whirlpool Parts, and many appliance models. It is worth checking an online appliance store if you have an appliance that is hard to find or older than 10 years since the online store might have the part that you need and save you the expense of replacing the entire appliance.

Although online replacement stores carry large amounts of inventory, it is still very simple to find the exact part that you need. Many websites allow you to search by appliance model number, replacement part number or description.

So, if you have an appliance that needs repair it is worth trying to find the part that you need at one of the online appliance stores that carry many parts.

The Handyguys talk about AppliancePartsPros.com
A few key features of  AppliancePartsPros.com are

• Live Help available on site via Live Chat, Toll Free Lines, or Email
• Very Fast Shipping with over 91% of in-stock orders delivered the next day
• Low Price Guarantee
• Over 1 million appliance parts in-stock
• Repair Forum available for those DIY’ers who need a little extra help.  The forum has thousands of questions and answers by professional repair technicians sorted by appliance type.
• Detailed model breakdowns and photos for help finding the correct part.  Example…http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=256714
• Experienced Staff with years of appliance parts knowledge
• They carry parts for all the major brands including Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, GE, Fridgidaire, and more.  They also carry parts for the high-end, harder to find brands like Bosch, Dacor, Thermadore, and more.
• Website allows to search by Model Number, Part Description, or Part Number

The Handyguys would like to thank AppliancePartsPros.com for sponsoring this episode.

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The Handyguys April 3rd, 2008

 

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The Handyguys answer a question about using bondo on rotted wood and they discuss the different varieties of ladders.

The Handyguys Brian & Paul answer a question about using Bondo for wood repairs submitted by Moe.

Question

My house was built in the late 70’s and lately I’ve noticed that some of the windowsills (exterior) have patches of rot. Replacing a windowsill seems like it might be beyond my expertise so I’m wondering about removing the rot and filling it with something. I’m told Bondo is a bad idea. Do you have any recommendations on what to use and how to tackle a job like this?”

Thanks for contacting us Moe. This is a great question.

The Handyguys start off discussion what Bondo is and how it can be used for wood repair applications.

Below are excerpts of The Handyguys email responses to Moe. More details are available in the podcast.

My first inclination is to replace the rotted wood. Weather or not you need to do this depends on the extent of the damage. Feel free to email us a few pictures and we can give you a better assessment. In my opinion replacing the wood is actually easier and looks significantly better when done. I sometimes have trouble making a patch disappear after I paint. If replacing the wood is definitely out then you have a few general steps.

1) Remove ALL loose wood, rotted wood, dust and debris. If you do not get out the rot it may continue deeper. A tool like a Dremel can help with this along with scrapers, utility knives and so forth.
Dremel
http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B0000302XV
Carving Bits
http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B00005LEXW

2) Harden remaining fibers
There are products made for this such as
http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B000BPINKS
Or, if you had a ready supply of Cyanoacrylate (super glue) you could use that to harden the fibers (the liquid type, not the gel)

3) Fill with exterior grade wood filler such as
http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B000BQL0WA

4) Sand smooth

5) Prime and paint

The hard part is when you have edge details or unusual shapes.

I have never used Bondo but I do not see why your couldn’t as long as you went through getting the old rot out and hardening the fibers first.

Handyguy Brian

And Paul’s 2cents

Moe,

Just to piggy back on what Brian already said. I have used bondo on exterior wood applications and I like it. I used the version that is sold in the paint section of the big box stores for just this application. I think it is the same as the auto version.

I have used Bondo on a rotted porch post. I cleaned out as much rot as possible and applied the Bondo. It hardens fast so you have to get used to it. In my opinion Bondo works better for exterior applications then most other wood fillers for this purpose.

My porch posts have held up great. Make sure you prime and paint after it hardens. You can do this same day I believe because it hardens so fast.

Here is a link to Bondo for wood. (Sorry, its not available in our store)

http://www.3m.com/US/auto_marine_aero/Bondo/catalog_item27aa.html?itemNbr=119

Good Luck,

Handyguy Paul

The Handyguys then go on to speculate that Moe may need to work from a ladder and realize that they didn’t include ladders in their home toolkit show. This evolves into a discussion about various types of ladders.

Types of ladders discussed

Typical A frames in fiberglass, wood and aluminum. Paul likes the ones with fancy attachments.

Extension ladder pros and cons in fiberglass, aluminum and wood are discussed.

Brian likes the Little giant type

http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B0000224MC

Paul highly recommends a ladder stabilizer with any extension ladder.

http://www.handyguyspodcast.com/the-handy-guys-store?B0000224MC

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