The Handyguys Podcast » kenmore

Foamy faucets, cloudy dishes, frog tape giveaway, toilet troubles and bad gas cans

The Handyguys — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:42:35 +0000

The Handyguys revisit some old issues and discuss some new ones – foamy faucets, cloudy dishes, frog tape giveaway, toilet troubles and bad gas caps on this audio episode.

Topic 1: The Moen Faucet with foamy smelly water.

Paul discusses his Moen faucet with the pull out braided hose and how it still produces smelly foamy water when not used for several hours. Moen’s customer service was great but they don’t offer any explanation of what causes the odor or foam. Several listeners contacted the Handyguys with the same issue. Perhaps they can respond to this post with their experience and offer a work-around to this problem. For now, Paul has not taken Moen up on their offer to replace the faucet with a non pullout head as his wife is hooked on the feature. They are living with the problem for now.

Topic 2: The Kenmore Elite Dishwasher revisited (i.e. Whirlpool, Kitchenaid, Kenmore)

Paul’s video of the Kenmore Elite dishwasher where he cleans out the basin has solved a lot of folks problems with frustrating modern dishwashers that don’t do the job. However, he began having problems with a white film building up on dishes. The problem is now solved. Cleaning out the basin fixed the problem of grit and being left on the dishes. This new solution eliminates the cloudy problems with glasses.

Topic 3: Frog Tape Giveaway.

We have two frog tape sets to giveaway. Each set has two rolls of frog tape, a t-shirt and a bag. Just make a comment on this post to enter. Listen to the podcast for details.

Topic 4: Incomplete toilet flushes

We followed up on a listener question regarding a toilet that does not flush completely. Like the sewage in question, this is a problem that does not easily go away. Listen to the Handyguys speculate on possible solutions.

Topic 5: End of season mower care

Paul discusses his frustration trying to prepare his mower for the winter and confuses airplanes with the spinning things on mowers.

Topic 6: Gas Caps

Check out the new style gas caps at your local True Value and let us know what you think. They are supposed to be better than some of the older “safe” designs. Brian thinks they are an improvement but still a bit awkward. Some of the newest types may be best.

We were one of the bloggers selected by True Value to work on the DIY Squad. We have been compensated for our time commitment to the program as well as our writing and productions about our experience. We have also been compensated for the materials needed for our DIY project. However, as always, our opinions are entirely our own and we have not been paid to publish positive comments.

Related shows:

Troubleshooting Ice Maker Not Making Ice And Lawn Aeration

The Handyguys — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:26:37 +0000

In this audio episode of The Handyguys Podcast we start by discussing a question about ice makers not making ice and then get into some recent projects in our “What are ya doing lately” segment.

Ice maker machine not making ice

We received this question from a fan named Mary

Do you have any recommendations on getting the ice machine on our Kenmore side-by-side working again?

Well, when we recorded this episode we didn’t have any more details.

Mary – The problem is often that the defrost cycle doesn’t defrost enough to sufficiently melt ice buildup in the water inlet tube. I have heard some people recommend to put all your stuff from the refrigerator and freezer, put it into coolers, unplug the appliance, and then let it warm up, above freezing, for a couple of hours or over night. This thawing process will fix your ice maker IF the problem is a frozen supply line. Some others will use a hair dryer to warm up just the frozen spot. The problem with the hair dryer is you need to figure out where the freeze is! The manual defrost process is pretty simple and it doesn’t cost you anything to try. If everything mechanically and electrically seems sound then give it a shot.

What else could it be? There is an arm that shuts the ice maker on and off. That arm could be stuck in the off position, push it down and you may be in business. Other problems may be more involved such as bad motors or circuitry.

Mary – send us some more information on your problem (comment on this post) and we will try to help you troubleshoot further.

This project involved "building a box" around some pipes for a radiator on the floor above. A traditional 2x wall was built, drywall and then trim.

What are you doing lately?

Brian

Brian recently completed an aeration project. Renting an aerator is a great way to improve the health of your lawn. When done in conjunction with over seeding you give your lawn a great jump on a healthy next growing season.

Paul

Paul also did some aeration and over seeding. The Handyguys then discussed a project they did for a local pre-school. It involved boxing in unsightly pipes and matching new trim to old in a 100-year-old Victorian.

Related shows:

Modern Appliances Stink, Quality Of New Appliances

The Handyguys — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:59:19 +0000

The Handyguys discuss why modern appliances suck stink and briefly discuss how to fix a whirlpool GS6SHEXNL00 side by side refrigerator.

The Handyguys are NOT appliance repairmen

First off – The Handyuys are NOT appliance repair guys. We are just a couple of handy homeowners who have attempted a couple appliance repairs ourselves. Please don’t call us to come out and repair your appliances. We don’t know everything about all appliances. If its a common issue we have have seen it and can give you some advice but generally we will tell you to continue your research elsewhere. Google is your friend. Try googling a model number. If you got here because of a google search then maybe this info will be useful.

Ranting about modern appliances

The Handyguys rant about whats wrong with modern appliances. So, why do modern appliances stink? More water cleans dishes better, more water gets cloths cleaner, more powerful motors last longer but use a little more energy.Â Does it really use less water and energy when you need to run your dishwasher twice because it didn’t get your dishes clean the first time? Same with your clothes washer. If your clothes smell musty and you need to do that extra rinse or a full second wash does that really contribute to being green? It certainly contributes to frustration.

Brian then discusses his front loading clothes washer. It vibrates like crazy. Yes its level and balanced. The repair guys has been out three or four times to replace parts that have been broken due to the vibration but he cant fix the cause of the vibration. The manufacture says my house isn’t build strong enough!!! Hmm, the house is built above code and the floor has been reinforced just to prove its not the house. The manufacture says it should be on concrete and I should move it to the basement or garage and out of the laundry room. Crazyness. This was a very expensive washer from a top manufacturer. Bosch, if you are reading this feel free to respond and prove to us that new appliances DON’T suck stink.

Repairing a Whirlpool Gold GS6SHEXNL00 refrigerator

The Handyguys discuss how to fix a Whirlpool Gold side by side GS6SHEXNL00 side by side refrigerator. We will be posting a video soon. What were the symptoms? No controls, light wouldn’t work. When the bulb was removed everything worked. Some other people have similar issues with this series of refrigerators. Fortunately its an easy fix. Essentially it involves replacing a circuit board. The board is in the bottom of the fridge and accessed from the back. We describe the process in the podcast but the video will show you all the steps.

Defrost or not to defrost

Does it ever make sense to not buy a frost free freezer? YES. Yet another modern “convenience” that causes freezer burn and hard ice cream. Listen to the podcast to find out why.

Related shows:

Fixing a Kenmore Elite Dishwasher that is not Cleaning Dishes

The Handyguys — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 20:59:29 +0000

Handyguy Paul Takes apart his Dishwasher to clean out the basin.

The Handyguys planned to tackle two issues in this episode. They began with Paul’s Dishwasher problems and hoped to talk about the Handyguy’s electrical toolkit. However, the dishwasher took up the entire episode and the electrical toolkit discussion got pushed back to another show (ok… we sometimes record these episodes out-of-order so the electrical toolkit discussion was published with episode #70).

So what is the problem with Paul’s dishwasher that is worth talking so long about? Well, no one likes an expensive dishwasher that has problems doing the one thing it is supposed to do. Cleaning Dishes! Handyguy Paul’s wife was not happy about this arrangement. Upon removing glasses from the dishwasher each morning, she was finding them covered in a cloudy white film. Typically this is due to hard water and is prevented with a rinse aid product. In this situation, rinse aid was not addressing the problem.

To make matters worse, the dishes on the top rack were also not being cleaned very well. In fact, it appeared that the upper spray arm above the top rack was not spraying much of any water onto the dishes.

So what was the solution to the white haze (or is it etching?) on the glasses? And how do you fix these problems. You can find the answer by listening to our podcast or watching our little video. Or how about both? Check it out.

In addition, the Handyguys discuss other common dishwasher problems.

While you are here, check out the Handyguys recent trip to Husqvarna to test some chain saws and outdoor equipment:

Thanks to erento for sponsoring this post – Whatever the magnitude or complexity of the project you wish to undertake, online tool hire will provide you necessary tools and equipment.

Related shows: