In This Issue

Featured Items

Stainless steel hoses

10 foot dryer lint brush

20 foot dryer lint brush

Adjustable dryer lint brush

Condenser brush

Vacuum attachment

Dryer vent materials

Parts You Might Need

Welcome

Welcome to the October 2005 edition of the RepairClinic.com newsletter. This month, you'll find tips and tricks to keep your washer and dryer spinning.

Message from the RepairGuru®

In this month's newsletter, you'll find all you need to know to ensure your washer and dryer operate safely and efficiently. But make sure you have the right parts before you start - you can find them all at RepairClinic.com. Unlike other repair-advice firms, which frequently use third-party companies to fulfill their orders, RepairClinic.com has a huge in-house inventory of parts for more than 75 brands of appliances - allowing us to provide the fastest possible service. In fact, we ship more than 92 percent of parts on the same business day you order them!

Keep Your Washer and Dryer Spinning

Before the hectic holiday season hits, now's the time to get your washer and dryer in top form. Chances are, they appear to be running smoothly, but regular use does take its toll and some major problems may be lurking. You certainly don't want to risk returning from a relaxing holiday vacation to find your washer hoses have burst and flooded your home. And, just as important, your dryer must be thoroughly cleaned of all lint to prevent fires, and to operate efficiently.

Even though there don't seem to be enough hours in the day, these simple tips make it easy to get these appliances in order. Are you ready?

Inspect your clothes washer - First, let's talk about your clothes washer. To understand your washer's design, check out our detailed washer illustrations.

Your washer probably has black rubber hoses that connect it to the water supply. Over time, these hoses deteriorate, so it's important to inspect them at least twice a year. Add that to the list of things to check each time you change your clocks in the fall and spring.

You should inspect your hoses for any splits, cracks, blisters (run your hands along them and feel for potential problems), or corrosion around the fittings. If you find any of these signs of wear, it's time to replace them.

Replace washer hoses - Just taking this simple step can protect your house from the enormous disruption and expense of water damage. To be on the safe side, the RepairGuru recommends replacing the rubber hoses with hoses encased with stainless steel (this prevents bursting - and these hoses last longer).

Begin by turning off the water supply to each hose. If your supply valves are old, rusted or corroded, it may be tough to shut them off. In that case, you may need to turn off the water to the house and consider replacing these valves. You may need help from a plumber for this task.

Next, relieve the pressure on the water lines by turning the washer on to a warm fill cycle for five seconds. Label the household valves and washing machine inlet valve HOT and COLD to make it easier to install the new hoses correctly. Use slip-joint, or adjustable, pliers to loosen the hose-ends from the water supply. Be careful not to squeeze the hose-end too much while loosening the connector or it may deform and then become harder to unscrew. If hose-ends are really tight or corroded, you might try applying a thread-penetrating solution such as Rust Buster and leaving it to penetrate into the connector for an hour or two. Be sure to unthread the hose-end counter-clockwise.

Once you've got them unscrewed, don't forget there could be still a fair amount of water in the hoses. The RepairGuru suggests you have a bucket or container handy to catch the water that's still in the hoses as you lower the hoses away from the water supply. Now, remove the hoses from the machine itself. All washing machine water inlet valves are made of plastic, so the hoses should be easy to remove.

As you prepare to install the new hoses, make sure there are washers in each end of the hoses to prevent leaks. Attach the hoses to the water supply first and run some water through them to clear out any rust or calcium deposits. Next, inspect the inside of the water inlet valve on the washing machine and clean out any rust or calcium deposits from the small screens inside the valve. Start by threading the new hoses onto the water inlet valve by hand to avoid cross-threading. Avoid over-tightening the hoses or you just might make removal more difficult the next time you take care of this task.

Now, your washer should be ready to go! Take a break and then move on to your dryer.

Letting your dryer vent - Each year, there are thousands of dryer fires in the U.S., resulting in injuries, deaths and untold property damage. To operate safely and efficiently, your dryer must have a clean venting system. Even the smallest hint of lint - especially when it's blocking airways - can catch fire under the right circumstances, or lead to a deterioration in dryer performance.

As a rule of thumb, expect 45 minutes of drying time for a standard load. If your loads need more than 55 minutes, and you're sure the clothes are not coming out of the washer too wet for a normal drying cycle, you might have a clogged vent.

You can easily clean your dryer venting with these simple steps and the right tools. To understand your dryer's design, check out our detailed dryer illustrations.

First, pull your dryer away from the wall. Disconnect the vent tube from the back of the dryer. Clean and inspect your venting tubes at least once a year, or more often if you use your dryer frequently or have a long vent that leads to the outside of the house.

With the vent tube disconnected, you should clean the vent ducting. We recommend special vent cleaning brushes which make the job easier and can reach the sometimes long distances from the machine to the outside wall. If you have a lint brush, follow the instructions provided with the brush. If you don't have one of these brushes, you may need to disassemble each section of the duct to clean it out by hand.

You should always outfit your dryer vent tube with a rigid aluminum version. While allowed in most cities, flexible aluminum vent tubes are prone to catching lint and will clog much sooner than rigid aluminum. Never use white plastic vent tubes: these are no longer accepted by the national building code and are even more prone to trapping lint and then becoming blocked.

Join dryer ducting to the machine with aluminum foil tape, rather than with duct tape or screws. Despite its name, duct tape can melt under the high duct temperatures while screws that protrude into the vent give lint a perfect place to build up.

Now it's time to clean the dryer itself. A condenser brush and your vacuum cleaner's crevice tool are the best combination to clean the lint filter itself as well as the slot where the lint filter is inserted and the dryer's internal ducts. In extreme cases, you may need to disassemble part of the dryer to get to and remove the lint. See our detailed dryer illustrations to see how your dryer is assembled or ask our RepairGuru for more specific help.

Outside the house, clean the lint out of the vent cap (or hood) using a dryer vent brush and vacuum cleaner. Inspect the outside cap to be sure the wind flap is working properly, and clean it if necessary. If it has louvers instead of flaps, be sure all louvers are in place and working properly.

To provide a better fit for your vent we have available a large selection of venting elbows, adapters, and special kits for installing vents in tight places. Click here for our venting accessories.

Great job! Now you can forget about your washer and dryer - except for your compulsory laundry duties - for another six months.

Next month: Get your range/oven ready for the holidays!

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