I’ll be loyal to any brand that deserves it

It’s been an exciting month on the appliances front.

Our Samsung refrigerator (less than 2 years old) has been behaving badly for months. The freezer frosted up constantly, the freezer glides weren’t working correctly, and Samsung was being a real pain to deal with. Lisa and I finally did good cop/bad cop and got Samsung to send a tech to do a warranty repair, and two weeks ago the tech finally replaced a freezer glide and admitted that it was defective. Problem solved.

Two hours later, the Kenmore gas dryer (well over 15 years old) stopped heating up. Lisa’s dad (a mechanic) had been planning to visit later in the week, so we waited for him to show up to start taking things apart. The first YouTube video for the dryer model showed how to check the various electrical components in the back of the dryer for continuity, including a fuse. Bingo. The fuse was busted, Sears had the $16 part only 6 miles away, and now the dryer works.

So we decided to tackle the GE gas range (8 years old). The oven had been whooshing since the winter, and had been getting slower and slower to get up to temperature. And the burners had been pulsing if the oven was on at the same time, which didn’t look right at all. Some web research suggested that it could be the oven igniter, and some further web research turned up some pretty clear video and photos about how to replace the igniter. Amazon had the part for $26 (far better than $93 direct from GE for the identical part), and the second time they shipped it to us the igniter arrived intact. And now our range works.

Yesterday we discovered that the large Frigidaire window air conditioner (7 years old) taking care of our entire first floor had gotten its drain plugged up, and had damaged some floor, some wall, some carpet, and the window. We’re not fixing the air conditioner; replacing it seems like the better plan.

A house can be unending problems, and that can get terribly overwhelming. But the satisfaction of reducing the list of problems and fixing some of those problems ourselves is enormous.