Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances

Any person who cannot use basic tools should not attempt to install, maintain, or repair any major appliance or air conditioner. Any improper installation, preventative maintenance, or repairs will create a risk of personal injury, as well as property damage. Call the service manager if installation, preventative maintenance, or the repair procedure is not fully understood.

Every technician should carry a first aid kit and should know the location of the kit and how to properly use its contents. Technicians should carry a fire extinguisher in their service vehicles in case of an emergency. It is also recommended that they take a first aid course, such as those offered by the American Red Cross.

Individual, electrical, gas, chemical, appliance and air conditioner, operating, and installation safety precautions are generally the same for all major appliances and air conditioners. Carefully observe all safety cautions and warnings that are posted on the appliance or air conditioner being worked on. Understanding and following these safety tips can prevent accidents.

• Wear gloves. Sharp edges on appliances or air conditioners can hurt hands.

• Wear safety shoes. Accidents are often caused when dropping heavy appliances, especially on feet that are not protected.

• Avoid loose clothing that could get caught in the appliance while it is operating.

• Remove all jewelry when working on appliances.

• Tie long hair back.

• Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying debris.

• Use proper tools that are clean and in good working condition when repairing appliances and air conditioners.

• Have ample light in the work area.

• Be careful when handling access panels or any other components that may have sharp edges.

• Avoid placing hands in any area of the appliance or air conditioner that has not been visually inspected for sharp edges or pointed screws.

• Be sure that the work area is clean and dry from water and oils.

• When working with others, always communicate with each other.

• Always ask for help moving heavy objects.

• When lifting heavy appliances or air conditioners, always use your leg muscles and not your back muscles.

Know where and how to turn off the electricity to the appliance or air conditioner. For example: Know the location of plugs, fuses, circuit breakers, and cartridge fuses in the home. Label them. If a specific diagnostic check requires that voltage be applied, reconnect electricity only for the time required for such a check, and disconnect it immediately thereafter. During any such check, be sure that no other conductive parts come into contact with any exposed current-carrying metal parts. When replacing electrical parts or reassembling the appliance or air conditioner, always reinstall the wires back on their proper terminals according to the wiring diagram. Then check to be sure that the wires are not crossing any sharp areas, are not pinched in some way, are not between panels, and are not between moving parts that may cause an electrical problem.

• Always use a separate, grounded electrical circuit for each major appliance or air conditioner.

• Never use an extension cord for major appliances.

• Be sure that the electricity is off before working on the appliance or air conditioner.

• Never remove the ground wire from a three-prong power cord or any other ground wires from the appliance or air conditioner.

• Never bypass or alter any appliance or air conditioner switch, component, or feature.

• Replace any damaged, pinched, or frayed wiring before repairing the appliance or air conditioner.

• Be sure that all electrical connections within the product are correctly and securely connected.

As a technician, I have full respect for electricity and gas fuels. Like electricity, natural and liquefied petroleum (LP or LPG) gas can become dangerous if not handled properly. First, locate the gas shutoff valve by the appliance, and know where the main gas shutoff is located before beginning repairs. The fuel supply (natural or LP gas), supply lines, pressure regulator, and LP storage tank will need servicing at least once a year to make certain that there are no leaks. All gas appliances must be kept clean and free of soot.

• Never smoke or light a flame when working on gas appliances.

• Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations as stated in the use and care manual for gas appliances.

• Keep all combustible materials, such as gasoline, liquids, paint, paper materials, and rags, away from gas appliances.

• Do not allow pilot lights to go out. The gas fumes will seep into the room, causing a hazardous condition for anyone who lights a match, turns on a light switch, or uses the telephone.

• When working on gas appliances always have a fire extinguisher nearby.

• When using gas appliances, always have the proper ventilation according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

• Keep ventilation systems clean of debris and obstructions.

• If you smell gas where the appliance is located, shut off the gas supply and vent the room. Warning: If you cannot turn the gas supply off, you must leave the area, go to a neighbor, and telephone the gas company and the fire department.

• When the flame turns from a blue color to a yellow color, or if soot forms, you could have a condition known as incomplete combustion. Warning: If not corrected immediately, you could have carbon monoxide buildup, which could be potentially fatal. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous nonirritating gas that is odorless, colorless, and has no taste. If you breathe in carbon monoxide, it will mix with your blood and prevent oxygen from entering into the blood supply, causing illness or death.

• All homes should have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed.

• Remove all hazardous materials from the work area.

• Always store hazardous materials in a safe place and out of the reach of children.

• Before turning on appliances that use water, run all of the hot water taps in the house for approximately five minutes. This clears out the hydrogen gas that can build up in the water heater and pipes if they have not been used for more than two weeks.

After repairing the appliance or air conditioner, do not attempt to operate it unless it has been properly reinstalled according to the use and care manual and to the installation instructions supplied by the manufacturer. If these instructions are not available, do not operate the appliance or air conditioner. Call the service manager to check out the reinstallation or ask for a copy of the installation instructions from the manufacturer.

• Do not allow children to play on or to operate appliances or air conditioners.

• Never allow anyone to operate an appliance or air conditioner if they are not familiar with its proper operation.

• When discarding an old appliance, remove all doors to prevent accidental entrapment and suffocation.

• The refrigerant in refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners will have to be reclaimed before disposal of the product can begin.

• Instruct the customer to use the appliance or air conditioner only for the job that it was designed to do.

The first step in assuring safety with major appliances and air conditioners is to be sure that they are installed correctly. Read the installation instructions and the use and care manual that comes with the appliance or air conditioner. Observe all local codes and ordinances for electrical, plumbing, and gas connections. Ask your local government agency about these codes. Additional safety tips include the following:

• Carefully observe all safety warnings that are contained in the installation instructions and in the use and care manual.

• The work area should be clear of unnecessary materials so that there is plenty of room to work on the appliance or air conditioner.

• Be sure that the appliances are installed and leveled on a floor that is strong enough to support their weight.

• The appliance or air conditioner should be protected from the weather, as well as from freezing or overheating.

• The appliance or air conditioner should be correctly connected to its electric, water, gas, drain, and/or exhaust system. It should also be electrically grounded.

• Be sure that the appliance has a properly installed anti-tip device, as in the case of kitchen ranges.

In 1913, the National Electrical Code (NEC) made grounding at the consumer’s home mandatory. The NEC required that range frames be grounded to a neutral conductor in 1943. Later, in 1946, it required that receptacles in laundry areas be grounded. Soon after, the NEC required that the frames of automatic dryers be grounded to neutral conductors. Then, in 1959, NEC required that automatic washers, automatic dryers, automatic dishwashers, and certain motor-operated handheld appliances be grounded. All 15-amp and 20-amp branch circuits have grounding type receptacles, as specified in 1962. Finally, in 1968, the code required that refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners be grounded.

The greatest importance of grounding appliances and air conditioners is that it prevents people from receiving shocks from them. However, the major problem associated with the adequate grounding of appliances and air conditioners is that many homes are not equipped with three-prong or four-prong grounded receptacles. To solve this problem, the consumer must install, or have installed, a properly grounded and polarized three-prong or four-prong receptacle. A qualified electrician should connect the wiring, and properly ground and polarize the receptacle.

• Do not install or operate an appliance or air conditioner unless it is properly grounded.

• Do not cut off the grounding prong from the appliance or air conditioner plug.

• Where a two-prong wall receptacle is encountered, it must be replaced with a properly grounded and polarized three-prong receptacle.

• Call the service manager if you doubt your abilities. When dealing with electricity, there is no leeway for mistakes.

• The floor around the appliance or air conditioner must be dry. Water and dampness increase the probability of a shock hazard.

• When using a multimeter, always set the meter correctly for the voltage being checked.

• Handle only the insulated parts of the meter probes.

• Touch components, terminals, or wires with the meter probe tip only.

• Touch the meter probe tips only to the terminals being checked. Touching other components could damage good parts.

• Be sure that the appliances have properly installed anti-tip devices, as found on kitchen ranges.