Tips
on Appliance Care and Repair -
Power
Drills Toasters Radio
TV Computers Printers Scanners
Electric Kettles Irons
NEVER NEVER work with live equipment. Switch
off and
unplug it before you reach for the screwdriver
Make
Yourself a Neat Continuity Tester
- to test switches,
motors, transformers and fuses - All you need is an LED any
resistor of a value between 470ohm and 1Kohm (see your local TV
repairman or electronic engineer friend) and a 9V battery.
All components are connected in series with the component you are
testing. – Davie
Cookers. If your gas hob has an uneven flame some of the jets may be clogged up.
Clean out all of the holes with something like a pine needle to solve
this problem. -- S. Keen
Television.
If your antenna is down, a good makeshift replacement is to use an
upturned wire coat hanger. Pull it into a diamond shape, straighten the
hook, and place the end of the hook in the central hole of the antenna
socket.-- Robert Edmunds.
CD Player Repair:
A good tip for fixing a CD player is to clean the
laser lens with methylated spirits or preferably isopropyl alcohol,
(doesn't leave residue). Make sure the player is off as laser may
permanently harm your eyes - Galileo - We get some big name contributors on this site - Ed
VCR.
Snowy picture quality, and fuzzy sound can be due to dirty tape heads.
Use a head cleaning tape to solve this problem. -- R Edmunds.
Dishwashers: There are several things you can do to clean rust like build up from
inside your dishwasher. You can run it empty with a cup of white
distilled vinegar to clean out (the) stain. If stain is still there,
try a lime, rust and scale cleaner and run empty. I run vinegar through
once a month and this prevents hard deposits from getting a head
start. -- Good Luck, Patti
Seizetheday!
Washing
Machines. If your machine is making noisy vibrations the machine
probably isn't balanced. Check to see if the floor is even, and sturdy
enough to support the machine. Also check to see if the adjustable feet
are set correctly. -- K. Richmond, South Dakota
Washing
Machines. These can also make shake loudly if the load is unbalanced
due to bulky items. Rearrange the load evenly to correct this problem.
Too much detergent has also been known to cause such problems. --
Axel Klystron.
When
opening a piece of equipment the screws that you removed can be stored
in the correct sequence by poking them in to a piece of blue-tack or
beeswax -- Robert E.
Use RCD's or Residual Current Devices when using dangerous appliances
such as lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, drills and sanders.
These cut the mains electricity connection when a cable or flex is cut,
or an electrical tool malfunctions, reducing the risk of electrocution.
Gardens: When using electrical equipment in the garden special care must be
taken. Make sure that cables run behind lawnmowers, you must never cut
towards a flex, or cut the lawn usin an electric lawnmower in wet conditions.
Gardens: Never clean or adjust electrical gardening equipment while they are
still plugged in, make sure they are switched off first. Never wash
electrical gardening equipment with water.
Never
work with electricity in damp or wet conditions.
Plugs:
Never overload a socket with too many plugs or adapters, and make sure
they are correctly fused.
It
is better to have a dead hairdryer than a dead
repairman. Work
safely! -- Don's Mother-in-law
When
going on holiday be sure to unplug all appliances -- Davie
Stereos. If the tape player on your hi-fi system is not sounding as
sharp as it used to try using a head cleaner tape, since the heads are
probably dirty.-- R. Sanchez, Houston, USA
Dirty
Toasters: If your toaster has melted plastic from bread wrappers, etc.,
nail varnish remover (acetone) should remove it. –
Simon Thorne.
Vacuum Cleaners. If you are getting poor suction with your vacuum, the
hose could be clogged. Look in the hose to see if there is an
obstruction, and if there is use something like a bamboo cane to
unblock it. -- E Edmunds.
A
small piece of beeswax on the end of your screwdriver allows you to
reach awkward positions. No Beeswax use Blu-tac – Cameron Sutherland
When
getting your tools out to do a little job, take lots of them, maybe
even the box or the bag. Having to return to pick up the tool
you forgot can be so annoying! -- Davie
If your plastic garden furniture gets stained, make a paste by mixing
of baking soda and water and apply it for a few minutes before wiping
it off. -- Cameron Sutherland
The
late fall is the time to time to oil and clean the lawn mower and other
machinery. Brush on clean engine oil or lightly spray with
WD40 or similar – Cameron Sutherland
To
preserve aluminum garden furniture, and metal tools over the winter
apply oil (either cooking oil, or waste motor oil. Wipe them off before
using again though. -- Derek Edmondes. (Use fresh oils as used motor oil can be
pretty toxic -- Ed)
Some interesting articles by by Bill McCaslin:-
|
Setting up a home workshop |
|
Ensuring the disabled have power |
|
Mild retribution for the nasty ones |
|
Don't put up with it |
|
Don't let Spyware ruin your day |
|
How to really use the magic metal |