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The compressor in our Viking Professional 36 inch fridge had failed. It had been in service for about 12 years. Replacement of this compressor is non-trivial. Don’t try it yourself unless you have some familiarity with vacuum systems and refrigerants. First, the specific Embraco compressor is no longer in production. I found a suitable replacement, by Sikelan, with approximately the same electrical and mechanical specs (1.7 runtime amps, 10.9 LRA locked rotor amps, 1/4HP).

Failed compressor, before removal

Steps to replacement:

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The neutral start switch, AKA inhibitor switch, on the transmission of our rough road vehicle, a 2007 Subaru Forester, was failing intermittently. Symptoms were that the car would not start (engine would not turn over on start) intermittently, but wiggling the transmission shift lever sideways would get it to start again. The starter motor had checked out OK. I found a new replacement switch, same part number, on ebay for about $100.

Failed Inhibitor Switch, removed

the failed switch -note the depressed button

Over the past several years at Campbell River Repair Cafe events and elsewhere I’ve seen at least a dozen microwave ovens need repair because of failure of a specific component -one that is inexpensive and easy to source and replace: a door interlock switch. (more…)

One of the items that was brought in by a friend to a recent Repair Café event in Campbell River was a non-functioning portable humidifier, a Honeywell model HUD-200. I didn’t have time to get to it during the Café afternoon, but was able to fix it afterward. These devices are based on an ultrasonic “nebulizer”, basically a piezoelectric element in a high frequency oscillator circuit generating ultrasound waves in water, and thereby causing droplets to form and flow out in an airstream from a fan. The symptom was that water was flowing through the device, but no moisture was being created.

the nebulous humidifier

One of the most interesting and challenging repairs to come my way at the recent Repair Café in Campbell River, BC was a Bose clock radio. This radio had no audio output other than a loud buzz from the speakers when turned on.

Bose Clock Radio, post-repair

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Recently my neighbour’s hot tub wasn’t functioning; the water pump motor would not start. This is a fairly common symptom, with a number of possible causes. In this case the pump was a “Century LASAR Pool/Spa Motor” part number 7-177783-02 by A.O. Smith and Company. The repair required both freeing up seized bearings, and cleaning contacts in the starter capacitor circuit.

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This post is about another case that reinforces my claim that “most repairs are easy” -especially when you know what to look for! One of my neighbours recently brought over a pressure cooker that had ceased to function. In quick initial tests, the unit powered up normally, and panel display and controls seemed functional, but the device heater did not come on. Other key observations were that the relay that supplies AC to the heater could be heard to “click” as expected. This relay is of a common type used in many appliances and electronic thermostats to supply relatively high currents to resistive heaters.

the patient, chest cavity opened

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This brief post is about repair of what is apparently a common fault of front loading washers that have been made by Samsung and other manufacturers in recent years.  Recently, our Kenmore model 592-49057 had started making alarmingly loud thumping noises during operation, especially during high speed spin cycle segments. The cause turned out to be a broken support flange or “spider” inside the washer tub. Sears Canada was unable to supply the part I needed, but after finding the Samsung model number, actually 59249057 (surprise!), I was able to figure out the Samsung replacement part number DC97-14875B for the spider for our “Kenmore” machine. I found it on ebay via a parts source in Pennsylvania by searching on the part number. It was about Cdn $140 with shipping to BC. The actually repair is pretty easy but a lot of parts have to come out before you can get at the spider.

corroded and broken

I need a new spider

For the past few years I’ve been using an inexpensive hand-pumped sprayer to kill moss on my roof in Campbell River. The sprayer is an HDX-branded 2 gallon tank sprayer from Home Depot, sells for about $20. The moss removal serves far more than cosmetic purposes for the house; the moss eventually grows underneath the roof shingles and can lift them up and cause leaks, as well as holding moisture that will seep into the roof. The ingredients I use for the spray are typically 20-30% vinegar (the cheapest I can find at nearby grocery store) and the rest, tap water. Low toxicity and low impact to things other than moss and other vegetation.

Anyone for a vinegar bath?

This is an instance of a seemingly intractable repair that turned out to be very easy. One light on my neighbour Klari’s kitchen tracklight system had failed, and the problem wasn’t the bulb. Having experienced Klari’s fine cooking, this was an important repair for me to do, to help her kitchen be in the best state possible for more! (more…)

Just finished a repair of a 1980′s vintage Aiwa cassette deck: Aiwa model 3500 (see https://www.vintagecassette.com/Aiwa/AD-3500), a 3-head model with decent performance for its era. The drive system was essentially nonfunctional. Why, you might ask, would I bother fixing such an old piece of electronics? The answer is that I needed a sound source for a “goose barker” to connect up to an amp and speakers to scare some persistent geese off my mother’s lawn, and a cassette deck was a pretty good choice, given that it was here and available. (more…)

This repair almost falls into the “most repairs are easy” group but it took me a bit of extra trial and error to find the problem this time. Our home in Campbell River that we moved into in 2012 had a motion detector light at the front entrance that had never worked correctly. The sensitivity to motion was much too low, and the sensitivity adjustment made no sense; the sensitivity was poor and useless, since motion more than a few feet away was not detected, and the sensitivity was at a maximum at the middle of the adjustment range, and at a roughly equal minimum at the supposed max and min settings. Usual caution: before you try repairing such a light yourself, disconnect the AC power! Be safe.

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The Patient, pre-operative state

One half of our 4-slice Black and Decker toaster hadn’t been working for several months. I finally decided to take a crack at fixing it, as I so often do with broken products. The hardship of insufficient independent toaster ports had become unbearable (or more accurately, I couldn’t resist tinkering with the thing.) I suspected a broken filament from the outset. Here’s what I did for this repair. (more…)

After that last post about trash, it’s time for a more positive one.  One of the things I’ve gotten a lot out of thus far in life, without really intending to,  is being a participant in  some very interesting and somewhat diverse communities.  That includes a number of recreational groups, such as the windsurfing, climbing, and photography communities, as well as in my working world of computing, Physics, and entrepreneurship. On the recreational front, I’ll always treasure those days spent with my co-founders of the Kingston Boardsailing Association (hi to Brian, Evan, Denise, Phil, Ruth, John, Cathy, and all the rest of you), especially on those windy days on Lake Ontario.  It’s great to see after 20 years that the good old KBA is still sailing along!  I did a short but rewarding stint as a director of the Jericho Sailing Centre Association, and I wish I had more time to be involved in the rock climbing community, which is a particularly diverse and interesting one. The Physics community is a particularly international one, at least through my own experiences, and took me to many places in North America plus a very rewarding period in Japan. (more…)

This summer on camping and climbing trips we noticed a disgusting trend that needs to be discouraged.  In several places on Vancouver Island and in the Vancouver area, a lot of garbage was being left behind by lazy people. Sights like this one, from an unauthorized campsite in otherwise scenic Strathcona Park, were all too common.

Pick up your trash!

This is the first post.

Gimli The Cheese Philosopher