Is your refrigerator energy-efficient?

Is your refrigerator energy-efficient?

All of us have a refrigerator at our homes, but do we ever think how much it costs us in terms of electricity charges? Refrigerator is the only one appliance which runs constantly 24/7 and the cost of running a refrigerator can be up to 10% of our entire eclectic bill. 

Luckily new technologies work of improving energy-efficiency of new refrigerator models. They can look the same outside as they used to look 10-15 years ago, but inside there have been some dramatic energy efficiency improvements. The more energy efficient a refrigerator is, the lower your utility bill will be each month.

So when buying a new refrigerator there are really two price tags. The initial purchase price can be considered as the down payment. Yes, sometimes energy efficient models can be more expensive than less efficient units. But within years these energy-efficient models can be a better value; they have better insulation and more efficient compressors and at the same time are more energy-saving. If you buy cheaper refrigerator which missing new energy-saving features, you will be paying the second price tag on your monthly utility bill during all lifetime of refrigerator, or for about 10-15 years. Recent studies show that within 15 years you could spend as little as $277 or as much as $2,900 on electric bills for your refrigerator. We are not that rich to buy cheap thing, if you think about this way, as $2,900 is a price of new refrigerator.

There is a nice web-resource which can help evaluate energy-efficiency of your appliances and other home gadgets - http://www.enervee.com/. You can type in your zip code and the program will help you to calculate electric costs for different refrigerator models using time frame from 1 year to up to 20 years considering the price per kilowatt in your particular area. They score all products from 0 to 100 and you can use this info when buying a new fridge or any other appliance.  It shows that average refrigerator score is 63, some Whirlpool and LG models have Energy Score 100. Very useful resource in my opinion.

by D&V Appliance Repair

SAMSUNG Announce the First-Ever Four-Door Refrigerator with Sparkling Water Dispenser

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced recently their new refrigerator Samsung RF31FMESBSR 36” Four-Door Refrigerator featuring the industry’s first-ever automatic sparkling water dispenser. Powered by SodaStream, the integrated system delivers cold, filtered sparkling water from the same mechanism on the refrigerator door that produces still water and ice.

With the new Samsung Four-Door Refrigerator with sparkling water dispenser, you get sparkling water at a press of a button, using the same control panel you would use to select between water and ice. There are up to three levels of carbonation for the sparkling water. The sparkling water dispenser uses a standard SodaStream 60L CO2 cylinder that rests in a small, concealed area inside the left refrigerator door, which is easily accessible to change when empty.

With the addition of the sparkling water dispenser, consumers can save space in the refrigerator that was previously allocated toward bottled carbonated beverages and reduce bottle waste in the home overall. In addition, consumers will ultimately save money that was used to purchase carbonated beverages, all while enjoying the convenience of getting sparkling water at the touch of a button.

The 30.5 cu. ft. Samsung Four-Door Refrigerator with the sparkling water dispenser joins a long list of product innovations from Samsung that are revolutionizing the refrigeration category and offering best-in-class features for today’s dynamic homes. These include convenient storage features like the kid-friendly counter-height FlexZone drawer with four temperature settings, and the proprietary Twin Cooling Plus® technology that keeps food fresher longer. This model also includes high efficiency LED lighting to illuminate virtually every corner² and the Ice Master ice maker which produces up to 10 lbs. of ice per day. These features are complemented by Samsung’s premium design and elegant finish, making it not only functional but beautiful as well.

The Samsung RF31FMESBSR Four-Door Refrigerator with a sparkling water dispenser is available for sale in the U.S. for an MSRP of $3699.

Dryer fire prompts call for vigilance

Dryer fire prompts call for vigilance

(repost from CBC – Wed, 29 May, 2013 - http://ca.news.yahoo.com/dryer-fire-prompts-call-vigilance-124650697.html) 

 

"Edmonton’s fire department reported 13 fires caused by burning dryers in 2012."

Tony Onisko and his wife Charlene say they were lucky to be home when something went wrong with their clothes dryer.

“I was playing with the kids in a fort we made and my wife was upstairs painting, and we both heard a bang,” Tony said.
They went to the laundry room and saw smoke coming out of the dryer.
“I pulled the plug,” said Tony, “I thought I solved the problem and said to Charlene, ‘Well, the dryer’s done.’”
He went back to play with his children and to think about appliance shopping.
“But 30 seconds later my wife called me and said it was fully engulfed,” he said.
“I saw piles of black smoke, gross black smoke and flames coming out of the dryer door.”
Without thinking Onisko grabbed the appliance and wrestled it out the door, through the garage and into the driveway.
Then he tried dousing the fire with buckets of water.
“No matter what I did, water was just not putting this fire out,” Onisko said.
He took an axe to the dryer to break it open so he could get at the flames.
Fire investigators concluded the fire began in the dryer’s plastic blower assembly.
Go Public took the melted remains of the blower to Gerrie Gemmell, manager of Aptco Appliance in Edmonton.
Gemmell said he’s seen many dryer fires over the year, and almost all were caused by a build up of lint in the machine.
Gemmell speculates a blockage of lint somewhere the dryer was preventing hot air from getting out of the dryer.
“When you have restriction you have fire,” Gemmell said.
Tony Onisko says his family cleaned the lint filter after every load. He says even he opened the back of the dryer every year and vacuumed the components and venting hoses.
He feels there must have been something wrong with the seven-year-old Frigidaire dryer to cause it to catch fire after the care he’d taken to keep it clean.
There have been no recalls of the dryer model and Gemmell says in his more than 40 years in the business, lint is almost always responsible.
He says one solution is to get the dryer cleaned at the same time as you get your furnace ducts cleaned.
“For (an extra) $25 they put their big power cleaner and clean up the base of the dryer and clean up the vent to the outside."
Edmonton’s fire department reported 13 fires caused by burning dryers in 2012.
Fire Investigator Cory Heggert agrees the problem is usually a lint build-up, either in the machine or in the venting leading to the outside of the house.
Heggert says that flexible plastic venting pipe that was commonly used a decade ago should be replaced because the ribbing traps lint and the tubing itself is not fire resistant.
“What we like to see is aluminum piping,“ Heggert said. “Try and stay away from (hoses) that are collapsible.”
Heggert’s other advice: never go out and leave your dryer, or other appliances such as the dishwasher, running.
“Just being around when these appliances are running could potentially save a life, save a house, save a lot of damage being done.”
Tony Onisko says his family was lucky.
“We had a lot of things going for us that day,” he said.
“The fact that we were home, that (the dryer) was close to the door to get it out, and the fact that I’m just big and could haul it out.
What I did learn, honestly, we’ll never leave the dryer running when we leave the house.”

D&V Appliance Repair commend to comply with fire safety using your home appliances. Remember that the flame can flare up from the tiniest spark. It is important to proper use and maintenance your home appliances. If your appliances start to multifunction, sounds or smells weird, please, call professional appliance repair company immediately.

Thermador Ranges and Ovens Maintanance and Repair

Thermador as a company and a brand name was founded in 1916 by William, E. Cranston as they began as a manufacturer of eclectic items, most notably portable and built-in heaters. 

In 1947 Thermador invented their first wall oven and cook top and introduced stainless steel to home appliances. Many other innovations followed in the coming years; the warming drawer, self-cleaning oven, "black glass" on oven doors, the smooth cooktop and cooktops with sealed burners. 

As for today Thermador has been in appliance market for more than 75 years, they produce ranges, dishwashers and refrigerators. Speaking about Thermador we assume quality and innovations. Thermador products are handcrafted with the highest quality authentic materials to ensure years of reliable service, their oven and ranges are all state of art.  As for example their new Thermador 36 inches range, that offers a professional design and better taste, and quality of a cooked food along with faster, easier defrosting, steaming, baking and reheating. 

Enjoying wonderful food cooked with your Thermador is a supreme experience. However even perfection can’t last forever. Even such quality appliances as Thermador ranges and oven can sometimes break or multifunction. 

 Talking about appliances we need to understand that a routine service and maintenance is essential as well as a proper usage.  First of all, this appliance must be properly installed and grounded by a qualified technician. After that read the user manual carefully and follow the instructions. Keep the manual and be ready to use it troubleshooting and maintenance instructions.  

Taking care of your Thermador.

Even if New Thermador ranges are equipped with Self-Clean t4echnologies, Your still need to wipe out excessive spillage before self-cleaning the oven. During Self-Clean the oven is heated to a very high temperature. Soil is burned off at this temperature. Never use aluminum foil or protective liners to line any part of the appliance, especially the oven bottom. Do not use commercial oven cleaners. They may damage the oven finish or parts. Never use scouring pads or abrasive cleaners. The porcelain enamel finish is acid resistant, but not  acid proof. Acidic foods, such as citrus juices, tomatoes, rhubarb, vinegar, alcohol, and milk, should be wiped up and not allowed to bake onto the porcelain during the next use. The heating elements in the oven do not require cleaning; the elements burn themselves clean when the oven is in use. Both elements are permanently connected. It is not necessary to clean the broiler shield above the broil element. Most range/oven control panels are glass and/or painted metal. You can safely use non-abrasive cleaners on these surfaces. Never spray cleaners directly onto the control panel. Instead, put some cleaner on a soft, damp rag, and then wipe the surface.

Repairing your Thermador

Thermador ranges and ovens are  very complex appliances which requires some knowledge and experience to fix them. Never attempt any DIY repairs, you will ruin your warranty and can damage the appliance much more. Call licensed Thermador appliance repair company instead. 

Call us today and order your Thermdor appliance repair service.

How to clean condenser and make your refrigerator to last longer without repairs.

Being appliance technician at D&V appliance repair, I am often asked by people how long they should expect refrigerator to last. It depends on a lot of factors. But for this article I would like to take to the point the most important factor which is maintenance. Yes, the maintenance is the secret to adding years of life to your refrigerator. Don’t be nervous that maintenance is something difficult and not possible to DIY.  

Basically, you just need to keep your refrigerator clean wherever it’s possible. And the most important it to keep a condenser of your refrigerator clean.  The condenser is the bunch of black tubing that is sometimes located on the back of the product, but more often underneath it. The condenser must be kept free of dust, lint, animal hair and other debris. 

When the condenser is logged, the compressor becomes so hot that I could fry an egg on top of it. When that happens, the wattage draw is so high that it sometimes blows a fuse. The fan motor and defrost timer are hurting from all the excessive heat load. The life of the refrigerator is being slowly drained from it because of the dirty condenser. Cleaning the condenser will save you from having costly repair, save on the cost of running the appliance and save the appliance for more year of use. 

Here is how to clean that condenser. Every three months pull the plug on the refrigerator and pull the refrigerator away from the wall. Take the lower card board over off of the backside. Use a brush with a long handle to shake loose all the dirt you see on the condenser, then vacuum the debris. Replace the cardboard back. Then, remove the front toe plate and do the same there. Use care around the fan motor blades – don’t bend them. Clean the blades tenderly with a toothbrush. By doing this regularly your energy bill will stay where it should be, the refrigerator’s operational noise level will no longer sound like a runaway train. And you appliance will do a better job of food preservation. 

The average life expectancy of major appliance today is much less than products built more than ten years ago, so it is in our best interest to do what we can to prolong its life. Condenser cleaning can save you hundreds of dollars on refrigerator repairs.