A few Cautions about Ordering Parts Yourself

Ordering the parts you need for your appliances yourself might save you some money since you will only need to pay someone else for installation but it can also be tricky to get the proper parts.  Here are a few things to look out for.

Ordering from Online-only Companies

Yes I'm talking about sellers on E-bay and Amazon and other sites like those or those without a physical address. While there is nothing wrong with the sites themselves, the problem lies with the sellers.  A lot of the parts that you find here, especially if the parts for your appliance are discontinued, will either be refurbished, non-OEM (aka: knock-off brand), or simply not as advertised.

It may be more expensive somewhere else, but you will be in far better hands ordering from an actual part supplier; preferably one that is local so you can see the parts in person before purchasing them.

Buying parts without your model number

A model number tells a supplier exactly what type of stove you have and approximately what years it was manufactured in.  A serial number will be more specific about when it was made but most manufacturers will use the same parts for all the models in the series and other models produced in similar years; so it is typically not needed.

If you go to order from someone and their only questions are what brand and type and not what model it is; it is extremely likely you're getting the most generic non-OEM part imaginable. They tend to be cheaper because they are made from worse materials, and they can even void your warranties. You want to avoid super cheap parts; they are cheap for a reason.


As one final warning: if your appliances are 2 years old or less you should avoid working on them at all or hiring 3rd party companies.  Most manufacturers have included a clause in their warranties that says if any "non-authorized" individuals work on a machine it will void all the warranties on it.  Check your user manual to see if you have that clause before reaching out for assistance.

Baking for the Holiday? Make sure your oven is working TODAY!

With Thanksgiving tomorrow (for us in Canada at any rate) you should check that your oven is not only heating, but heating properly today!

Nothing is worse than having plans to have family come over for a big dinner to find that your oven is not going to be able to cook the turkey, pies, or anything else that goes in the oven.

Most people do not check their ovens ahead of time and while most appliance repair companies do work on holidays, they will likely only be working for the first half of the day so they can go home to enjoy dinner with family themselves.  It will be hard to book an appointment the same day on a holiday, so take some time to make sure that your stove and oven are working!


If you don't have one buy a thermometer that you can leave in the oven and set the temperature to 375 degrees.  If your thermometer agrees with the stoves thermostat that it is in fact 375; turn it up higher to 425 degrees.  If they agree on that temperature as well you should be good to cook just about anything.

If your oven doesn't heat up at all call right away for service.  Even if you can't book an appointment for today you should be able to set one for early tomorrow still and bake as usual.

Fall is here and Winter is coming!

The weather is starting to move out of warm summer days and is moving into fall. Fall of course inevitably leads into winter; have you checked that your furnace is working yet?

It is extremely important to check that you can get heat before you really need it; not everyone does this and calls for service on the first cold day of the year can put the demand for service very heavy on appliance repair companies. Last year we, and other local companies, were booked for a week straight with calls for assistance with central air furnaces, mini splits, and other types of heaters that were not working.

Change your filters if you haven't yet; give the unit a good vacuuming, and see if it is working soon! Nothing is worse shivering in the cold in your own home.

Is your Dishwasher Filled with Bubbles?

Has someone put dish washing fluid in the dishwasher rather than the usual fare or is it just filled with bubbles? There is unfortunately a strong distinction between the soap you use to hand wash dishes and dishwasher soap.  Dishwasher soap is formulated so that it does not produce many, if any, suds or bubbles. While turning your Dishwasher into a bubble monster may bring joy to any children that see it it's not very practical and most new models of dishwashers will have a sensor that will stop it from running at all if there are too many suds.

Here is how to fix it:

Option 1: The Oil Method

This is a much easier method than the other but requires oil to work. As long as it is oil that you can consume, it is safe to use. Cooking oil or vegetable oil is best but olive oil will work just fine; it's just expensive by comparison. This option is the one most recommended by manufacturers aside from using specially formulated tabs.

• Add a 1/2 cup of oil to the machine and run on a rinse cycle or a light one
• Stop about mid cycle to check on the number of suds; add some more oil if needed
• If suds remain at the end of the cycle run it again with some more oil

Option 2: The Cinderella Method
This method is named after Cinderella as it involves some hand scrubbing. This is much more involved than the Oil option but you are more likely to have everything needed on hand. Be very careful of the heating element; if you ran a load recently it will still be hot.

• Remove as much of the suds and water in the machine as possible using buckets (or pans or cups... whatever you have)
• Wipe down the interior with a clean cloth (not one used for cleaning dishes or the counter and absolutely not a sponge that has been used before! Those things hold soap like nothing else)
• Wipe down the interior with a different dry cloth to get any more remnants
• Add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup (125-250 mls) of white vinegar to the dishwasher and then sprinkle salt on top of that; be generous you should use at close to a 1/2 cup of salt
• Start the dishwasher on a rinse cycle or light load and stop it after approximately 10 minutes; if there are still a lot of suds add more vinegar
• Continue starting, stopping, and adding vinegar if needed
• If one cycle completes with a very small amount of suds simply run it again with nothing in it to ensure the drain lines have cleared out

Vinegar can be used in washing machines that have too many suds as well; go easy on the salt though. You can also use the formulated tabs to clean out washers and dishwasher but the other techniques are far cheaper and shouldn't require a trip to the store; not to mention the tabs will use chemicals to get results.