What would you do if you had equipment at home that malfunctions? Will you take it to the repair shop immediately? Or will you immediately request a repair technician to come to your home to repair your malfunctioning appliance? In the first situation, you will spend your energy, time, and money when you bring your equipment to the shop, not to mention the labor charge of the technician and the expenses of the spare parts that are replaced.
In the second situation, you will not spend your energy, time, and money traveling because the technician will come to your home. But expect that his home service fee will be more expensive compared to the service fee in the first situation because it is a special home service. Why? Because in his shop he left some customers so he could go to yours. He will also charge his expenses and travel time. So his service fee is bigger than usual. Either way, these situations have the same ending. Your appliance will be reconditioned, but you can spend much money.
My dear Hivers, I will share with you my experience of how I managed the situation when our washing machine malfunctioned. My wife discovered this first because she was about to start washing our clothes. When she turned on the timer switch, she was surprised that the electric motor of the washing machine did not work.
My wife was worried because this equipment has become a necessity for us to do laundry so that we don't get extremely tired afterward. It's normal for me that when there is a situation like this, the first thing that comes to my mind is how to save money. Using my knowledge as a professional technician which was my previous job many years ago, I traced the cause of the malfunction.
But there's a problem, my multitester was not used for a long time and it malfunctioned. So, without using any testers I rely on observations and analysis.
I plugged in the washing machine and switched on the washer timer. I heard a ticking sound like a clock. In other words, there is no problem with the timer switch. Then I put my ear close to the portion where the washer motor is located so that I can hear if any humming sounds are coming together with the ticking of the timer relay.
After that, I heard a humming sound. So, it means that there is electricity working on the washer motor but it just can't spin. Because of this, I now have a partial diagnosis. I believe that the capacitor is defective.
So I opened the back cover of the washing machine and looked for the capacitor so I could read the value on it. When I found the capacitor and read the value, I immediately looked for a new one at a store that sells spare parts.
I have seen a replacement but it is not the same as the original because the value differs a little. No original is available. So I just bought the replacement. I tested the replacement capacitor I bought. When I switched on the washer timer the same thing happened. The washer motor still won't spin even though the capacitor is new.
This time, I made another diagnosis. I suspected that the shafting of the motor may be rusted so it is hard to spin. I unplugged the power cord to try and spin the motor pulley with my hand.
That's when I found out that the shafting is hard and it is rusted, so the capacitor won't be able to spin it. What was my remedy for these?
I put a little lubricating oil on the shafting of the motor that was rusted and I rotated it repeatedly with my hand to absorb the oil and remove the rust. I did this for about 3 minutes. After that, I plugged in the power cord and tested it again. Finally, the washer motor started spinning. The reason for the malfunction is the rust.
So I put the original capacitor back in and it works too. Although my first diagnosis was missed, my wife and I were happy because our washing machine was fixed without spending a lot of money. This is the life of a technician, one must be broad-minded and not give up quickly.
The capacitor I bought is now saved as a reserve because it cannot be returned to the store. In this article, I am sharing my experience repairing our equipment at home because I have the skills to do it. But in circumstances where we do not have the skill to repair something, it is better to have it repaired by a professional to avoid the risk of life. Especially in electric-powered equipment, it must be repaired by a skilled professional to avoid a bigger problem.
My dear Hivers that's all I can share for this blog. Thank you for your time to read this article.