Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with appliance

give us this day our daily chapati

headnsouth — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:48:32 -0800

Please help me find an electric flatbread maker that isn't discontinued (In the U.S.) I have searched and searched (not looking for a tortilla press but rather an electric countertop appliance to cook the flatbreads) but everything seems to be out of stock or discontinued... there's a cucinapro, a villaware, an 8" and a 10" chefpro (unavailable even though it looks at first glance like it's in stock), a mica, etc. Some of them had pretty crummy reviews too, so I don't want to buy a used one off ebay ... but if there is one out there that works and is actually available, I'd like to get it. I don't want to heat up the whole oven every time somebody wants a pita!

Broken Trash Compactor - How to Remove and Alternatives to Replacing?

GregX3 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:10:31 -0800

I need to remove this broken trash compactor. Does anyone know how to get it out? (and bonus points if you can think of an inexpensive way to fill that space and have it look nice.) I really don't want to replace something I'd never use.

Is there a UK teasmade that will work in the U.S.?

1001 questions — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:56:23 -0800

Is there a UK teasmade that will work in the U.S.? I've suddenly been intrigued by teasmades and I was semi-interested in getting one as a gift for a person in the U.S. I have read various webpages about using UK appliances in the U.S. (including this AskMefi thread) and it sounds like I'd be out of luck in (easily) getting this item to work within the U.S.

The specific one I was looking at is the new Swan STM100 Teasmade model. The only specs I can find indicate a wattage of 780-850W. It's made in China so perhaps they also make a U.S. version, but I doubt it.

Ground and hot wires touched-safe?

Mrs. Green — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:46:49 -0800

[Electricity Filter]: Ground wire touched hot wire and singed the contact point; are we safe to use the appliance? We installed a new, very basic, range hood. We attached the hood to the underside of the cabinets just fine. When attaching the wires, the ground accidentally touched the hot wire-it made a zapping sound, flipped the breaker, and singed the contact point for the wire on the range hood. We connected it up and it all works fine. Are we safe to just use this range hood? Should we buy another one? We are a bit skittish about electrical matters; should we have an electrician look at it? (which seems a bit excessive for a $30 range hood, but we don't want a fire.....)

what is wrong with my dryer?

cheemee — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:11:34 -0800

kenmore clothes dryer help: my wife and i recently purchased a home that came with a kenmore washer and dryer. at the time of the house inspection, the dryer was working fine. we have tried to use it since moving in and it no longer functions. any ideas what could be wrong? ...when we turn the dial and press start, the dial moves as if it is drying a load. however, the drum inside does not spin and the unit does not heat up. the little light inside it does turn on when we open the dryer door, which makes me think that it is not an issue with the power or breaker. but can it be? or can anybody suggest what could be wrong?

if anybody has any recommendations for a repair-person in the richmond/vancouver BC area, i'd also appreciate that!

thanks all!

I will crush you. BTW, can you give me some tips on how best to do that?

madmethods — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:55:47 -0800

Should I buy a monstrously powerful ice-crushing carrot-liquifying nut-pulverizing fruit-vaporizing circuit-breaker-throwing uber-blender? Why? And which one? I have a decent blender (KitchenAid). I've been using it a lot lately, making smoothies and soups and such, including things with ice, veggies, greens, nuts, etc. It does an okay job. Texture and processing speed seem to leave room for improvement.

There is another tier of blenders out there, things like BlendTec and Vita-Mix, that reputedly can reduce anything to a smooth and creamy consistency in seconds. So should I upgrade? If you have one of these things, what does it deliver that my merely-decent blender doesn't? Smoother texture (no graininess from veggies and nuts)? Anything else? Convince me to switch!

If I do upgrade, which brand and model should I get? Is it just BlendTec and Vita-Mix out there, or are there others? Is one noticeably quieter than the other? Or better/worse otherwise? Particular model to get? Where to buy?

Electric-start Gas Oven Unable to Reach 250+ F degrees (121 C)

erin_trying — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:11:53 -0800

Electric-start gas oven unable to reach over 250 F (121 C) degrees--any way to fix or time to replace? I have an electric-start gas oven from the 1970s whose identifying marks have disappeared or been painted over. For nearly three weeks now it has been unable to get hot enough. It turns on. It goes as high as, about 250 F (121 C) degrees, but it will not get any hotter--except once or twice a week on whim it will get up to 400+ F (204 C) degrees, but there is nothing indicating why it decides to work then. The attached stove top, also electric-start gas, has worked fine the entire time.

Any clues on why this is happening? What can I do to fix it? I recently needed to have my fridge (also from the 1970s) replaced, so I feel a bit bad going "Oh! And a new oven too, please."

Possible factors of its demise:
I bake a lot (by which I mean about 10,000 cookies a year + other stuff) and the previous tenant of three years did not cook/bake at all. Even though I've only been here a few months I can't imagine it liked running a marathon with no training.

It has been absurdly humid where I live, moreso than normal this summer (my TV broke because of it!).

Too many beeps

xo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:49:10 -0800

How might I disable or muffle the beeps that my appliances make (when buttons are pressed, when cooking cycle is finished) without risking my life or that of the unit? The toaster-oven is the most egregious offender, but the microwave is problematic too.

I can't wait on two hours for a pizza to bake

saffry — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:06:23 -0800

I'm having trouble with my oven and think it's the door gasket/seal. Specifically, I see that the gasket is only going 3/4 of the way around the door, and isn't on the bottom. Is that normal? I think the answer is probably no, so...... how easy is this to fix?

Clinging melted plastic must go!

EatTheWeak — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:38:43 -0800

How do you remove plastic that has melted onto a heating element? A couple weeks ago, a tupperware lid fell from the upper rack in my dishwasher and onto the heating element below. By the time I discovered this, the the lid was split in two, melted where it touched the heating element.

Now, there's a thin layer of plastic clinging to the heating element that smokes when I try to run the washer. I was hoping AskMe might have some advice to offer on how I might remove this plastic from the heating element. I had a notion to run the dishwasher to heat the plastic up and make it soft, but that fume-scented smoke sure makes me nervous. That, and I'm not sure if re-melting it just winds up bonding it tighter.

The reason I haven't dealt with this sooner is that I'm in a cast at the moment, making it quite difficult to get down on the ground and d what must be done. This cast shall be removed soon, and I'll be keen to have my dishwasher back soon after.

Any advice is most appreciated. I cannot afford any professional repair services.

Cold as ice. As cold as ice to me.

Mayor Curley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:46:35 -0800

The oven portion of our gas range went from being fine to dead inside. Made baked potatoes one night, next night I turned it on and it wouldn't heat up at all. The burners still work fine. I reviewed some literature about repairing it myself, but I'm trying to decide if it's a good idea. It's not a fancy range-- no self-cleaning or anything like that. It has electric ignition for the burners and a built-in timer/digital clock but that's it. We don't know how old it is because it came with the house. But it is ghastly dead.

I have previously repaired a dishwasher and a washing machine by replacing parts, but I've never opened up an oven. I have never tested electric parts with a multimeter and don't own one.

Do you, handywomen and men, think this sounds typical of a specific part failing? Do you think I can fix this without spending an entire precious saturday swearing in my kitchen? If no, does it make more sense to find a repair person or just replace the unit? I am adverse to spending money, but it seems like repairing inexpensive appliances is often less cost-effective than paying for their repair. I live just outside of Boston, Massachusetts if it matters.

Buying your own appliances is the hot new thing for renters?

ignignokt — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:00:38 -0800

As a tenant, how feasible is buying your own major appliances for a place you're renting? I've been hunting for apartments in Boston, and when I ask whether or not a building has a washer and dryer, I sometimes get the answer, "No, but it does have a hookup for a washer and dryer so you can get your own." They say the same thing about dishwashers sometimes.

This isn't a response I've heard from property managers in Chicago.

So, I guess some tenants actually do this? The thing is, washers and dryers appear to cost at least $300 a piece, then on top of that, there's delivery and installation. And when your lease is up, are you really going to deinstall it and take it with you?

What am I missing? Please shed some light on this mystery. I'll probably ask the next property manager I talk to about it, but they also tell me things like "oil heating than gas heating is better because it's much cleaner burning" so I figure it's good to hear it from people with a less vested interest.

I'd like to pay less money for clean clothes

saffry — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 07:09:49 -0800

Does anyone know details of the Energy Star rebate in the Stimulus bill? I was going to buy a new washing machine today, but I'm wondering if my purchase would count if the bill isn't signed yet. And knowing how much the rebate would be may make a difference in the model I pick.

Is my freezer malfunctioning?

JFitzpatrick — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:28:00 -0800

What does it mean if my freezer can free meat solid but ice cream remains soft? I have a 15 cubic foot chest freezer. If you put a steak or a turkey in it, the meat freezes rock hard. If you put ice cream in it, the ice cream remains relatively soft. It won't melt and it is still definitely ice cream, but it's soft enough to scoop without bending a spoon doing it.

I'm confused by the disparity, it would seem that if it's cold enough to freeze a 20 pound turkey it's cold enough to turn ice cream rock hard. Is it just that ice cream is fatty and doesn't freeze as solid as meat? Do I need to service my unit?

Please help us find a mini freezer

k8t — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:05:51 -0800

Mini freezer shopping help. We want to buy a mini freezer (4-6 cubic feet or so) because our current fridge/freezer is vertical and can't hold frozen pizzas, tubs of ice cream or other useful frozen food. Baby is coming very soon and we figure that we'll need the extra space anyway.

I would really prefer an upright freezer because I sense that a chest freezer will become completely disorganized and won't have shelves for baby food ice cube trays or baggies of breast milk. (Notions to the contrary are welcome!)

I also don't want to spend more than $200-250 (including shipping) on an appliance that we will likely not take with us when we move in 2 years.

We've looked at Costco, Sears, Best Buy, Circuit City, Target and Amazon both online and in-store when we can. Craigslist has had nothing, BTW.

This is sort of what I want, but it is too expensive.

Any recommendations would be great!

BTW, We are USians, Californians, and this freezer will live in our garage.

vacuum wont go on

dougiedd — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:10:36 -0800

Vacuum repair? I was playing with my toddler and hitting the on/off button on the vacuum to just rev it up a few times and the third time it wouldn't go on and wont go on now. Samsung quiet storm canister model googling it comes up blank...cant see any switches and opening it seems a bit of a challenge. Any thoughts?

Please help me find appliance stores in Paris

devilshgrin — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:40:33 -0800

A friend of mine owns an appliance store in the United States. He will be taking a trip to Europe and while in Paris he was hoping to check out how they do things there. I have tried looking for appliance stores in the French version of Google Maps, also tried google.fr looking for "appliance stores" Paris. I have not come up with any good results.

Does anyone have a suggestion for how I might be able to locate appliance stores in Paris? Do they have appliance stores like we have in the US? (i.e. washers, dryers, refrigerators, electronics under one roof)

Mappable results would be major plus.

Do appliance installers avoid attaching water lines?

madmethods — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:10:37 -0800

Scam-Filter: Do appliance installers commonly try to avoid attaching water lines? I bought a washer/dryer and a refrigerator, with delivery and installation (supposedly). The washer/dryer folks came, put the washer/dryer where they were supposed to go, and hooked up the dryer. Then they said "oh, we don't have the right hose for the washer, you'll need to go buy one and hook it up yourself".

Well, lo and behold, a couple of hours later the refrigerator guys came. They put the refrigerator in place, and then said "oh, we don't have the right hose, you'll need to go buy one and hook it up yourself".

This was enough to trigger my scam detector. Do appliance stores commonly try to avoid attaching water lines? Something to do with liability and/or warranty coverage? This is in the US (Oregon), btw. If all I'm getting is delivery, and not installation, I could just buy the bloody things directly off the net.

Can you get it for me wholesale? "It" being a good washer and a dryer.

melissa may — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:42:56 -0800

Proud mavens: help me find a new washer and dryer! After getting screwed out the ying-yang on our last purchase I have been carefully researching washer and dryer options, but feel as if I need Ph damn D in appliancology to make the right decision. Here's what I know I want, in order of importance: ENERGY STAR compliance, good value when bought as a pair (meaning both washer and dryer are good machines), and best warranty/service records. Basically, I need help both deciding what to buy and where to buy it. So if you are in love with a particular brand and/or know of an amazing deal, I'd love to know about it. I will bake you some cookies if you save me cash, for real.*

Brands I've already ruled out: Frigidaire, Maytag, and GE. Other than that I am all ears.

(Also, I've seen this thread but since the information is two years old an update would be great.)

*Warning: cookies may suck.

Where is the switch?

Tube — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:44:49 -0800

Why do some electrical appliances lack an on-off switch? Since childhood, I've believed that it is unsafe to unplug an electrical appliance that is under load. More recently, I see this popular safety tip given on the net with the reasoning that unplugging an appliance under load can cause a spark.

At work I deal with 480 volt power cords, and it is considered a serious error to unplug a device like this while under load.

But two appliances come to mind that, as far as I know, never have on-off switches; electrical irons for clothes, and the George Foreman grill. I know there are now several models of George's grill, but I can attest that the one I own did not come with an on-off switch.

Why do these appliances lack on-off switches?

Looking for a small dishwasher.

thewalrusispaul — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:14:27 -0800

My wife and I are looking for a small capacity dishwasher, the greener the better. It's just the two of us and it takes a week or more to fill a portable and I'm pretty sure we use less water doing them by hand then in a large machine. I've found a couple countertop models online but I'm looking for personal recommendations. My wife really likes the double drawer models ($$$) if they came in a single drawer less than 18" wide.

Must a NYC landlord pay to repair an oven?

rustcellar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:34:34 -0800

Is our New York City landlord responsible for repairing our broken oven? I understand that y'all are not our lawyers and any responses are not legal advice.

Here's the situation: We live in the first floor of a two-family house in Brooklyn. The owners of the building live upstairs. We write rent checks to their daughter, and our lease agreement specifies her as the landlord.

Our oven has been behaving erratically for the past six months. More recently, we purchased an oven thermometer to confirm its behavior. What happens is this: it preheats, usually to about 25 or 50 degrees lower than the entered temperature (which is fine: I understand that most ovens aren't precisely calibrated--we can just set it higher). After it preheats, it begins losing heat rapidly, and you can tell from the sudden stop in the low hissing sound associated with preheating that it is no longer generating heat. The temperature often drops to 200 degrees in just a few minutes. If we turn the heat up further, sometimes the oven will start generating heat again. Sometimes it stays cold and silent. We occasionally have to turn the broiler on (which seems to "reset" it, sometimes) or cool it down to room temperature before we can get it to heat up again.

We bake a lot and have been roasting a lot of vegetables, so an oven which can't hold heat for more than a few minutes is seriously unusable.

All of which is a long way of saying that our oven is broken. Our landlord (that is, the daughter of the couple upstairs, who by the way don't speak much English, so we very rarely deal with them) responded to our email complaint and request for repair last month by saying that while she's glad to find a repairman, her father has had the same oven for 7 years and it's working fine, and ours was new when we moved in 3 years ago, so she doesn't think it's fair for her to pay for repairs.

Our question is, does she have to? More specifically, can you direct me towards a clear and authoritative source that says that this is her responsibility?

I have found a few things, but nothing definite. The New York Attorney General's office tenants rights guide makes reference to a landlord's duty of repair laid out in the multiple dwelling law, but the section he references isn't explicit at all and the law isn't clear whether our apartment is really a "multiple dwelling" (since it has fewer than 3 apartments).

This explanation of tenants' rights more explicitly says that our landlord has a duty to repair appliances, but it's really a document about rent stabilized and rent controlled apartments, and ours isn't.

Our lease says the following, which sounds pretty bad, I wish I had read better when signing, and I can only hope that it's not legal for us to sign away rights in the lease that we are guaranteed by law:

"11. MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR; RULES. Tenant will, at its sole expense, keep and maintain the Premises and appurtenances in good and sanitary condition and repair during the term of this Agreement and any renewal thereof. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Tenant shall:" and then it has a long list of responsibilities about things like not blocking the driveway, not hanging laundry, not putting ashes down the sink, not playing the radio too loud, etc., but nothing about the appliances. "Appurtenances" is not defined elsewhere in the lease.

Notwithstanding all the above unclear evidence, all the New Yorkers we've talked to have said that of course she's responsible for paying, and we'd be entirely within our rights to get a repairman and just take the cost out of our rent. Are they all wrong?

I think that covers all the background. I can follow up with any more information if it's still not enough to decide what the situation means.

Thanks for any and all help or suggestions. Again, while I really do trust you guys, what I really need is something official I can point her to.

(Help with the oven problem independently would be great too. The self clean function seems to be broken (nothing happens when we push the buttom). I bought some oven cleaner and cleaned all the sides but the bottle specifically says not to clean the heating elements, so that didn't feel productive and anyway doesn't seem to have helped. It's a Magic Chef, with a gas stove on top and digital temerature entry. The heating element for the broiler is in the roof of the oven (and it works fine), and the element for regular baking is below a panel in the floor of the oven. Any idea what a repair might cost?)

dirty deeds done dirt cheap?

melissa may — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:18:04 -0800

Where can I find a Saeco Piccolo steam cleaner in the US? Apparently, when it comes to steam cleaners, only the Europeans know how to really scald a thing clean. Various consumer reviews claim that US brand equivalents (such as the SteamFast) don't permit enough steam pressure to build to easily clean tough surfaces. I would primarily use this cleaner for indoors (windows, floors, bathroom surfaces) but it would be nice to be able to use it for tougher jobs like cleaning a barbecue grill. Is this product available through any reputable US vendors? If not, do you have a high-pressure steam cleaner equivalent to recommend? Major points for any product under $100. Thanks!

Anatomy of a vintage appliance. Help me figure this out and start cooking!

iamkimiam — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:49:54 -0800

The vintage oven/range in my new apartment is so obviously awesome. And my landlord says it works. But how? I have taken several pictures of the oven/range...and have many questions.

First off, what do I call this thing? Is it an oven? Is it a range? An orange? A roven? After we've figured that out, I have some individual questions pertaining to the parts seen below:

Picture of the entire thing can be seen here.
—How does this vent?

Picture of the entire thing, with parts labeled (I think) correctly, can be seen here.

Here is a picture of the mystery dial.
—There is one on each side of the orange roven. Little old school light switch style knobs at the bottom seem to turn, but effect nothing. Very curious.

Here is a picture of the mystery handle.
—Turning the handle makes a light clunking sound.

Here is a picture of the mystery box.
—The dial above this thing makes me question if this is indeed the broiler. I don't know. Somebody clear this up for me please.

Picture of "The Well".
—Neat-o. Now what? What can I make with this? How would I get something hot out of there?

And one of the inside of the broiler.
—This is strange indeed. Lid doesn't stay up (must have hand on handle). Can't figure out where to put the food! Do I cook on top (like bacon or pancakes) or put food inside drain tray (like salmon or steak)? Top doesn't seem right (drippings would run down the side), but inside doesn't seem right either (food would get crushed by metal thing above broiler pan).

And lastly, one of the oven.
—How do I clean this? Can't seem to lift bottom plate—what about drippings and stuff that falls beneath it?

Wow. That's a lot of confusion! If I can get one or two of these things dialed I'll be happy. I love to cook and would like to make the most of this sexy beast.

All other tips, suggestions or recipes related to this are most welcome!

Tell me why I just spent $75.

dhartung — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:30:58 -0800

So the electrician said nothing was wrong. But something WAS wrong, only it fixed itself by the time he got there. Help me diagnose this maddening problem our tenant had. So our tenant tripped the main breaker Wednesday night. I reset that and went in the apartment to check the breaker box, and nothing inside was tripped. This can happen, but isn't normally supposed to. In any case, all seemed well, the breaker didn't retrip, and I went to bed.

Thursday afternoon, I was called over because half her appliances were dead. The hot water heater, the HVAC, her electric range, and her fridge were all kaput. Her lights were on, as well as the TV, and most other things in the apartment. NO breakers were tripped. I reset them one by one by the book (off ... pause ... on) and still none of these came on. Even a fluorescent light in the closet that's on the same breaker as the hot water heater worked while the heater itself did not. The HVAC, on a wholly dedicated circuit, did not come on even after resetting. The stove's idiot light was even off, let alone any of the burners. The fridge was the odd man out -- the only appliance on a normal circuit, though it naturally had a dedicated outlet in the kitchen. I tested and reset every GFCI outlet in the apartment (one bathroom, two kitchen) to no effect.

Over the phone the service manager for the top-flight electrician in town (regional contractor with sterling reputation) explained that it could be the breaker was experiencing "loss of phase", i.e. one of the two 120V supply lines that make 240V service possible. This seems very plausible in that the big-ass appliances wouldn't come on, but not the fridge.

Just to check myself I went back to the apartment last night with a pigtail tester and verified that the situation had not changed. Most frustrating, I showed power to the fridge outlet but nothing happening inside.

Despite this sanity check, when the electrician showed up at 7am everything was working again ... except the fridge. He opened up the house panel and tested the points inside, finding nothing amiss. He opened up the main breaker outside and found nothing to concern him there, either. I asked about moisture (we've had some trips that could have been wet-related) and he showed me how there was no evidence of corrosion inside the main breaker box. But since he had verified the panel, the breaker, and even the fridge receptacle, there wasn't anything he could do that wasn't costing us money while stabbing in the dark. So I took it as a costly sanity check.

I'm assuming the fridge is, in fact, dead. It's not especially new and it could easily have kicked the bucket due to a power fluctuation. (But would that kill the light?!) But I can't rest easily knowing I have people living in a place where there's an undiagnosed power glitch.

To inoculate some questions:
* The fridge being plugged in was not a factor. It was plugged in last night and this morning.
* The hot water heater must have kicked in with everything else sometime in the dark of night. It was not all the way hot yet.
* I did NOT unfortunately pigtail test the stove receptacle (last night).
* The tenant added a satellite dish (w/o permission, and I'm pissed about it for other reasons) which is the only recent change to the apartment. That couldn't have done anything ... right?
* No other tenants reported any problems, so it isn't a problem with the building service.
* The interior and exterior electrical equipment is all Square D, and I agree with the electrician that this is a very solid brand. He said loss of phase was possible but very rare, unless you have another brand.

I've read that loss of phase can screw up motors, including compressors. Could that have led to the fridge failure many hours after the circuit was reset? But the fridge being plugged in should not have affected other appliances, unless they too were affected directly by the loss of phase. But why would it kick back in by itself in the middle of the night?!

Summarizing, I don't object to the call as it eased my mind about a couple of different things. But I wish I could have gotten things working last night and avoided it entirely. I did worry that we had to replace a hot water heater AND an HVAC, both relatively new (last 2 years), and that didn't happen, so that's good. The stove belongs to the tenant, and so she can't make a damage claim against us, so that's good. And we have to buy a new fridge, so that's bad. And we don't know why it happened, so maybe the new fridge will get the same treatment at some point?

Did I miss any obvious steps here?