The
DRSNews
September 2003
In this issue:
1) Drying Sneakers With Your Refrigerator (huh?)
2) Urgent: Your New Refrigerator’s Door Seals
3) GE Profile Washers and Rubber Throw-Rug Backing
1) If you’ve been blessed, as I have, with teenagers livening up
your
household, and especially if they’re involved in sports, then here’s
a quick tip that can make life a little easier.
Seems like nearly all the shoes I trip over daily are sneakers,
and this summer, many of them have been permanently WET.
If you can identify, then here’s one way to improve the
situation.
Put those wet sneakers on the floor in front of the refrigerator
overnight, on the side the warm condenser air exits. This
air is a
lot easier on them than much hotter dryer temperatures, and
they’ll almost always be dry by morning!
The only ‘downside’ to this is your stubbed toes in the middle of
the night when you sneak that midnight snack. But give it a try,
and let me know what you think. If your refrigerator has a
condenser coil hanging on the back, though, you’re out of luck –
this trick only works with fan-forced condensers.
2) It’s been a while since we talked about refrigerator door seal
lubrication, and many of our new subscribers may have missed it.
This is going to become a real issue in a couple more years when today’s
door seals start twisting and tearing. That’s because
the latest seals aren’t held to the door with screws, and
replacement’s a major ordeal! Believe it or not, the latest seals
are ‘glued’ to the door/liner when the door is ‘foamed’ together!
So it’s very important to put this little maintenance item on your
calendar. Maybe add it to your Spring-cleaning routine, etc.
It’s very easy to do, and it will add at least 10 years of life to
your door gaskets. Simply apply a thin film of petroleum jelly to
the face of both magnetic door seals, on the hinge side. Takes
about 30 seconds, and you can forget it for another year!
Be sure to lube ONLY the hinge side seal faces, and NOT the
entire perimeter, though. This lubricant allows the hinge side of
the seal to slide across the cabinet flange instead of hanging up
and twisting. Sounds strange, but this is the number one cause
of seal failure.
3) Had a couple more GE ‘Profile’ washers with this same
problem again last week, so thought I’d better mention it. No
matter your washer’s brand, I don’t recommend washing rubber-
backed throw-rugs in it, but these newer GE’s are especially
problematic. The backing seems to disintegrate suddenly with
no warning, and can completely HARD-PACK the funnel-shaped,
hard-plastic pump outlet hose with rubber ‘flakes’ that are
really tough to remove.
Another great use for ‘Clyde’, the ol’ wet-vac, but he even has
a tough time with these. I
usually pinch off the tank-to-pump hose,
or empty the tank, and, with the wet-vac connected to the end of
the drain hose and running, work a stiff wire back and forth in this
‘funnel’.
Bottom line: if you have a rubber-backed rug that you’d
like to wash, do it at the Laundromat, preferably in a large,
commercial machine!
***
Well, that’s about it for this issue.
Thanks for allowing me into your inbox again
this month. I hope you enjoy reading this little project half as much
as I enjoy writing it for you. What
great friends we continue to make through
this great medium! Thanks for all your encouragement, guys! We
really appreciate you!
May the Lord richly bless you & yours, and may He continue
to have mercy on America.
Warmly,
Dave Harnish
Dave’s Repair Service
New Albany, PA
www.DavesRepair.com
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For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth
the wind, and declareth unto man what [is]
his thought,
that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon
the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of
hosts, [is] his name. Amos 4:13
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