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Archives for October 2007

Sharp Introduces New Line of Microwaves

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Sharp launched a new line of heavy-duty compact microwave ovens designed to accommodate the limited space designs of busy commercial kitchens. The new line, which includes the 1200-watt R-CD1200M, 1800-watt R-CD1800M, and 2200-watt R-CD2200M, is redesigned to have a small footprint and a 0.7-cubic-foot cooking cavity. New TwinTouch dual controls make the microwaves ideal for crowded kitchens, allowing users to easily operate the oven no matter where it is located.

The new models feature dual control panels, one along the top of the unit and another on the bottom edge along the door. In many kitchens, the microwave is placed on a high shelf, which makes accessing the standard control panel challenging. In those situations, users can opt to use the more readily accessible bottom-mounted controls, which eliminates reaching up to the top of the microwave.

Models R-CD1200M, R-CD1800M, and R-CD2200M will be available in early 2008.

Another Type of Appliance Recycling

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This is possibly another way to view appliance recycling and is definitely a way to save money.

Reverse logistics- this is the business of taking merchandise that has been returned by customers or overstocked by retailers or has been cosmetically damaged and finding a market for it.  Reverse logistics can keep appliances out of landfills.  What some people see as damaged (a slightly dented washer or fridge) becomes a bargain for someone else.  Reverse Logistics Executive Council can help you learn more about how the process is part of being “green.”

Appliancesmart.com is a subsidiary of Appliance Recycling Centers of America (ARCA), and has locations in five states.  ApplianceSmart sells factory overruns and manufacturer closeouts as well as those appliances with slight imperfections.  My neighbor bought a beautiful front loading washer and dryer from this type of outlet and got them for a fraction of the retail price.  Both the washer and dryer were new and worked perfectly, but they had slight scratches on their sides.  She planned for them to be in a closet and the scratches will never show. A great deal! 

Recycle Responsibly

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Reuse, recycle, save energy– These ideas are ones many of us try to do daily.  There is one way we may not have thought of before- disposing of an old appliance properly.  Appliance Recycling Centers of America estimates that 55 million appliances will be removed from service this year.  If yours is one of them, be aware that nearly 20 states ban appliances from being disposed of in landfills, and more than 15 other states require that landfills separate appliances for recycling. Some states, like Minnesota and California, require that a variety of hazardous materials be removed from appliances before the metals are recycled.

There are more than 11,000 appliance recycling locations throughout the United States. Unfortunately, many of these locations do not process appliances thoroughly before recycling the metals. Older appliances can contain environmentally harmful materials such as mercury and PCBs. These substances must be removed and managed properly before recycling an appliance. Ask your city, waste hauler or recycling location for a description of the hazardous materials they remove from appliances and how they dispose of them.

Another option is to donate your old washer, fridge or dishwasher to a local occupational school.  Many schools use these old appliances for instruction and practice.  When the students are  finished the appliance is recycled.  Or even better, it will have been refurbished and will go on to serve an underprivileged family or sold to help the school.

 Doing the right thing can take a bit if extra thought, but it can feel good too.

A Photo Finish in the Refrigerator Race

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Whirlpool has entered a new contender in the race for kitchen bells and whistles.  It is called the Central Park Connection and its gimmick is a digital photo frame that is built into the door.  The theory behind this new gizmo is that it will cut back on kitchen clutter by reducing the number of photos posted on the fridge with magnets.  They plan to add an intuitive interface that will allow you to charge and play MP3 player, satellite radio, DVD and CD players, a family calendar and cell phone.

I honestly cannot see the point of this new fridge. The storage and usage is comparable to other refrigerators on the market.  Why would anyone need this?  It won’t necessarily cut down on fridge clutter- anyone with children will still want to display their artwork and many people post community notices and invitations on the fridge. 

This new refrigerator must be aimed at the minimalist, modern designer with money to spare. (The MSRP is 1999.00)   I also can’t help wondering what happens when the frame breaks or becomes obsolete?  Then the photos will need to posted around it making more of a mess. 

This is not something I’ll be pining for.

Another Maytag Refrigerator Nightmare

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Some posts just have to brought to the front page.  This is one of them.  The writer is responding to our post relating a similar refrigerator problem. 

This whole story about the fridge is nothing compared to what I am STILL going through. We bought a Maytag Model MZD2666KEB side-by-side fridge/freezer, with water and ice on the door, last November. Our nightmare started in July. Here we are in the middle of October and I am still have the SAME problem that started in JULY. At first the refridgerator side, of our side-by-side, started freezing all the food. We made the call to have a service call made and was told 1-1/2 weeks. We had to throw away all the frozen spoiled food and buy the minimum food that would not be ruined by the freezing for the week and a half, try that with 3 growing kids. We dealt with it.

Service guy comes and informs us that he has to order the part and it will be another 2 weeks, because of back order, to get the part. What are you going to do? We wait 2 weeks and no service guy. WE have to call THEM to find out, we are told, the part is back ordered and it MAY be in, in a couple more weeks.

In the mean time the fridge side is working correctly on and off. The only way we knew the problem was starting to come back again was when the water on the door would stop working. Now, we are freezing ice to put into a cooler to keep some food around (milk, eggs, mayo, etc.). By the way, have you ever seen mayonaise or eggs after they have been frozen and thawed??

It turns out the repair guy for our area was on vacation and they didn’t have anyone covering his calls. After some heated phone calls they sent out another guy who installed the part and left. Every thing seams fine. A couple of weeks go by, the fridge is well stocked again and the nightmare reaches a new low. The water on the door stops working one evening, the sign of bad things coming. I go to bed with the intention of calling service in the morning.

Next morning I go to the kitchen to make some coffee. (I don’t do well without coffee in the morning.) I hear a strange sound coming from the fridge and open the door to the fridge.

When I open the door to the fridge a FLOOD of water, the kind you see in cartoons, comes streaming out of the fridge flooding the kitchen into our living room, a bedroom and into the basement. I’m talking LOTS and LOTS of water. It seems the plastic around the water filter froze and broke so water was pouring into the inside of the appliance! The wood flooring in the living room is buckled and popping (ruined), carpet in the bedroom is molding (ruined)and the basement has and INCH of water in it with the ceiling stained and ready to fall (ruined). The strange noise I heard was water spraying into the INSIDE of the fridge. It probably was happening most of the night.

Of course all this happens on Saturday morning with the Service Department closed on the LONG Columbus Day weekend, so the Service Department (oxymoron) is not in until TUESDAY.

The technichan doesn’t get here until THURSDAY orders parts and won’t be back for A WEEK AND A HALF!!! Partly because the parts had to be ordered and because HE WAS GOING TO BE ON VACATION FOR A WEEK. I call Maytag directly and they register the complaint, “feel my pain” and basicly tell me they have no responsibility, but “have a nice day”. If you can top that it would make ME feel better that someone else is worse off.

I never had a Maytag appliance before and never, never buy one again. If I hadn’t spent so much money on this fridge I would take it outside and set it on fire.

The saga goes on.

You can see the original story at Maytag refrigerator
We read all your comments. Please feel free to write to us with both positive and negative stories about any of your appliances.

Energy Efficient Appliances- Newer is better

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They say technological advancements have dramatically improved the efficiency of appliances, meaning replacing a 10-year-old refrigerator can translate into major savings in energy bills. It also significantly reduces the home’s “carbon footprint,” a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced.

“We know … that there’s a lot we can do in our homes to improve efficiency and reduce climate-changing gases,” said Gary Connett, director of environmental stewardship for Great River Energy. “We know that, through lighting and appliances, there’s a substantial amount of energy that could be saved.”

Home appliances have come a long way in the past few decades.  For example, a typical refrigerator manufactured today uses 70 percent less energy than one made in the 1970s.  A new model with the EnergyStar rating is more than 90 percent more efficient.

Today’s refrigerators and freezers have more efficient compressors and motors as well as better insulation and door seals, said Tony Evans, spokesman for Electrolux Home Products, one of the world’s top household appliance makers. Its St. Cloud plant manufactures freezers.

Replacing appliances can be a major expense. Most people tend to keep theirs for longer than 10 years, Evans acknowledged.

Bob Regan, co-owner of M & H Appliance of St. Cloud, said most of his customers are buying appliances to replace ones that don’t work anymore, or for a new home. “Very few” are replacing functioning refrigerators and dishwashers just to save energy costs, he said.

“Appliances are not an item that you replace for fashion,” Regan said. “It’s kind of a utilitarian kind of thing.”

When customers do decide to replace an appliance, they are considering energy savings, he said. But the higher cost of highly efficient products can be tough to take, especially if the buyers are not planning to stay in a home very long, Regan said.

Many utility companies offer rebates for buying EnergyStar products, he said. Those can make the higher price tag easier to swallow, he said.

If you are considering a new fridge, you might want to check out this link: New Refrigerator-Sun Herald

Thanks to the Saint Cloud Times

299 Bananas = New Stereo?

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Can this be true?

In 1986, Silo (a chain of home electronics stores) ran a television commercial in 23 markets nationwide, offering stereos for “299 bananas.” They never thought anyone would take them at their word; after all, “banana” is a widely accepted, if playful, term for greenbacks. Who could possibly mistake one for the other? Thirty-two customers held the retailer to its unwitting word – they showed up bearing loads of the yellow fruit and demanding the store keep its end of the bargain.

Check it out at snopes.com and find out what happened to all those bananas.

Washing Your Washer?

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Whirlpool has just announced the release of cleaning tablets designed specifically for cleaning high efficiency (HE) washing machines.  These tablets called Affresh, are designed to remove mold and mildew from inside the washer.  Whirlpool claims that due to the efficient design of HE washers, they are more prone to mold and mildew residue. 

 They also mention that all manufacturers recommend monthly cleanings.  Well, I just checked the manual that came with my Bosch Nexxt washer and it specifically says that the inside should not need cleaning and if for some reason descaling(which is not mold and mildew removal) is needed, proceed with caution and follow the product instructions carefully.

I have noticed that the inside of the washer remains damp after every use and that could develop into a smelly problem, but if I leave the door open for a couple hours and let it air out, everything is fine.  I have had the same machine for almost two years and it smells just fine.

I suppose if the problem exists these tablets might be worth a try, but I would suggest prevention first, and then if necessary, be sure to follow the instructions carefully.