Condenser Coil Cleaner Time

May 7th, 2009

Summer is just around the corner and we finally had to turn the air conditioner on at my house! Which made me think- when was the last time I cleaned my air conditioner coil? Two years ago?  Hmm….

Dirty coils on your outside unit are very common and they can kill your air conditioner’s efficiency (it won’t cool as well, will run longer and wear out other parts early not to mention burning up more electricity). Here’s a pretty good article on how to clean the coil.

In the past we weren’t able to ship coil cleaners because hazardousmaterial charges by the shipping companies were too high. This summer’s a different story! Thanks to the chemical engineers at Vapco we have a powerful coil cleaner that doesn’t become classified as hazmat until mixed. It’s a super concentrated version of their Foaminator coil cleaner. The part number is FMG/1Q and one of these quarts mixes two gallons of coil cleaner (enough to last the average home several years). This is an alkaline based coil cleaner- it’s serious stuff and can cause severe burns- so you’ll need to be careful with it once mixed and you’ll need to thoroughly rinse it off the coils with a water hose.

 

If you don’t want to worry about rinsing (for example, if you’re cleaning the coils on your inside unit) the also offer a proffesional strength detergent that you can spray on and forget about. The part number is HPG/1Q and it also makes 2 gallons.  

Both of these cleaners can be shipped UPS for our normal ground shipping rate.

Magic Chef parts coming soon…

February 20th, 2009
 
Magic Chef parts

Magic Chef parts

Starting in March, 2009 A-1 Appliance Parts will be an official parts distribution center for Magic Chef brand appliance parts. 

 Magic Chef (and EWAVE) brand appliances include microwave ovens (counter top and over the range), compact refrigerators, wine coolers and freezers.

Samsung replacement filter DA29-00003B

November 21st, 2008

A few months ago we had a Samsung water filter drought! Samsung ran out (I heard a few stories explaining how this happened but I’m not sure what to believe) and there was no other option. Now, thanks to Aqua Fresh, you have a choice. [The filter pictured here is the oem Samsung filter, not the Aqua Fresh replacement... the main difference is the label.]

Aqua Fresh recently introduced its WF289 water filter cartridge- a direct replacement for the Samsung DA29-00003B filter. As you would expect, it is priced lower as well.

Installation for this filter is pretty easy. You twist the old filter 1/4 turn counter clockwise and pull straight down. The water will shut off automatically so you don’t have to worry about flooding your refrigerator! Then you just push the new filter in till it stops, twist and you’re done. You may also need to reset the “change filter” light. For Samsung refrigerators you should press and hold the “ICE TYPE” and “CHILD LOCK” buttons on the dispenser until the indicator light blinks. This should take about 3 seconds… if you hold them down too long the reset will be canceled.

Good job Supco and Aqua Fresh! We need some options when it comes to Samsung water filter cartridges.

To compare pricing: for the original Samsung DA29-00003B click here and for the WF289 click here.

The Aqua Fresh WF289 replaces the following filter numbers: DA29-00003B, DA29-00003A, DA029-00003B, TADA29-00003A, TADA29-00003B, DA61-159, DA61-00159A, DA61-00159A.

Maytag Water Filter Replacement UKF7003AXX

September 4th, 2008

Sealed Unit Products (Supco) is making waves in the world of refrigerator water filter cartridges again! This time they have released a replacement for the popular Maytag filter cartridge UKF7003AXX. Instructions on the box are in English and French… that made me scratch my head for a second (how big was Maytag in the French speaking markets??).

We haven’t had any complaints from the other Aqua Fresh filters (they have a couple of Whirlpool replacements we’ve been selling: WF285 & WF286) so we’re not nervous about offering this one. The part number is WF288.

Filter replacement is recommended every 6 months for this water filter (or every 420 gallons… but who can keep up with something like that?). The process is pretty straight forward. For this filter you just twist the old filter a quarter-turn counterclockwise and pull the old filter straight down. The water should shut off automatically when you do this so you don’t have to worry about flooding your refrigerator (in fact, if the water doesn’t shut off you have other problems). Then just push the new filter up into the refrigerator until it stops and give it a quarter turn clockwise twist. If your refrigerator has a “change” light you may want to reset it by holding the “Lock” and “Light” down until the light blinks. At this point the only thing left to do is flush some water through the new filter- they suggest 2 to 3 gallons but I usually stop after 1 gallon. Maybe I’m just impatient…

Supco’s Aqua Fresh WF288 replaces the following part numbers: BEKO AP930X, 4830310100; BRITA MYRF-100; CUNO AP930X; Maytag/Jenn-Air/Admiral UKF7003AXX, UKF7002AXX, UKF7001AXX, UKF6001AXX, UKF5001AXX, FA720X, FA561FX.

Window Air Conditioner Support Bracket

June 10th, 2008

The heat is upon us already and with it comes a mad rush on our window unit support brackets. Apparently it is against the law in New York to have a window unit without some form of support. And really, it is a good idea! Especially if the air conditioner is hanging out of a window several floors up!

We stock two different versions of AC Safe’s window unit support kits: the window unit support kit for up to 80 lbs and the window unit support kit for up to 160 lbs. Both can be installed completely from inside and hardware plus instructions are included. The 80 lb support holds window units in the 5,000 to 10,000 BTU range (these are usually 110V air conditioners) and the 160 lb support bracket holds air conditioners in the 12,000 to 24,000 BTU range.

AC-160 window unit support

GE’s New Icemaker WR30X10093

May 22nd, 2008

This month GE unveiled a new icemaker to replace icemaker kit number WR30X10061. The new icemaker part number is WR30X10093. It is supposed to be a step forward in technology. Here are the features listed for this new electromechanical icemaker:

  • Better reliability
  • New on/off switch feature
  • Icemaker is an improved assembly for easy installation
  • 3 micro switches
    1. Water switch: calls for water to fill the icemaker
    2. Feeler switch: checks ice level to adjust ice production
    3. Hold switch: drives the motor
  • 7 cube mold
  • 2 pound ice production per 24 hours (approximately 70-100 cubes)
  • Normal water fill time is 5.1 seconds
  • Normal cycle time is 3 minutes

Time will tell if this new design really is a dramatic improvement over the old replacement icemaker kit (WR30X10061) but I’m betting the engineers at GE didn’t tinker with the design for nothing!

WR30X10093 ICEMAKER GE

Whirlpool’s cartridge refrigerator water filter 4396508 has a new challenger.

February 15th, 2008

Sealed Unit finally started delivering a new, lower cost, replacement for Whirlpool’s in-the-grille, quarter-turn water filter cartridge. Whirlpool’s filter # is 4396508 (old # 4392857) and Sealed Unit’s filter number is WF285. It’s good to see a little healthy competition!

wf286 filter 4396508

We’ve been selling these Sealed Unit filters for a couple of weeks and everyone seems very pleased with their performance. As of right now (and this might change in the future) we’re selling a 3-pack of these WF285’s for $75.00. Paying $25.00 per filter versus Whirlpool’s suggested price of $34.99 should be enough to give this replacement water filter a shot. If I get any new customer feedback I’ll try to get it posted it here.

GE Water Filter Pitcher GXPL03D

January 11th, 2008

I’m starting to think that this decade will be known for two things: skyrocketing oil prices and filtered water! Seriously, everywhere I turn I see new ways to purify drinking water.

GXPL03D GE water filter pitcherOur latest product is a water filtering pitcher from GE. I think it’s a great idea and if you do the math (you get 40 gallons of purified water per filter) it’s a lot less expensive than buying bottled water. It’s also portable! I’m going to get one for my office at work. Drinking the tap water here creeps me out so I end up donating two dollars a day to Dasani… why not filter the water myself?

Here are the specs: GE’s two-stage dual action pitcher filtration reduces 98% lead, 90% mercury, 99% copper & zinc, 96% chlorine (taste & odor), 98% particulates and sediment.

I’m filling my first pitcher now (actually it only fills half way with filtered water- the top half slowly makes it’s way through the filter in the center). It looks like it will take just under ten minutes to fully filter through a couple of quarts of water.

OK, the pitcher’s full and we’re taste testing. After the first test the water was noticeably better (it got rid of all the chlorine/metal taste our tap water has here). We could taste a slight charcoal flavor that came from the filter itself- you should probably run some water through it first but we were too impatient! Our second pitcher had no charcoal or plastic flavor- just clean water with no aftertaste. Perfect. And since I’m the one in charge of testing I get to keep the pitcher in my office. Sweet! Great idea GE! Now I’m gonna go have a glass of water.

Here’s a link to the GXPL03D water filter pitcher and here’s a link to the replacement filter cartridge for it: FXPL3D. I kind of thought the filters were priced too high until I realized that this is a pack of 3 filters- not just 1.

GE Refrigerator Bulletin

December 18th, 2007

This applies to 16, 17, and 18 Cu. Ft. refrigerators built by GE (TMNF Models) with a serial number beggining with 7 or 8. Yes, it’s pretty specific… and really I can make it more simple- if your refrigerator came with condenser fan (the fan under the refrigerator) number WR60X10168 then this might interest you.

A lot of customers complained that the condenser fan motor was too loud on these refrigerators. GE came up with the following solution:

In those instances where a consumer perceives the normal condenser fan noise as too loud or objectionable, replace the original WR60X10168 condenser fan motor with the slower RPM WR60X10020 fan motor.

This slower RPM motor greatly reduces fan noise without adversely affecting performance.

Inspect the fan blade and mounting grommets for any abnormalities and replace if necessary. Ensure the blade spins freely without touching the fan shroud and that all brackets are tightened.

This bulletin is specific to refrigerators whose third serial number character is either a 7 or 8 (for example: GH7368754).

GE Service Bulletin

WR60X10020 Fan Motor To order the new WR60X10020 fan motor, click here.

Stainless Steel Care Kit Promotion

December 13th, 2007

Is stainless steel going to be the “new white” for appliances? Instead of “white goods” will we all be saying “stainless stuff” twenty years from now? I don’t think so… but stainless steel is cool! I’ve had a thing for it ever since Back To The Future introduced me to the DeLorean. Lately, a lot of people are going stainless… only to find trouble with a different kind of stain!

We recently received a bunch of stainless steel cleaning and conditioning kits from Electrolux (actually the Cerama Bryte brand). They are very nice and we have a bunch of them right now- I’m not sure how long they’ll be available?

stainless steel cleanerThese kits include a 16oz bottle of Cerama Bryte stainless steel cleaner and conditioner, a container of stainless steel wipes for quick touchups and a microfiber sponge. Right now we are selling them for $15.99. They look good- just another temptation for me to drop coin for that DeLorean kitchen my wife wants… almost. Nah, we’ll stay in white goods land for a while. If you’d like to order one of these kits, click here.