[hellmet]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

How old is the beastie. My own thumb rule is 10 years is the point where you change rather than fix. So I will say eight years is the tip over point.

It's just over 5 years old. 3 months out of warranty. Our other Whirlpool fridge (yes we have a small backup) has been chugging along for a decade - no issues. This one, though, has been a pain.

Our local technician suggests we use an equivalent LG stabilizer as that has been proving to be a workhorse, unlike the Whirlpool. We're waiting for official Whirlpool technicians to let us know the price.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by hellmet

It's just over 5 years old. 3 months out of warranty. Our other Whirlpool fridge (yes we have a small backup) has been chugging along for a decade - no issues. ....
Our local technician suggests we use an equivalent LG stabilizer as that has been proving to be a workhorse, unlike the Whirlpool.

I am surprised, since fifteen years plus seems to be the norm. After all Whirlpool is the old Kelvinator, arguably the best there was.

I have had more failures from stabilizers that compressors. After all the compressor is an induction motor driven device, which locks in on the mains frequency, and variations from 180-280V at least should not bother it. Many claim the lower limit as 150-165V. I have had only one failure - traced to the stabilizer.

[hellmet]

My local technician wants to charge 4500Rs for compressor + gas (apparently nobody re-uses the gas in India). Is that a decent price? We asked Whirlpool technician to let us know a price but he won't tell us anything unless he visits and charges us the Rs.400 "visiting" charges. So Whirlpool official support is out for us.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by hellmet

My local technician wants to charge 4500Rs for compressor + gas (apparently nobody re-uses the gas in India). Is that a decent price? We asked Whirlpool technician to let us know a price but he won't tell us anything unless he visits and charges us the Rs.400 "visiting" charges. So Whirlpool official support is out for us.

Sounds reasonable. Ensure the brand of the compressor and that it is brand new and not reconditioned. I hope the independent is reliable and competent. One other thing, check for purity of gas and proper evacuation prior to charging.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Sounds reasonable. Ensure the brand of the compressor and that it is brand new and not reconditioned. I hope the independent is reliable and competent. One other thing, check for purity of gas and proper evacuation prior to charging.

Thanks @sgiitk. Well, this particular guy's been doing this for the last 30 years, he says. He was patient and decent, very difficult to find this breed of technicians anymore.

Yes, he says he'll put in a new LG compressor instead of another Whirlpool one. How does one go about checking purity of gas and proper evacuation? Links to read-up would be very helpful!

[Chetan_Rao]

My V-Guard stabilizer connected to the TV/DTH STB suddenly stopped working yesterday. I hear the clicks but the output lines don't work anymore.

It's still within warranty so I'm taking it to the service center tomorrow. My concern is whether I should just discard it and get a new one as repairs may be unreliable (even if at OEM service) and not worth risking connected devices for a reasonably low-price item?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by hellmet

Thanks @sgiitk.very difficult to find this breed of technicians anymore.

Yes, he says he'll put in a new LG compressor instead of another Whirlpool one. How does one go about checking purity of gas and proper evacuation? Links to read-up would be very helpful!

Yes, you are lucky in finding a decent fellow.

A new LG should be fine. My father had an Allwyn Jumbo plagued by blown compressors (it had two). I got the comp replaced by a Kelvinator and things were fine. By the looks of it you have good chap so trust him on the gas. As for evacuation he should attach a vacuum pump at some point.

[archat68]

I have a Kelvinator which is 15 years old. It is still going strong. Only had to replace the thermostat once.

[RiGOD]

Quick query. Going to place an order for a Fully Auto Top Load WM from a local dealer and these are the quotes for the various model I got :

Samsung WA80E5XEC - 11,700
Samsung WA62H3H3QRB - 12,500
LG T70CPD22P - 13,700
LG T7270TDDL - 13,800

I've been using a Semi Auto model for the past 5 years, so am a total noob when it comes to Fully Auto functions and hence finding it difficult compare these models and choose the best. Could some user/expert help me out here? A quick reply would be appreciated.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by RiGOD

Quick query. Going to place an order for a Fully Auto Top Load WM from a local dealer and these are the quotes for the various model I got..........

I've been using a Samsung full-auto for 8 years now, absolutely ZERO maintenance and still going strong.. Do buy one with an inbuilt heater option if you can find one. Warm wash is a handy feature to have, and the prices aren't too different (~1-2K more). The quotes you got seem fine (actually cheaper than most online stores). I paid ~10K for mine nearly 8 years ago, for reference.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by RiGOD

Samsung WA80E5XEC - 11,700
Samsung WA62H3H3QRB - 12,500
LG T70CPD22P - 13,700
LG T7270TDDL - 13,800

I'm glad you don't have whirlpool in your list. Between Samsung and lg you can choose either. The selection should be based on your size capacity you need, that's all. Choose the one that completes your daily load in one go.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by saket77

I hope, it is okay to share it here. Our 5 years old Electrolux microwave encountered a problem last week. It would light up, the turntable would rotate and timer would work perfectly like before but there would be no cooking or heating. The grille function was working fine. I have some basic electronics knowledge hence decided to check the internals.

(Warning: Micrwaves store dangerously high voltages inside even when disconnected from mains. Please do not open the case if you don't know what are you doing. Also, microwaves are harmful to us if encountered directly, hence bolt up the cabinet properly before turning it on).

I tested the main fuse, which was okay. It certainly would have been since all other functions were normal. I feared the worst - Magnetron going kaput. Magnetron is the component which actually produces the microwaves in your oven. The cost of magnetron is normally not too less from the oven cost (from internet)

Then I checked the fuse between the high power transformer and magnetron. There was no continuity. Cool! The fuse was of a different size & rating (700mA-5KV) and not available anywhere. Finally I replaced it with a 1A normal fuse (Rs. 10/-) with very minor mods.

And the thing finally was ready for kitchen duty.

Old post I know - but I'm curious. I did the same thing (mine is an Electrolux too - 21 Litres I think), after a couple of days there was smoke and the microwave died. Most likely the HV transformer gave up. Did your microwave hold up?

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

My V-Guard stabilizer connected to the TV/DTH STB suddenly stopped working yesterday. I hear the clicks but the output lines don't work anymore.

It's still within warranty so I'm taking it to the service center tomorrow. My concern is whether I should just discard it and get a new one as repairs may be unreliable (even if at OEM service) and not worth risking connected devices for a reasonably low-price item?

I am not sure an electro-mechanical device (stabilizer) can protect a TV. By the time the stabilizer reacts to the overvoltage your TV will be fried. A spike buster can help somewhat.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by mvadg

Old post I know - but I'm curious. I did the same thing (mine is an Electrolux too - 21 Litres I think), after a couple of days there was smoke and the microwave died. Most likely the HV transformer gave up. Did your microwave hold up?

Yup, it has been working fine since then.
I think your device's fuse blew off for a reason. You may have replaced it with a slightly higher rating which did not blew off on time and in turn, some electronics got fried. That is the most logical thing I can understand!

Regards,
Saket

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by mvadg

I am not sure an electro-mechanical device (stabilizer) can protect a TV. By the time the stabilizer reacts to the overvoltage your TV will be fried. A spike buster can help somewhat.

A CVT will be and overkill. Spike-buster is a good idea though. I opersonally have never used an electro-mechanical stabilizer.