[dadu]

Originally Posted by vina

tomorrow (today) is a Sunday, so LG guys may not respond, and I'm out of clean clothes (too much travel, sickness etc. - could not wash earlier) so this is becoming an emergency.

LG has pretty good Service (2-1-1), 2 hrs of response time, visit within1 day and 1 hr of the promised time.

They work on all days including Sundays, I remember them visitng me on Sunday and even on Diwali day after I logged a service request.

Call them instead of breaking something.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@vina; If you are in a hard water area then cleaning out the deposits might just work. Take the valve out and then pour some material like Blue Harpic, or Modi Spic and Span into it from both sides.

I would be careful with these cleaning fluids. My maid used it a lot to clean the taps and counter in the toilets. Very soon the cleaned taps started corroding, that is when I realized that cleaners like Harpic eat away metal, even the chrome plating. I had to replace an expensive faucet because its base was eaten away completely!

[lambuhere1]

Hi Guys

I had to use a white mseal to close a water leakage from the joint of the tap few days back. But the leakage is not yet stopped.

Can you guide me how to remove m-seal which has hardened. Joint is a horizontal joint. Top face of m-seal is hardened. Believe the bottom one is still wet. Will try manually. But was wondering if we have any dissolvants to remove the same.

Someone suggested Hexane or ethyl acetate. Any references on the same are highly appreciated. Its a bit urgent to pluck the leak in the bathroom

[vina]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@vina; If you are in a hard water area then cleaning out the deposits might just work. Take the valve out and then pour some material like Blue Harpic, or Modi Spic and Span into it from both sides.

Thank you sir, that's what I thought. Hyderabad is not only a hard water, but also a muddy water and algae area.

Is Blue harpic different from normal harpic? can I try the regular drain declogger?



If the valve assembly needs replacement it'll not happen today. I called up LG service engineer (I have his number since he helped me with my microwave last year after LG refused to help) - he says he'll visit at 4pm, but let us see.

I'm back to the dreaded handwashing mode- backbreaking work with not so good quality :-(

[vina]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@vina; If you are in a hard water area then cleaning out the deposits might just work. Take the valve out and then pour some material like Blue Harpic, or Modi Spic and Span into it from both sides.

Well SG sir's encouragement, both now and in the past made me do it.

Opened the back of the machine again, and after fooling around with the valve assembly (3rd picture onwards) figured out that the four sticking poity things can actually be grabbed, and the whole assembly made to rotate - it opens up !

Before you do that however disengage the small ribbon connecting the valve to the wash/drain knob (see the 3rd and 4th pictures).


Valve came out, and also came out lots of lint with it - there was no way it was going away with harpic, though the calcium and other junk deposits might have washed away. The black-rubber bellows like valve was almost white with deposits.


Even my nails could not help much with the deposits, but an old toothbrush worked wonders (I could see how the toothbrushes clean teeth - this one took out mud and calcium deposits from soft rubber).

Cleaned up the drain pipes too, and then put everything back.

Voila, leakage is gone !


EDIT: LG had quoted Rs. 200 as service charges plus taxes and any materials used, and said they would take 24hrs. The LG guy I knew has not been picking phone since this afternoon.

I guess I can spend the money for a Father's day gift (he gave some pretty good clues on phone too)

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by vina

Valve came out, and also came out lots of lint with it - there was no way it was going away with harpic, though the calcium and other junk deposits might have washed away. The black-rubber bellows like valve was almost white with deposits.

You are right, lint will not be affected by Harpic. However, my experience is that Harpic (Blue only) does away with the calcium very effectively. I got this trick from Jaquar chaps, who used it to clean the calcium off my faucet mesh. I have used this very effectively, ever since. A bit of persuasion with a brush does help. Just note it must be undiluted Harpic Blue (others are not effective).

[Thad E Ginathom]

One can try vinegar for getting rid of calcium deposit.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

One can try vinegar for getting rid of calcium deposit.

I have done that - removed calcium deposits from some old utensils (forks/spoons - just lying there unused slowly developed the deposits thanks to hard water dripping from other spoons) using vinegar diluted with some hot water. Works wonders, gets rid of all oily deposits you get in a kitchen too.

However on scaling on floor and plastics it didn't go very well last time I tried. For the washing machine I didn't even use harpic, toothbrush was very powerful with water.

Next weekend I'll try using both vinegar and harpic on some other scales in the washing machine.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by vina

I have done that - removed calcium deposits from some old utensils (forks/spoons - just lying there unused slowly developed the deposits thanks to hard water dripping from other spoons) using vinegar diluted with some hot water. Works wonders, gets rid of all oily deposits you get in a kitchen too.

However on scaling on floor and plastics it didn't go very well last time I tried. For the washing machine I didn't even use harpic, toothbrush was very powerful with water.

Next weekend I'll try using both vinegar and harpic on some other scales in the washing machine.

Dont do that, it can cause an acidic reaction.

CIF liquid paste is very effective in doing all that is listed above, it does that with ease and without causing damage to anything. Try it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Old toothbrushes: one of the most useful things in the toolkit!

[vina]

Originally Posted by dadu

Dont do that, it can cause an acidic reaction.

CIF liquid paste is very effective in doing all that is listed above, it does that with ease and without causing damage to anything. Try it.

What I meant was I'll try to use Vinegar and Harpic both, one by one (not in a mixture)

Though now that you mentioned the obvious my mind is getting deranged ideas

[vina]

One of my tubelights went out last week and the bulb on the balcony gave way on Sunday, so I went to buy replacements.

My father suggested I buy a CFL in place of the bulb. I go to the shop and th CFL costs Rs. 140 for a 15W CFL lamp !

I mean a decent tubelight full assembly costs less than that, and replacement light costs Rs. 35, (and the occasional starter Rs. 10).

What is more, the quality of lighting (almost no shadows) is far better with tubelights than with CFL.


So I was amazed at why are people buying CFLs in droves in the first place - for most low usage areas a filament lamp is more than enough (and CFLs don't last long if you do on-off all the time), for high usage areas tubelights are better and cheaper.

What am I missing?

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by vina

So I was amazed at why are people buying CFLs in droves in the first place - for most low usage areas a filament lamp is more than enough (and CFLs don't last long if you do on-off all the time), for high usage areas tubelights are better and cheaper.

I have always been of the view that both tube lights and while light are for offices. A yellow tube (yes the exist) is more like Rs.100. Most of my CFLs give me 5+ years, and all but a handful of lights in my house are CFLs (almost all yellow).

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I have always been of the view that both tube lights and while light are for offices. A yellow tube (yes the exist) is more like Rs.100. Most of my CFLs give me 5+ years, and all but a handful of lights in my house are CFLs (almost all yellow).

You mean to say that you get yellow CFL's? Could you please let us know some brands?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Tube Light = Florescent
CFL = Fluorescent

They do not compete with each other.

We are supposed to be replacing incandescent (filament) lamps with CFL: it is supposed to be better for the environment and better for our electricity bills. Certainly, one gets a lot more light out of much lower wattage, but, as you've noticed, the original cost is high.

There are two kinds of CFL (Compact florescent). One has a large solid base, the other does not. The first kind will fit into any socket that did have a filament bulb in it.

The fluorescent tube requires a certain amount of electronics (choke, starter) as well as the tube itself. This circuitry is built into the base of the "legacy" CFL. The more compact, and much cheaper, non-legacy CFL lamp is made for a fitting which, like your tube-lamp fittings, already has the sundry electrics built in.

I'm not an expert, but I hope this helps.

I have a 5w CFL desk lamp. This is powered, with my computer, from my UPS. Unlike a 40w or 60w filament light, it is an almost insignificant extra load on the UPS, so it is the "emergency light" for the whole room.

Apart from this, we do use CFLs in fittings, as the filament ones die out.

For our main room lights, we use T5 tube lights. These (25w I think) are about the same length as the standard tubes, and give about the same amount of light, but are a much thinner tube. They have two advantages over the ordinary thick tube: they never flicker on starting, and they work (eventually, of course, they get dim) well on the dismal voltage (usually well under 200) that our area gets. The disadvantage is that they are harder to get and the fittings are not so strong.

All of these give a cold, white light. I would much prefer a warmer light. It is certainly available in the worldwide market, even for flourescent, but I never find it when replacing lamps here.

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