Preventive Maintenance Pays Off
QUESTION: We’ve had several problems with our dishwasher. The serviceman said that regular preventive maintenance that we could perform ourselves would have eliminated most of our service problems. Is this true?
ANSWER: Your serviceman is correct. Home appliances, like automobiles, respond well to preventive maintenance. An easy job that will keep your dishwasher humming efficiently is to clean the spray arm and drain area periodically. On some models, the filter screen and drain are in plain view; others require some disassembly to access.
Turn off the electrical power to the dishwasher. Remove the bottom spray arm and filter screen and clean them with a scrub brush. Loosen any lodged particles in the spray holes with a piece of stiff wire. Clean the top spray arm without removing it.
Clear away particles from around the pump cover and drain area and remove any buildup of mineral deposits from the heating element using vinegar and a scrub brush. Make sure both spray arms turn freely. If they don’t, check for debris or mineral buildup around the pivots.
Some standing water should remain visible at the bottom of the drain. This keeps the pump seals from drying out. But standing water should not touch the bottom of the heating element. If it does, check the drain holes for kinks or sharp bends.
Timer Helps Cut Bill for Electric Water Heater
Q: We are trying to cut down on our electric bill. Our electric water heater is a big energy user and we are wondering if there is any way to reduce this appliance’s energy appetite without having to take cold showers.
A: Yes. Installing a timer on your electric water heater can cut your utility bill by preventing the appliance from heating water when there is no demand for it.
To understand this, some background is helpful. Whether or not a water heater can supply an adequate amount of hot water will depend on both the capacity of the heater and the amount of hot water generated in one hour, known as the recovery rate. An electric water heater has a low recovery rate, generally on the order of 18 gallons per hour. As a result, in order to supply adequate hot water, the tank capacity is usually a minimum of 52 gallons and often can be as large as 80 gallons.
On the other hand, an oil-fired water heater can supply a comparable amount of hot water with a 30-gallon tank. These appliances have a high recovery rate, often on the order of 80 to 120 gallons per hour.
Homeowners who have electric water heaters can save energy and money by installing a timer that turns the water heater off during periods when hot water is not needed. The water heater will heat the water during the times of day when it is needed, such as for morning showers and evening dishes. The timer prevents energy from being wasted on storing a large quantity of hot water. Thus it helps the water heater match supply to demand.
A study conducted by the Illinois Institute of Technology showed that this approach can reduce the cost of heating water by 26%. Electric water heaters are among a household’s biggest electricity users. In many cases, the timer could pay for itself in less than one year.
We know of two companies that make electric water heater timers, though there are almost certainly others. They are: Intermatic Inc., Intermatic Plaza, Spring Grove, Ill. 60081, and First Alert, 780 McClure Road, Aurora, Ill. 60504.
Intermatic’s residential electric water heater timers cost about $25. They are sold at hardware stores, home centers and electrical supply houses. First Alert’s digital timer costs about $35 at home centers.
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