DISHWASHERS & TRASH COMPACTORS Q: Why are my dishes still wet at the end of the cycle? A: a. Lack of rinse aid. Make sure rinse aid dispenser is full. Low water temp. Make sure water temperature at sink is at least 120 degrees. Q: Why are my dishes not coming out clean? A: a. Too much detergent. Use less than recommended amount. Low water temp. Make sure water temperature at sink is at least 120 degrees. Lack of rinse aid. Make sure rinse aid dispenser is full. Stale detergent. Use only fresh dishwasher detergent (check expiration date). Improper draining. Make sure all water from previous load has drained. Blocked wash arm. Make sure loading hasn’t restricted wash arm. Full disposer. Clear sink disposer before running dishwasher. Q: Why doesn’t my dishwasher drain? A: a. Restriction. If you recently replaced garbage disposer, be sure that the dishwasher drain plug in garbage disposer was removed. Kinked hose. Check dishwasher drain hose (under dishwasher or sink). Full disposer. Clear sink disposer before running dishwasher. Backed up sink drains into dishwasher. Dishwasher drain hose must loop high before connecting to garbage disposer under sink. Q: Why is my compactor not compressing trash? A: Compression increases as bin becomes fuller. Keep filling.   REFRIGERATORS & FREEZERS Q: Why is my freezer (or refrigerator) not cold enough? A: a. Door ajar. Make sure door is closing fully. Frequent opening. Adjust to colder setting. Dirty condenser. Remove toe kick and vacuum condenser or clean with condenser brush. Q: Why is my ice maker not making (enough) ice? A: a. Incorrect temperature. Make sure freezer temp is close to 0 degrees. No water. Make sure water supply is turned on to ice maker. Wrong wire position. Make sure ice maker cycle wire is in down position. Ice blockage. Check for this at water inlet in back of freezer compartment. Jammed cubes. Make sure ice cubes are not jammed. Door ajar. Make sure freezer door is closing all the way. Q: Why is food freezing in my refrigerator? A: Incorrect temperature. Set all temp adjustments (freezer and refrigerator) to warmer settings.   WASHERS AND DRYERS Q: Why are my clothes not coming out clean? A: a. Detergent – too much or stale. Use fresh detergent. Use minimum recommended amount. Low water temp. Make sure hot water is available to washer. Overloading. Follow manufacturer directions for load size. Wrong cycle. Follow manufacturer directions. Don’t expect towels or work clothes to come clean on a perma-press cycle. Wrong temperature. Heavy soil requires warmer temperatures. Q: Why is there water on the floor near the washer? A: a. Hose problems. Check at wall and washer for leaking or disconnected hoses. Make sure hose is secured in drain pipe. Pet behavior. Believe it or not, we’ve had several service calls where the family dog was using the floor near the washer as a bathroom. Q: Why is the dryer taking so long to dry the clothes? A: a. Lint filter problems. Make sure filter is cleaned of lint after each load. Try running water through filter. If it doesn’t flow freely, dryer sheet chemicals may have deposited a film. Wash well with soapy water. Vent restrictions. Check vent tubing for plugs or restrictions (kink). Exhaust restrictions. Check outside exhaust flap for free travel. Circuit breaker problem (sometimes half the breaker will pop). Reset breaker.   COOKING EQUIPMENT Q: Why am I locked out of my oven after the cleaning cycle? A: a. Shut off power to range (at breaker) for 5 minutes. Make sure clean cycle is finished and time is allowed for cooling, then try again. Q: Why is my oven not baking adequately or evenly? A: a. Inadequate preheating. Preheat for 10 additional minutes after "ready" beeper goes off. Improper placement of food. Use suggested rack positions (see owner manual). Poor air circulation. Make sure pans are not touching sides, back or door of oven; don’t fill oven so full that air can’t circulate well. Opening door. Don’t open oven door until final minutes of cooking. You may need to use the high altitude directions for your recipe. Check and adjust temperature as suggested in use and care manual. Don’t line bottom of gas oven cavity with foil. Q: Why do my gas burners "click" or fail to light? A: Be sure all burner caps and/or diffuser rings are clean and positioned correctly. Q: Why doesn’t all the popcorn pop in my microwave? A: Experiment with times. Try the time suggested on bag instead of using auto setting. No microwave pops 100% of the corn. Q: Why won’t my ceramic surface cooktop boil water? A: Make sure to use cookware with very flat bottoms for good surface contact.   CLEANING TIPS Q: What’s the best way to clean my stainless steel appliances? A: Use good quality cleaner. Polish with the grain. Polish thoroughly to remove all cleaner residue. Q: How should I clean my ceramic surface cooktop? A: Remove excess fool spills with a new razor blade. Use good quality smooth-top cleaner to remove remaining spill. Q: What’s the best way to clean the microwave cavity? A: Boil a cup of water in the microwave, then clean with soapy water or all-purpose kitchen cleaner.