eSpares

Leaky washing machine?

There are a number of reasons your washing machine might be leaking from the detergent drawer, the drawer housing, the door seal, the pump filter or pump.  If you’ve got a leaky washing machine take a look at the video below where Mat helps to demonstrate exactly where the water might be leaking from.

If you need help diagnosing any other faults with your washing machine, or any other appliance visit the Advice Centre here

 

Melting cooker knobs?

Recently we’ve had quite a few of you writing in about the quality of your cooker knobs and enquiring about why some might be prone to melting. Naturally if cooker knobs melt we put this down to the (lack of) quality or the fact they are very old. We’ve since discovered that when cooker knobs melt it might not be a problem with the knobs themselves but rather with a faulty oven door seal. Obviously if you are cooking something in the oven and the seal is no longer tight and fitted properly hot air will escape out the top and will cause the knobs to melt.

Hey ho! So, if you do find your cooker knobs are melting or are getting too hot, do take a look at your oven door seal  and make sure it’s not the culprit before blaming it on those poor knobs!

Waste not want not

An article featured in The Metro this week about a survey conducted by the University of Manchester, stated 85% of microwaves that people throw away are actually fixable. Replacing parts on them could save you pounds not to mention keep the landfill free of waste that is potentially useful. It’s particularly relevant when considering that not only is the country battling a recession but the earth is also battling the destruction of its wildlife, eco-systems and natural resources (http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16228107). Now is a good a time as any to look at what you can do in and around your home with regard to fixing your appliances (other than just your microwave) to save money as well as reduce your waste.

We’re constantly updating our Advice Centre in order to help enable everyone, whether you're DIY inclined or not, fix your appliances without enlisting the help of a professional. If you need help diagnosing a problem with one of your appliances check out our Advice Centre to see what might be causing the problem. There are lots of articles as well as ‘how-to’ videos that can help save money and the environment by potentially limiting waste.

Simply follow this formula below and get fixing!

Broken appliance + a more than capable you = happy days

 

 

 

Hosepipe ban remains

OK, so perhaps like me, many of you are somewhat confused about how a hosepipe ban can still be in place after the weeks of rainfall we’ve experienced in April. I even recall we had the equivalent of a month’s worth of rainfall over just 24 hours. So why are we still technically in ‘drought’ and why is there still a hosepipe ban?

It has been the wettest April for over 100 years with many areas even experiencing severe flooding. Despite the rain being beneficial to farmers, gardeners and wildlife in the rivers, it is still not enough to fill depleted groundwater stocks. The groundwater stocks remain lower than normal on account of the past two ‘drier than normal’ winters we’ve experienced. During winter the air is obviously cooler so water/rainfall does not evaporate easily and there is less vegetation and plant life that requires the water to live; because of this rainfall is more easily ‘stocked’. Alternatively during spring and summer, the air is warmer and the water more easily evaporates and is also used up by the increase in seasonal plants and vegetation.

So despite calls that we’re in for a very wet May as well it is very likely that the current ban will stay in place for the remainder of the year. There is a lot of helpful and up to date information that can be found here: http://www.hosepipeban.org.uk/

Peter, one of our customers sent in his helpful tip about how he’s beating the hose pipe ban:

I have a Karcher pressure washer that was going to be retired this year because the hose pipe ban.

These power washers do not need a pressure hose from the mains to operate. Just a bucket, watering can or water butt is needed. As a pressure washer only uses ¼ the water of a hose to wash your car it is ideal way to keep your car (or patio or anything sparkling clean).

Be sure to put some mesh on the end of the hose going into the butt to stop leaves etc. being sucked through the machine. I used a bird feeder as per photo below.

New LG videos

We’ve added 4 new videos to the washing machine section of our Advice Centre which we hope you will find useful! All the demonstrations were completed on an LG washing machine which we’re pretty happy about as it’s the first time we’ve done any how-to videos for that brand. We’ve also added to, and improved our LG Spares range so take a look!

 

 

 

 

Final fix-it story winners!

Right folks, that’s a wrap! The Fix-It Friday competition is now closed and we’ve chosen the final winners. A huge thanks again to everyone who took time to submit their tales. In total we received over 2000 fix-it stories which far exceeded our expectations.

Many stories started out with the decision to ‘fix it yourself’ because you were strapped for cash. But after realising how easy a lot of the fixes are, penny pinching or not, moving forward you will now try to take on repairs yourself before enlisting the help of a professional. Result!

Check out the final winners, as well as all past winners, here:

http://www.espares.co.uk/advice/a/0/1455/fix-it-yourself-fridays.html 

New to the Karcher family!

This just in; the Karcher Window Vacuum 50 Plus has now been added to our range of finished goods. We’ve been awaiting the arrival of this bad boy which is ideal to help get your post-winter grubby windows sparkling clean!. Read all about it here: 

http://www.espares.co.uk/part/vacuum-cleaners/karcher/p/1086/877/0/0/1562488/window-vacuum-50-plus.html

You can also check out the video on Karcher’s website that shows the vacuum in action.

http://www.karcher.co.uk/uk/Products/Home__Garden/Window_Vac.htm

3rd week fix-it winners!

3rd week fix-it winners!

With the third week of our Fix It Yourself Fridays competition done and dusted, see who we've chosen as this week's winners here. We’ve said it before, the tales continue to entertain and impress. For example, among the winners this week are a man-mathemetician and a rather unique breakfast recipe.

One more week to go so don't be shy - let us hear about your fix-it tale. We still have that pretty iPad 3 and a few other toys up for grabs, not to mention the bragging rights you're automatically awarded if you win - who could put a price on that?  

Chloe loves her new iPad 3

100 days and counting

With just 100 days to go, there is a lot of excitement ahead of the 2012 Summer Games. 'Inspire a generation' has been unveiled as the official Olympic motto. Let's focus on 'inspiring a generation' whilst not focusing on how much the games are costing the tax-payer and for those residing in London, not focusing on potential travel chaos if tube workers strike. I digress. 

The BBC has put together a rather inoffensive article (ie: no monetary values mentioned) about the upcoming games. Specifically, near the bottom of the page is a quick 2 minute video outlining some kind of cool and interesting facts. It took me back to days of watching informative videos in school and I actually quite enjoyed it. Have a look here and see for yourself.

The giant rings were planted with 20,000 flowers in Kew Gardens, West London

 

Second round fix-it winners!!

Our fix-it yourself story competition is well and truly underway. After much consideration and deliberation, we've chosen our second round fix-it winners. As mentioned we've been really chuffed at the entries received thus far. The stories have been more than enjoyable to read and generally made our decision-making process somewhat difficult. This week we've chosen three winners whose stories include the fixing of a trusty ol' dishwasher, a 1p fridge rejuvenation and a sweet Aunt's Cordon Bleu double cooker rescue.

We're only midway through so there's still plenty of time to share any tales you might have. More importantly there's some top prizes still to be won, including the Delonghi Lattissima Nespresso machine and the almighty iPad 3!

Check out the newest batch of winners here.