Not sure if what I'm after is out there, but..

I'm looking for pages which provide basic, generalised
fault-finding and repair instructions for common faults affecting
domestic dishwashers & their associated water / power supply. Things
like, say, how to get the clothes out when the door's jammed; how to
track down common faulty components; how to stop a pipe leaking
temporarily.. that sort of thing. No specific manufacturer or model;
I'm looking for interesting / useful
pages to link to from one of my clients pages (he is a plumber).

Info should be suitable for use by a reasonably competent DIY'er, and
include innovative / inventive solutions suitable as a 'stopgap'
solution whilst waiting for an engineer to call. Ideally the pages
should be Northern - UK based if possible. 

Just a couple of pages would be fine if they cover a good range of
common
faults, how to set about diagnosing them using basic tools
(screwdriver, wrench, multimeter etc.), and include 'stopgap'
remedies that a competent DIY'er householder can safely use.

I'm not too worried about such pages pulling work away from my
client, as I believe those who want to fix their problem themselves,
will do anyway - so there's no limit on the problems and remedies
addressed.

Pages with a good page rank on Goigle, and the authors of which might
conceivably agree to exchanging links with my client's site, and for
whom contact information is available, would be a bonus.

I hope I've given a general flavour of what I'm looking for above; I
haven't got a crystal clear vision of what I'm after so there's some
search latitude.

Thanks

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Jan 2003 16:18 PST

Hi, Gan!

I am not certain how much expertise you assume in the user, or how
much detail you need in the repair instructions, but the Acme How To
site looks good to me. The site provides links to pages that explain
how a dishwasher works, how to troubleshoot dishwasher problems, and
how to test, check, and replace individual components of the
dishwasher.

Acme How To: Dishwasher
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/dishwasher/dishwasher.htm

Here is another site that might be useful:

Repair Clinic: Dishwasher
http://www.repairclinic.com/0047_9.asp

Please let me know if I'm on the right track with these suggestions.

~Pink

---

Clarification of Question by gan-ga on 01 Jan 2003 16:36 PST

Hi Pinkfreud,

Those sites will fit very well with my scheme. If possible could you
find something similar, but which refers to UK wiring etc? If there
really isn't anything out there that's similar to the sites you've
suggested, but with a UK 'bent', then those sites above will be fine -
post as answer.

Thanks,

Gan

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 01 Jan 2003 17:22 PST

Gan,

Thanks for responding to my clarification request so quickly. I'm
revising my search strategy to see whether I can find a UK-specific
DIY dishwasher repair site.

~Pink

Hello, Gan!

It is always a pleasure to be able to assist a fellow Google Answers
Researcher. I am posting the two links that I mentioned earlier, plus
links to several sites which are specifically UK-based. Most of the
information from the US sites will be applicable to UK dishwashers; I
have been told by a knowledgeable source that the main difference
(other than the obvious difference in house current) is that
dishwashers in the UK typically start with cold water, which is heated
by the appliance itself, whereas dishwashers in the US are more likely
to have a hot-water input to utilize preheated water that may or may
not be heated further.

------------------------------

The Acme How To site provides links to pages that explain how a
dishwasher works, how to troubleshoot dishwasher problems, and how to
test, check, and replace individual components of the dishwasher:
 
Acme How To: Dishwasher 
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/dishwasher/dishwasher.htm 

------------------------------
 
Repair Clinic offers troubleshooting and maintenance tips for
dishwashers:
 
Repair Clinic: Dishwasher 
http://www.repairclinic.com/0047_9.asp 

------------------------------

At RepairNet, you will find individual diagnostics tables for
different brands of dishwashers:

RepairNet
http://www.repairnet.com/cgi-bin/diagnostics

------------------------------

DIYnot, a UK-based site, has an excellent page of troubleshooting
instructions for the do-it-yourselfer, plus a comments section that
serves as a mini-forum for questions and answers related to the
subject of dishwashers.

DIYnot: Dishwasher Troubleshooting
http://www.diynot.com/pages/pl/pl009.php

------------------------------

Here is a good source for dishwasher parts in the UK. Both retail and
trade areas are available:

Ezee-Fix
http://shop.ezee-fix.co.uk/index-dishwasher.html

------------------------------

A simple troubleshooting table for dishwashers may be found on this UK
site. The "Dishwasher Facts" section is also helpful:

Dishwasher Care: Troubleshooting
http://www.dishwasher-care.org.uk/trouble.html

Dishwasher Care: Dishwasher Facts
http://www.dishwasher-care.org.uk/best.html

------------------------------

Search terms used in locating the above information:

dishwasher
dishwashers
tips
help
repair
how to repair
diy
do-it-yourself
handyman
troubleshoot

------------------------------

I hope this will enable you to assist your client in exchanging links
with suitable sites. Of all the links I have listed, the DIYnot site
looks most promising to me. It is oriented toward the handyman, is
well laid out, and is UK-based.

Please request clarification if you need anything further.

Best regards,
pinkfreud

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 02 Jan 2003 09:20 PST

Thank you very much for the five-star rating and the five dollar tip!

~Pink

Thank you Pinkfreud, for an answer beyond my expectations which is
helping me a great deal.

Websites:  diyfixit.com is a UK site with some relevant tips
  http://www.diyfixit.com/flash/plumbing/Machines/machines.htm

Newsgroups:  uk.d-i-y has related discussions; you can try searching
google groups [groups.google.com] for uk.d-i-y to search through
recent posts, and archives of their best content can be found online
at
 http://playground.sun.com/~ag102324/DIY/stumbles/    

For instance, here is a collection of appliances discussions:
  http://playground.sun.com/~ag102324/DIY/stumbles/appliance/

Happy new year!
   tez-ga