|
Appliance, AC and Heating Repair
Boston
The Appliance Conductor
Several types of appliance insulation are used on the conductors in
home appliances. Some appliance conductors have no insulation at all
—for instance, a terminal where it attaches to a timer or, in some
instances, conductors within an enclosure such as a range console that
carry current to a number of switches mounted very closely to each
other. Yet even these are insulated from the cabinet-and from
surrounding terminals by air space. Other appliance conductors are
insulated with an asbestos-impregnated or heat-resistant thermoplastic
insulation which serves to protect the conductor from heat. Most
conductors in modern home appliances are insulated with a plastic
covering that is highly resistant to cracking, breaking, deterioration
from oil, and exposure to moisture. Also most conductors in appliances
consist of a number of strands, or small wires, instead of a single
large wire. This allows more flexibility.
Even with conductors (the simplest single component in a home
appliance) pride in craftsmanship is necessary. Though a problem will
seldom be directly attributable to a broken appliance conductor, you'll
constantly be working with conductors in replacing timers, controls,
etc. You will find it necessary to loosen connections and remake them,
and sometimes to even change the connections. Wherever conductors are
involved, handle them with care.
The Appliance Switch
A appliance switch provides a means of opening and closing
a conductor to control the circuit. Switches come in all shapes and
sizes, and range from simple, double-contact switches to highly complex
switching appliance devices such as a timer in an automatic washer.
But here again, more complex appliance switches are simply a matter of
multiple arrangements of a single switch.
To understand what a appliance switch does, suppose you
have a battery, acme conductors, and a light connected into a simple
electrical circuit to make the light burn. With a wire cutter, you snip
one of the conductors, and then strip the insulation from the two cut
ends of the wire. You soon find that touching the two cut ends together
closes the circuit and allows the lamp to burn, and that taking them
apart opens the circuit, and the light goes out. We can put a switch in
the circuit at this point, and have the switch perform the same
function of turning the light on and off. This is all any switch does,
regardless of the means used to initiate the switch in action —it opens
and closes the circuit. It's a very important operation.
Appliance switches are highly specialized, and in many
cases, are designed on purpose for the duties to which they are applied.
Miniature micro-switches require very small space, yet perform their
switching functions at exactly the right time to get the job done.
Where heavy loads are involved, large heavy-duty switches control the
load with a minimum of arcing due to the fast snap-action of the switch
contacts and the material from which the contacts are made. This is
one of many good reasons for always using the appliance manufacturer's
specified component as a replacement.
Except in the case of the leaf switch, there's usually
some sort of attached to the contacts themselves. This may be in the
mechanism form of a toggle, such as that within a light switch in a
home. A toggle, usually spring-loaded, provides a convenient means of
initiating the appliance switching action quickly, thus reducing
arcing. In some cases, a device called a appliance solenoid is attached
to provide the mechanical action initiated electrically from a remote
location. In any case, the switch still performs the same function as
touching the two wires together it completes the circuit to the load.
In home appliances, the contacts of the switch (the two
surfaces that meet to complete the circuit) are critical. If they don't
meet perfectly, there's some resistance to the electrical flow.
Resistance means heat, and heat will soon destroy the switch contacts.
If the switch contacts are badly pitted or burned, the switch should be
replaced. In cases of mild pitting, they can often be cleaned, but
only if you catch them in time to prevent severe pitting of the
contacts. The best method of cleaning pitted switch contacts is first
of all to use a point file, the type used for automotive points (which
again are a type of simple switch). Then, the contacts should be
cleaned.
Appliance, AC and Heating Repair
Boston
We are open 24 hours a day 7 days a
week. We provide Major Appliance Repair, Air Conditioning/ Heating Repair, Refrigerator
Repair, Washer Repair, Dryer Repair, Oven Repair, Stove Repair, Dishwasher
Repair and Disposal Repair. We operate in entire Boston and our service call is
free with the repair.
Call us: 800 215-2388
http://www.bostonmajorappliancerepair.com
<a href="http://www.bostonmajorappliancerepair.com/">Appliance
Repair Boston</a>
|
Sections 
Find Members
Sections
