© 2007 by Stephen Beck V1.0
Page 2 of 19
Use at your Own Risk
Important
Important
Important
Important Safety
Safety
Safety
Safety Reminders and
Reminders and
Reminders and
Reminders and Legal Stuff
Legal Stuff
Legal Stuff
Legal Stuff –
–
–
– D
D
D
Don’
on’
on’
on’t Skip:
t Skip:
t Skip:
t Skip:
Alas, with the litigious nature of this society, the following disclaimers and safety information are required and by
using any of the material in this guide, you agree to the following:
•
This document is a guide to opening up your fridge and fiddling with it in a manner the manufacturer did
not intend a consumer to do so. Thus proceeding with these instructions could be DANGEROUS
DANGEROUS
DANGEROUS
DANGEROUS to the point
of ignoring warnings or taking needed precautions could result in damage, serious injury, OR DEATH
OR DEATH
OR DEATH
OR DEATH.
Perhaps this is a little melodramatic, but see the next bullet.
•
You will be working with the part of the fridge that controls the wall outlet electrical power. While obvious
to most, UNPLUG THE FRIDGE BEFORE WORKING ON IT lest you electrocute yourself rendering the
repair moot.
•
You will be required to perform a de-soldering operation removing 2 electronic components (capacitors) and
solder in 2 new ones. If you don’t know what soldering is, or you feel uneasy about what this might entail,
ask someone who has experience with this sort of thing (who has perhaps
successfully
assembled a Heathkit
or Velleman electronic kit).
•
This document outlines a fix that appears to be common to this fridge make/model. It is possible that your
fridge make/model has something else/additional wrong with it and may need a different/additional repair.
•
These instructions are provided as-is where-is with no warrantee whatsoever. You decide if this is fit for
your particular purpose and you assume all risks in doing so. Due to the variance of capabilities of the
individual reading this, and the possible failure modes of any electronic circuit, I can’t foresee that this
would be the correct course of action to take to repair your fridge without going thru an exhaustive set of
diagnostics using equipment you probably don’t have. If you want a 100% (99%?) sure thing, call in the
Maytag Repairman if you can pull him from fixing those toy machines on the new commercials. That’s why
it costs you a buck and a quarter to get him there – he has to pay for the tools and insurance that would
allow him to diagnose what’s wrong, or at least understand the whole board needs to be replaced and cover
the insurance should something go awry.
•
It is quite possible that your fridge is broken to the point that this repair won’t work, or that further damage
to your fridge might occur either because of the repair or your attempt at the repair. If you are at all
concerned by this, STOP READING NOW and don’t bother with this procedure. Get the Maytag Repairman
in.
•
You release me the author of this doc, and anyone who might distribute this info in part or in whole, from
any liability whatsoever related to, or resulting from the use of these instructions and/or diagrams, including
any incidental or consequential damages, whether you’ve told me about it or not. If your state or jurisdiction
does not allow for this, then you agree you should either a) stop reading now, throw this away, and not use
this guide; or b) I’ll limit my liability to you as the maximum of what you can prove you actually paid me for
this information; or the equivalent of US$0.01 whichever is higher, payable by any means I choose (might be
in Bolivars….), you pay postage.
•
Soldering irons get REALLY, REALLY hot and can burn you in an instant. Grab the right end the first
time.
•
The board you’ll be working on contains delicate electronic components that can be damaged by static
electricity. One static shock can make it an expensive paperweight. Wear cotton, avoid rubbing any body
part on the rug and the like to minimize the risk of static shock.
•
Keep the kids away while you work unless yours can understand the dangers as well and can be relied upon
to follow both these instructions and yours to keep their fingers out of dangerous places. I think teaching
kids how to fix things passes on an excellent skill and can help reduce the ‘throw-away” nature of our
society.
•
Be prepared to quickly unplug the fridge if something doesn’t look right: flames, smoke, sparks, loud noises
(from the fridge, not the kids), blown fuses or tripped breakers.
•
Trademarks and products names are owned by their respective companies.
•
This document and photos are copyrighted materials by me describing my experiences in repairing my
fridge. I grant you a non-exclusive right to use these materials to help you better understand your fridge as
long as the document stays in it’s original form, contains all copyright marks, and is not incorporated into a
larger work that is then used for commercial for-fee purposes (e.g. wind up in Maytag’s repair manual…).
•
Above all, use common sense. If you’re not sure you have any, ask a
true
friend. If you know you have none,
borrow a friend who does.
