7 Myths About Kitchen Appliances

Most of us depend on kitchen appliances for our daily life.  If the refrigerator breaks down or the dishwasher starts working, it can wreak havoc on our day-to-day routine.  It’s impossible to pack lunches and fix dinner when your refrigerator isn’t working.  If you want to prevent spending a fortune to repair kitchen appliances, the first step is learning how to properly maintain your appliances.  You need to understand how each kitchen appliance works.  Here are 7 common myths about kitchen appliances.

Myth #1: Food stays cold in the refrigerator because it blows cold air inside.

Truth: Refrigerators actually don’t cool off anything.  Instead, they remove the heat from the food and transfer it to a condenser.  Then hot air is then released into the room.

Myth #2: Cold air blows inside the refrigerator to keep the temperature at a preset level on the thermostat.

Truth: The thermostat is actually just a sensor that signals the compressor to go on and off.  For instance, a refrigerator’s compressor runs at full capacity until the thermostat senses that the interior has come to a sufficient temperature, like 10 degrees F.  Then it turns off until the temperature rises to the top of the safe range, around 38 degrees F. Even though the temperature inside the refrigerator varies significantly, the food you store inside maintains a pretty consistent temperature in the midrange.

Myth #3: The plumber should fix a broken dishwasher.

Truth: Plumbers specialize in water issues, not appliance repairs.  If your dishwasher breaks, you need a qualified appliance repair technician with the knowledge of a dishwasher’s intricacies.  Call an appliance repair company instead of the plumber.

Myth #4: You should replace the dishwasher if there is water in the bottom after a cycle.

Truth: It’s actually normal for a little water to be left in the bottom of the dishwasher when it is finished with the wash cycle.  That tiny bit of water insures that your dishwasher’s seals are moist.  If they get dried out, you end up with a major leak.  When you first start the dishwasher, it drains for a few seconds to empty out that old water and then it fills with clean water to wash the dishes.

Myth #5: Water is supplied to the dishwasher through the pump.

Truth: Dishwashers don’t use the pump for filling at all.  Instead, a water valve opens and allows your home’s water pressure to push the water into your dishwasher. There is a pump, but it is only used to drain the water.

Myth #6: The dishwasher’s water level is determined by a floating device inside.

Truth: This is how old dishwashers worked, but today’s dishwashers fill based on a timer.  The float device is just an emergency precaution.  If your dishwasher starts to overfill, the float will trigger it to stop before it gets too close to flooding your kitchen floor.

Myth #7: You can adjust the amount of electric current the oven receives by changing the thermostat settings.

Truth: The oven’s thermostat actually acts as a sensor to turn the current on and off.  For instance, when you set your oven to cook at 350 degrees, it will heat up at 100 percent current until it reaches around 370 degrees and then switch off.  When the thermostat reads 330 degrees, it comes back on.  The result is an average temperature of 350 degrees.