Austin’s Appliance Service

11/03/2026

A Follow Up on the Thanksgiving Drawing

I’ve now received at least 3 people willing to send money to pay for the Thanksgiving giveaway. As much as I appreciate the kindness of the offer, I can’t in good conscience say yes. I struggled enough last year with people adding so much to my meager effort. But to become solely reliant on the charity of others is something I just cannot do. If I’m not the main financial force behind the effort, it doesn’t sit well with me. I encourage those that did offer to find some outlet that can use your generosity. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be stubborn, I was just born that way. If I could stomach reaching into other people’s pockets, I would have aspired to politics.

11/02/2026

No Turkeys This Year

I realized this morning that it is now November and typically we would be starting to take names for a giveaway. Unfortunately I am not in the financial position to do this. I’m sorry but there will be no Thanksgiving drawing this year.

10/08/2026

Follow Up Tip

The question was asked a couple times in the last post about the correct amount of vinegar. The short answer is when using vinegar, Lemishine, Tang, or any other cleaner that contains a type of food acid, there is no wrong amount.

As long as the cleaning agent is not a caustic acid, (think toilet bowl cleaner) then there’s no need for concern. Caustic acid is the stuff that you should wear gloves and glasses for. Vinegar you can drink. If it is digestible, it will not harm your appliance.

The best answer I can give for “how much vinegar” is how bad is it? Are you dealing with a detergent buildup in the unit? Does it stink after every load? Then use more. Or are you looking to just maintain an already clean appliance? Then maybe a cup at the end of the week? It’s really a regimen that you will have to feel out for yourself. But hey, if the washer or dishwasher stinks and you are really wanting to be done with it. Turn that gallon over and dump it all in. Let it soak overnight, and run it in the morning. You can’t hurt anything with vinegar.

10/07/2026

Appliance Tip

Oh my goodness! The appliance man lives!

Now that we have that out of the way, I wanted to address these news ads I’m seeing for washer cleaning products.

This newest cleaning agent claims to remove buildup between the tubs by an enzyming process replacing an older oxidative type process. (Doesn’t mean much to me either 🤷‍♂️)

To be clear I have not personally tested it myself, nor have I met a customer who can fill me in. Understand this is an opinion rooted in observation. But just as I have watched every fad weight loss pill come and go. Followed quickly by the subsequent lawsuit. I expect the claims of this cleaner are highly inflated.

The ad shows a technician removing the tub assembly from a front load washer. He then removes the front boot, splits the outer tub, and shows the buildup on the outside of the inner tub, and inside wall of the outer tub. As someone who has been looking at that portion of a washer for 20 something years, I can confirm that it was a real depiction, and not some overblown AI generated image. The inside of your washer does accumulate a lot of grime and scum.

Here’s where my skepticism enters in. The reason that scum accumulates in the first place is that water, soap, and the bacteria it carries finds its way into a dead space between the tubs that cannot be normally accessed. Also, the biggest factor as to why it builds up is, there’s no clothing polishing that surface. Notice how there’s never any buildup inside your tub where the clothes touch? That’s because the clothes keep that surface clean.

So, in this inaccessible area, where clothes can’t touch, and human eyes cannot see, the claim is that this magic elixir will remove it all. Well how do you know? You can’t see it. Convenient to make a claim that most people cannot prove or disprove. Imagine that you never ever scrubbed your shower walls. Soap scum, hard water, mineral deposits building on the walls. Now you can’t touch it, rub up against it, and it never sees the light of day. Do you think you could just spritz it occasionally with a magic cleaner and expect 100% results?

Long story short, I have serious doubts on the claims of this product. Will it clean? Probably. Will it be vastly superior to other cleaners? Probably not. Will it be worth the extra cost when you can just use white vinegar? Also probably not. Soap scum and residue is the very nature of a washer. It’s just the ugly part you can’t see. And as they say, ignorance is bliss. If you are dealing with odors and buildup that’s excessive to the point that it is getting on the clothes, a heavy regimen of white vinegar, and a severe reduction in detergent usage is in order.

09/30/2026

Rate Change Effective October 1st

After dragging my feet on this issue for months, I’ve finally decided it’s time to raise the rates. Between gas, groceries, and insurance all climbing in cost, I can no longer continue at the previous service call.

The only thing changing is the service call. All other labor will remain the same. The new service call will be $110 effective October 1st. This applies to any calls received after Oct 1 and doesn’t affect anyone scheduled in October presently.

I’m sorry for any inconvenience. I know we all feel the squeeze right now. But I have to pay my bills to continue to provide appliance repair services.

09/12/2026

Greetings Everyone from the Suspiciously Absent Repairman

I’ve had quite a few customers recently ask me where have all the Facebook tips and stories gone? So I thought I would write a little post to explain.

I have been a gamer from the early days of Nintendo. Yes I was like you, a child, shooting ducks and wanting to strangle the life out of that dog that kept laughing at me. If you know, you know. My love for gaming has never diminished.

More recently, through various circumstances, I came into contact with the world of Twitch. I was gaming with a friend I made from England and she was always encouraging me to try streaming. So I thought I would give it a try. In January of 2026, we were playing Phasmophobia on the PS5 with no we**am, no extras, just goofing. Now we are we**am, buttons, and plenty of humor. I’ve discovered a new world of people who want to hear the old “Adventures In Appliance Repair” stories. They push the button and I tell the stories.

This endeavor has become like a second job. I find that I love streaming and entertaining people. But it does take all my free time. So my mind is constantly occupied with improving the stream, and not necessarily writing appliance tips. For the more seasoned generation, you may have never heard of Twitch and have never even heard of “streaming.” It’s ok, you are not alone. In summary, it’s where a 43 year old man can play games, goof off, and make a little extra money in the process. But this in short, is where I’ve been. If you guys are curious what I’ve been up to, I will leave a link below.

Just a chubby guy. I shall be known as Chubs and you shall be the Chubsters. I try to keep it clean, my kids watch the streams. My daughter likes to make the clips. It’s a family affair. — Chubbyrepairman streams live on Twitch! Check out their videos, sign up to chat, and join their community.

07/30/2026

I Have A Question For You Guys

The gas prices continue to stay high. This is hurting my bottom line as they say. Then there’s the ripple effect. I pay more for my dumpster because of fuel prices. I pay more for groceries because of fuel. And the list goes on. It’s getting the point where I don’t make any money and can barely cover expenses. I’ve held out for as long as financially possible, but I don’t think I have a choice. I’m going to have to charge more soon.

So the question is this, as a customer would you rather see a price increase on the service call and labor, or on the part percentage?

As it stands, I charge a $95 service call. Then if a return trip is needed I go to a tiered labor rate. Rates 1/2/3 depending on time required for the repair. Those rates are $40/$70/$100. A typical invoice has a $95 service call, $40 labor, $50 part, tax $3 so total $188 as an example.

Now on the flip side, I could leave the service call and labor the same and charge a larger percentage increase. I would prefer to do this as I have many calls that don’t require parts or are simple repairs. My conscience struggles enough with taking $95 for a quick repair. But this is where people get accused of “price gouging” because the customer found it on Amazon for half the price. Is it the same part? No. Is it a factory supplied part? No. Is it of the same quality? No. Can I compete with Amazon? No. But hey it’s cheaper so the technician must be taking advantage of you. (I have seen cases where people were absolutely ripped off. So this isn’t me saying gouging doesn’t exist.)

The real stinker is this, my ability to increase my rates is determined by the cost of new appliances. An electrician sells his ability. A plumber sells his ability. And so do I. But they are not boxed in by the price of replacement cost. If I write you an estimate for $500 and the cost of new is $800, you are going to put that $500 towards the new appliance in most cases.

So if I have to increase my prices, would you rather see it on the service call and labor or part markup?

07/24/2026

Please Help.

If anyone knows Vicki Lewis on Wells Lake in Leroy, please let her know that I cannot get through to her and I cannot leave a voicemail.