LG has relaesed a new dishwasher the LD1420TI which is unique as it has a direct drive motor which is fitted vertically rather than horizontally. The new dishwasher gives more room for larger plates, crockery and serving dishes. Like other dishwashers it has a flexible basket system with adjustable racks for even more height. LG believe the direct drive motor used to be more reliable as it uses less moving parts reducing wear and tear. Yet another feature is the UV lamp which comes on during the wash and drying cycle to reduce bacteria. The LD1420TI has 14 place settings Vario wash system, Hybrid drying system, half load option is 4 star water rated using 13.9 litres. Recommended retail is $1449

Chest freezers are great for storing larger items which won’t fit inside a normal freezer or if you like to store large amounts meat or bait away for a long period of time. A lot of people often ask if chest freezers are frost free or if any chest freezers are frost free.

Chest freezers are not frost free but do not collect a lot of frost and have a defrost drain system, where by once every 18 months or so you just unpack the freezer turn the freezer off and all the excess frost will drain out the drain hole at the bottom of the freezer. All this is very easy and would take no more than an hour or so!

Bagless VS Bagged Vacuum cleaners

These days there are two different types of vacuum cleaners, bagged and bagless.

What is the difference?

Bagged Vacuums use disposable bags that need to be replaced when full. The bags work as filters allowing air to flow through the bags pours trapping the dirt and dust particles. Bagless vacuums have a chamber that catches the dirt and dust, without reducing the suction.

Bagged Vacuum Cleaners

Bagged Vacuum cleaners need the bags changed when they become full, most older models you need to check the bag yourself. Some of the new models now have indicator lights to tell you the bag is full. Changing the bag is a very easy process and vacuum bags are cheap, just take out the full one through it away and insert the new one. Bagged vacuum cleaners have a reputation of being better for health and allergies as they trap more dust particles (this may not be the case with some better known bagless vacuums).

Bagless Vacuum Cleaners

Bagless vacuum cleaners still need to be emptied when full, all you have to do is empty the chamber and close the lid then you are ready to start vacuuming again. One thing to remember with bagless vacuums is that many models need the filter to be replaced or cleaned and fully dried (this is not the case with all bagless models).

When choosing a vacuum cleaner to buy whether it be bagged or bagless I suggest you evaluate the kind of vacuuming you need to do. Ask yourself the following questions.
* How much vacuuming will I be doing on hard floors or carpets?
* Do I have pets that molt?
* Do I need a motor head (better for picking up pet hair)?
* Do I have allergies?
* Do I require a hepa filter (better for allergies)?
* How big is my storage space for the vacuum (does it need to be compact)?

Samsung today annouced the release of a new 8kg washing machine that removes odours from all fabric types without the use of any water. The feature called Airwash requires no water or detergent. The washer has all the other typical features that other front load washers have and is 4.5 star water rated so water rebates where applicable will apply. Samsungs suggested retail price is $1299.

BBQ Rangehood’s

There are different models and shapes to suit all kitchen designs even Rangehoods to suit BBQ’s these rangehoods have extremely large airflow due to the amount of smoke and heat coming from the large gas burners, a domestic internal kitchen rangehood should not be used as a BBQ Rangehood as they do not have the power to exhaust smoke or handle the extra heat put off by the BBQ. Kitchen rangehoods are also a standard 500mm in depth, if your BBQ has a hood over the BBQ this will push the overall depth of your BBQ an extra 200mm in overall depth being 700mm and a normal rangehood will not cover your cooking area. Most BBQ rangehoods are 650mm to 800mm in depth this way it covers your cooking area and will have large are movements. A common question asked is what height should my rangehood be installed over the cooking area, BBQ Rangehoods should be installed no less then 1 metre above your cooking surface, this is due to flare up’s caused by oils and fats dripping down over the exposed gas fire. Internal domestic Kitchen rangehoods if installed over gas cooktops should be between 650mm – 750mm from the top of the cooktop to the bottom of the rangehood and internal domestic Kitchen rangehoods if installed over Electric cooktops should be between 600mm – 650mm from the top of the cooktop to the bottom of the rangehood.

Large or small nobody likes to clean the oven, it’s got to be one the most thankless jobs in the kitchen. Once the food hits the table & dinner is finished there is not a hand goes up for cleaning the oven.

Fully non self cleaning ovens

Ovens without any sort of self cleaning need the old spray on Mr Muscle one of the best oven cleaners on the market. Spray on and be sure to wait for a good length of time for the cleaner to work on all built on grime, them wipe off. This method is a bit messy but is just about the best way to clean a fully non self cleaning oven.

Ovens with self clean liners

Self clean liners in ovens cover about 60% of the oven, any oils or fat deposits that touch the liners have a reaction & are burnt away during the cleaning cycle (at full temperature). Any other part of the oven not covered by the liners must be cleaned using a none caustic cleaner, the reason for this type of cleaner is so it does not destroy the liner. It is always best to clean the oven before burning off the liners, this ensures that you do not bake on the grime to the oven whilst burning off the liners.

Pyrolytic ovens

Pyrolytic ovens have the best type of oven cleaning available to an oven. You can make a mess in the oven and with pyrolytic cleaning all you need to do is take out all the trays turn the control knob up to maximum temperature or cleaning function (available in most pyrolytic ovens). Then the oven will clean itself top to bottom, left to right and front to back, missing no corner or crevice. Pyrolytic Ovens reach 500 degrees & burn away all fats, oils & food Particles creating an ash which when the oven cools down can be wiped down using a simple Cleaning cloth. The trays unfortunately need to be cleaned as per normal however the oven has done most of the hard work for you. Pyrolytic ovens are by far the best ovens for ease of cleaning.

Often people ask about the extended warranty for there products, all manufacturers products will come with 1 or 2 year parts & labour warranty. This factory warranty tends to run out very quickly and we hear regularly that appliances have died or started to fail in some way just after the manufacturers warranty. You hear rumours that manufacturers design there machines to break done right after the warranty period so as the customers need to replace them more quickly. Well I am not so sure about that because if I had a machine from brand A which broke right after the warranty period I know I wouldn’t be buying another brand A machine to replace it. This would not be smart business and is not the case however there are plenty of times that this does occur and can be very frustrating as a customer.

Consider the amount your new machine has cost you to purchase & at today’s price for a service call most company’s charge $110.00 call out fee & $35.00 for every 15mins taken to repair your machine plus the cost of the part/s. Keeping in mind that in many cases they do not have the parts to repair the machine on the first call out.

Lets take the average front load washer up to $1000 in value the price for the extended warranty is about $109.00, now this covers you for an extra 3 years warranty on all parts & labour on top of the factory warranty (if 2 years) giving you a full 5 year warranty.

So basically it is taking out a small insurance plan on your washing machine, so you know that after you have paid for a new machine you won’t have to put any money towards it for at least the next 5 years. The only reason I wouldn’t recommend an extended warranty is if I was not planning to own it for the next 4 or 5 years.

Appliances Online are glad to announce that due to such great support from the ACT, we now have a dedicated truck delivering every Friday to Canberra and surrounding areas.

If you’re open to either option, here are some things to consider.

About electric

• Older electric ovens have a reputation for taking longer than gas ovens to heat up and cook, but in fact they’ve significantly improved over the years, so this is no longer relevant.
• Most electric ovens these days are multifunction, meaning you can use a combination of top, bottom, grill and sometimes rear elements plus a fan to optimise different cooking, baking and grilling needs, so they tend to be more versatile than a gas oven.
• The price range for electric ovens starts lower.

About gas

• Gas ovens are naturally hotter at the top and cooler at the bottom, so unless there’s a fan, food will need to be rotated to get even cooking and browning if you’re doing any multi-shelf cooking. However, it does mean you can cook several different foods at once. For example, after a roast has been in the oven for some time, you can move it to the bottom, turn the heat up, and use the top shelf to crisp the potatoes.
• There’s no direct heat from the top in a gas oven (unless it has an internal grill) so it may not be as good as an electric oven for foods that need browning or crisping on top.
• A gas oven may have electronic controls and/or an electric grill, in which case you’ll need an electrical outlet nearby.
• There are only a few brands of gas oven on the market, the main 2 would be Westinghouse and Chef meaning less choice for you.

The bottom line is, if you’re willing to experiment with your oven, you’ll learn how to get a good result regardless of its fuel. However you should be aware of your ovens features and capabilities before you decide and purchase one.

An appliance can be an expensive purchase and can also be an unexpected cost if your old fridge or washing machine dies unexpectedly. So what do you look for when you need to replace an existing appliance? I would say the major factors are brand, features, and probably most importantly price. But do you look at the price it costs you now or the price it is going to cost you for the appliances life. A machine that costs a little more when you purchase it can save you significantly over the life you own it. In some cases the more expensive machines may be the ones which may cost you more to run when you would expect them to be more efficient as you are paying more for them and therefore would expect that they have the latest and most efficient technology. This is not always the case.

A friend of Appliances Online, eco-hacker Finn Peacock has built a site which allows you to compare models not only by an energy star rating but actually spells out in plain English how much you can expect to pay to run any particular appliance over 1, 5 or 10 years of its life. We feel that this is a great tool to use when purchasing any appliance be it a fridge, washer or dishwasher and thought it was definitely worth mentioning and spreading to all Australian appliance shoppers. Finn’s website is Sokkitt and for our international readers he is also looking for investors to spread his handy tool to other markets and help to make the world a bit greener.