Dave's
Dictionary of
Appliance Terms
The 'L' page
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Leak
test
– Another term that’s pretty much self-explanatory, I guess.
Microwave ovens are commonly LT’d, as are refrigerators when their
refrigerant systems are opened for service. LT’ing anything that
carries water is a good idea.
Lid
bumper
– Small piece of rubber that prevents a washer lid from contacting the
cabinet top directly. Seems unimportant, but run a washer without one of
these for very long, and you’ll wear a rust-hole right through the
washer’s top.
Lid
lock
– Mechanism used on some top-load washers to latch the lid closed during
spin for safety purposes.
Lid
switch
– Top-load washers use a switch that prevents operation with their lid
open. Many will fill and agitate, but not spin, with an open lid.
Lid
switch actuator
– The mechanical link that operates
a top-load washer’s lid switch. Often a pin pokes through a hole
in the cabinet top and pushes the actuator. Many newer washer designs hide
this under the cabinet top, where it’s pushed by one of the lid’s
hinges.
Liner
– The interior walls of refrigerators and freezers, and the inside
panels of their doors, are referred to as liners.
Lint
filter
– As clothes are washed and dried, fragments we call lint is loosened
from their fabrics and has to
be dealt with. Previously, washers had filters that the user could remove
and clean. Today, many washers no longer have a filter at all, the idea
being that we’re all using dryers every load. The dryer’s removable
filter is depended upon to handle this lint load, which can be
substantial.
Low
side
– A refrigeration
system’s lower pressure ‘half’, consisting of the evaporator and
suction line.
Low
voltage transformer
– Electronic controls operate on low voltages DC (most microprocessors
run on 5VDC), and this transformer ‘steps’ the ordinary 120 volt
household down to the 2 or 3 low voltages commonly used on a pc board.
Low-suds
(HE) detergent
– recommended for use in newer high efficiency washers, especially
front-loaders, this is a more concentrated, low sudsing form of detergent.
Using standard detergent in an HE washer’s a sure way to get into
problems.
LP
– Liquid Petroleum, or 'bottled gas', the most commonly used form of
fuel used out here in the boonies to operate gas ranges, dryers, and water
heaters.
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