eSpares

How to replace a television remote - new video

Okay, you've lost your tv remote. Well, maybe it wasn't you who did it, it was the kids. Perhaps technically it can't be considered lost lost because the kids decided that it was much better used as a hammer or as buried treasure. Basically these scenarios are leading down a winding path where you've now got a fully functioning television but no remote control. Does this sound familiar?

Replacing a remote control is very straightforward, but there are a few things you'll need to know. In this video Helen will walk you through how to find the right replacement remote control for your television.

If you do need a replacement remote control, you should visit the eSpares website. We've got over 300 brands of TV, DVD and digital receiver remotes.

How to reverse a fridge door - new video

Picture this: everything in your kitchen is perfect except your fridge door opens in a way that blocks the flow of your kitchen. If only your refrigerator door opened from the other side, so that it was immediately next to the wall when opened, your kitchen would be perfect. In this new video Rory will show you how to change the hinges on your fridge so that the door will open from the opposite side.

How to replace a wheel on a Henry or Hetty vacuum - new video

Henry and Hetty vacuum cleaners are part of the Numatic appliance range. We have one in our office and I got to use it when Mike accidentally broke a glass by his desk. True story. What impressed me about our Henry is that despite appearing to be a rather simplistic looking vacuum cleaner it's got great cleaning power and is very sturdy. They are clearly made to last the long haul. So if a bit on your Numatic vacuum breaks I would recommend trying to fix it, rather than buying a new cleaner. In this new advice video Rory will show you how to replace a back wheel on a Hetty vacuum cleaner.

If after watching this video you decide that you need some Henry vacuum spares please make sure to check out the eSpares website.

Smelly cooker hood - new video

The cooker hood is responsible for extracting the air around hob, funnelling grease from collecting elsewhere in the kitchen and helping to keep cooking smells to a minimum. It's a little known fact, but your extractor fan needs regular maintenance in order for it to perform fully. All the filters on a cooker hood should be replaced at least once every year to keep your kitchen from becoming smelly. If you've got a metal filter on your extractor fan this should either be cleaned of grease build up or replaced. In this new video Rory will show you how to clean the grease from a metal cooker hood filter.

If you require new cooker hood filters make sure to check out the eSpares website.

Why do you love your kitchen? - Competition

We wholeheartedly support the idea that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. It's the heart of the home where the household can gather and share their time preparing and enjoying delicious food. A lot of good memories are created in the kitchen, which is why most people love theirs.

Our friends over at Appliances Online are currently holding a competition called "Why do you love your kitchen". Entering is easy, all you have to do is upload a picture of your kitchen and explain why you love it. The winner will receive a fabulous Electrolux BBQ so that they can extend their cooking pursuits to the outdoors.

If you give Rory two electric screwdrivers

He'll reinact the bullet scene from The Matrix for you. It's a fact.

How to buy the right fridge or freezer - Guest Post

As a business that sells appliances spares it's pretty obvious that we would preach a 'make do and mend' mentality. If an appliance is 'fixable' we would always encourage you to try your hand at fixing it yourself. However we appreciate that there are times when the task could be too complex or economically not viable and it's simply best to replace the old appliance.

We want to supply our customers with expert advice on buying a new appliance and thus we've asked our friend Ben, from Appliances Online, to write a guest post for us. Ben writes for the Appliances Online Blog and spends most of the day trying to think of smart things to say about fridge freezers. In this post he'll guide you through finding the perfect refrigerator or freezer for your needs and budget. Here's Ben:

The aim of this guest post is to give a very quick guide on what to look for in fridge freezers so you can spend less time shopping and more time enjoying yourself.

Determine the right size for your home
How much food a refrigerator can store is determined by its net capacity. 50 – 80 litres of capacity will hold enough frozen and chilled food to last an adult a week.  This is a rough figure and if your fridge has a whole shelf of condiments or you like to store frozen food for months at a time then you’re going to need more space.

How to determine the energy efficiency of your fridge freezer
If you want to save money on your energy bills then ignore the energy rating of an appliance and go straight for the annual energy consumption which gives you a prediction of how much energy it takes to power the unit for a year. You can roughly calculate the cost of running an appliance by multiplying this number by 0.15 (which assumes that electricity costs about 15p per unit).

How to use freezer star ratings to your advantage
You might have seen a line of snowflakes or stars printed on a freezer drawer somewhere; these are the industry measurement for how powerful a freezer is. If a unit doesn’t have four stars then don’t buy it. Anything less is technically an “icebox” and isn’t suitable for freezing fresh food.

Turbo freezing feature explained
Have you ever noticed how food tastes different after it’s been frozen? Turbo freezing reduces this change in taste. If you really care about your food then it’s worth getting but if you’re not going to be bothered to manually activate it then there’s no point paying extra for it.

Auto-defrost vs frost free
In brief; frost free is better but slightly noisier as it uses fans to suck moisture out of the air before it can form ice. Performance (how well and evenly it refrigerates) is usually better for frost-free models and after a few days you’ll grow used to the sound of the fan.

How to get the best value for money
One of the questions I always get asked is “how much do I want to spend on a fridge freezer?” and I usually give one of two answers. The quick answer is “about £400” because the chances are you’ll get a good unit without paying over the odds. The long answer (which is the one I give to my friends) is that even expensive fridge freezers can be badly made. There was one example where a well known brand released a premium model but when people got it into their homes the doors kept falling off. The only way to be sure you’re getting a bargain is to ask someone who already owns one which is why at Appliances Online we post  good and bad reviews next to all our appliances.

If you're in the market for a new fridge or freezer we recommend that you check out the Appliances Online website. We like that they have customer reviews, a 10 day 'no fuss' returns guarantee and they'll even help recycle your old appliance. If you have any further questions about purchasing a new appliance and want a no-nonsense answer, Appliances Online are on Twitter. Their account is @Apponline and they'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Notice anything new?

If you've recently visited our website you may have noticed an update from this:

To this:

If you haven't spotted it already, we've cleaned up the top navigation bar of our website. Through customer testing we realised that our top menu was too busy and the black blocky design took the eye away from the rest of the page. We hope that our new navigation bar is kinder to the eye and makes the search box more apparent.

Stay tuned...We've got more finely tuned changes up our sleeve.

Top money saving reviews from the last week

I love customer reviews. Being a bit thrifty myself, it makes me feel particularly good when a customer says that we helped save them money. Here are my two favourite money saving reviews from the last week:

• "This is the second time I've used espares. V impressed, Product exactly as described, easily ordered and speedily delivered. Last time I became a domestic hero by mending our oven with an espares part saving us about £100 for calling out electrician!" Fridge Door Shelf, Anonymous from London.
  
  
• "eSpares is awesome! I was quoted £58 from a repair man to fix the door catch. I just put in the make and model of my ancient drier (15 years old!!!) and I found this part. It arrived in just 3 days and it is the exact replacement- All for £6.00! In the old days before the economy went bad, I would have at best hired a man to do it, or at worst just bought a new machine. For just a few pounds, I was able to do it myself! If you do buy this part, you will need one of those strange little star head screwdrivers or maybe do it with a tiny straight one. You will have to prise the 2 sections of the door apart gently to enable you to get to the screws. But do it! eSpares will save you MONEY!!!" Tumble Dryer Door Catch, Singmoregirl from Northants.
  

We may be a spare parts retailer...

...but never let it be said that we don't know how to have a bit of fun.

Happy Birthday Matt!