Odd Set Radio Product Corp

[Reece]

Strange use for bucking transformer: a few years ago the dishwasher solenoid fill valve would not always open, on a machine only a couple of years old. Ordered new valve. Same thing. Worked sometimes. Sent back, got another. Then another. They were all the same. Bad valve design. I had a CT 12V filament transformer. I tried the valves on the bench with the transformer hooked to supply 6 or 12 volts over line voltage (which was about 119 to start with) and found that 6 volts more was enough to open the valve every time. Neither the valve nor the transformer got anything but a little warm if left on for 10 minutes, which is way longer than they are ever on in the machine. I'll bet there are zillions of machines out there that have caused all kinds of headaches for people and service calls galore and never got the problem fixed.