Washing machine repair
Our 15-year-old washing machine flooded the laundry room again last weekend, which made about 4 times it had happened over the course of a couple of years. After some internet research, my husband decided the crux of the problem and launched an hours-long project to disassemble the machine. While I would have loved to watch and learn, someone had to do the grocery shopping/cooking/kid stuff. That was me.
I was amazed, though, that he figured out the problem. He pulled the offending part and purchased its replacement on Tuesday (Monday being a holiday). His intent was to install and reassemble the machine Tuesday night before dinner, but the best laid plans . . . Turned out the bracket for the new part didn't fit the old site exactly (isn't that always the way it is?). He had to drill some new holes and jiggle a lot here and there. But he got it in. Unfortunately, he forgot to reattach the timer, so when he ran a test cycle after reassembling, it didn't work quite right. He had to take it apart yet again and attach the timer. Now, it seems to work fine! And the replacement part was only $26--far cheaper than calling the plumber.
It amazes me that there are so many relatively minor repairs out there that homeowners can do, if they have the right part, time, and good information. The internet has certainly been a boon to DIY-ers. I've often had to look up the repair or installation manual on an appliance, and it's always there online. Once, we borrowed my father-in-law's carpet shampooer, for which he no longer had the manual. He wasn't here when we used it, either, and we couldn't figure out how much shampoo to put in, where to put it vs. clean water, etc. I just typed in the product name and number online, and poof! We had the operation instructions.
Same thing happened when I first used my power miter saw. We bought it from an individual, so it was used and without product manual or instructions. For the longest, I couldn't figure out how to release the handle to raise the blade. I finally thought to go online, and sure enough, there was a simple diagram with the parts marked. I found it immediately!
My dad would've loved the internet. He wasn't a repair guy (far from it!), but he loved to look up things in the encyclopedia. Here's to you, Daddy!
I was amazed, though, that he figured out the problem. He pulled the offending part and purchased its replacement on Tuesday (Monday being a holiday). His intent was to install and reassemble the machine Tuesday night before dinner, but the best laid plans . . . Turned out the bracket for the new part didn't fit the old site exactly (isn't that always the way it is?). He had to drill some new holes and jiggle a lot here and there. But he got it in. Unfortunately, he forgot to reattach the timer, so when he ran a test cycle after reassembling, it didn't work quite right. He had to take it apart yet again and attach the timer. Now, it seems to work fine! And the replacement part was only $26--far cheaper than calling the plumber.
It amazes me that there are so many relatively minor repairs out there that homeowners can do, if they have the right part, time, and good information. The internet has certainly been a boon to DIY-ers. I've often had to look up the repair or installation manual on an appliance, and it's always there online. Once, we borrowed my father-in-law's carpet shampooer, for which he no longer had the manual. He wasn't here when we used it, either, and we couldn't figure out how much shampoo to put in, where to put it vs. clean water, etc. I just typed in the product name and number online, and poof! We had the operation instructions.
Same thing happened when I first used my power miter saw. We bought it from an individual, so it was used and without product manual or instructions. For the longest, I couldn't figure out how to release the handle to raise the blade. I finally thought to go online, and sure enough, there was a simple diagram with the parts marked. I found it immediately!
My dad would've loved the internet. He wasn't a repair guy (far from it!), but he loved to look up things in the encyclopedia. Here's to you, Daddy!
posted by Tif at 8:41 PM
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