I finally fixed my dryer!

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/02/2016 at 17:34 • Filed to: None

And my washer. Permanently.

Yeah, screw it, we bought a new set. The old ones were almost 14 years old. The washer is sitting out from the wall because I’ve got a plumber coming tomorrow to replace the 30 year old spigots on the wall. There’s so much in this house that isn’t up to code it’s ridiculous. There aren’t even GFCI outlets in the bathrooms. I plan to remedy that tomorrow.

DISCUSSION (28)

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:37

I think that’s a smart move. There comes a time when life is too short for that crap.

crowmolly > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:37

I take it you replaced the hoses, too?

Jcarr > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:39

Good call on the top loader. I’ve heard too much crap about front loaders to ever get one.

$kaycog > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:41

Wise decision.

ttyymmnn > $kaycog
05/02/2016 at 17:42

Yeah, it was time. The old set lasted almost 14 years. It had a good run. But the salesman also said only to expect 8-10 out of the new one. We shall see.

ttyymmnn > Jcarr
05/02/2016 at 17:43

We were looking at front loaders, but then we discovered we could get an even larger tub on a top loader for less money than a front loader.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:45

On reading your last word on the old one... yep, sounds kind of like the blower beginning to die or some other issue set loose upon the electrics from years of tired overheated overwork. Unfortunate you had to leap into a new expense, but if things are getting outright buggy it’s probably for the best - and at least it made you clean the line, so your new dryer won’t be starting its new life with COPD.

ttyymmnn > crowmolly
05/02/2016 at 17:45

Yup. Got stainless braided hoses. The dryer has a steam feature, and the water supply for that is one hose that leads to a splitter, and then another hose to the dryer. Those are rubber now, but will also be braided stainless by tomorrow.

ttyymmnn > shop-teacher
05/02/2016 at 17:45

Yup. I had definitely reached that point!

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
05/02/2016 at 17:47

Yeah, there was definitely something screwy with the old one. Before they delivered the new one, I went back into the attic and double-checked the vent just to make sure it was clean. I put a leaf blower in the attic, and there was a gale of wind coming out at the bottom. So the new dryer will definitely be breathing easier. Now I need to do this every year or two.

$kaycog > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:48

I’d think that how long they last depends on how much they’re used.

ttyymmnn > $kaycog
05/02/2016 at 17:49

You would think. But I’ve got three boys, and there’s lots of laundry to do. This washer has a 25% larger capacity, so I’m hoping that I will at least be able to do fewer loads.

ttyymmnn > $kaycog
05/02/2016 at 17:50

Also, if they last 8 years, that will be right about the time my boys should be moving out, so my wife and I can move down to a smaller set for just the two of us.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:50

I had to do a fix on my mother’s machine just a month or so ago, but that was a heating element failure. Not sensors, the element itself, although the sensors are attached to a box containing the element, and IIRC I swapped the whole thing and kept the old sensors. It’s probably 7-8 years old now - front loader, Samsung..

ttyymmnn > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
05/02/2016 at 17:52

I’ll be happy to get 8 years out of the set. My sons should be moved out by then (fingers crossed), and we won’t need such a big W/D any more.

$kaycog > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:54

Lots of laundry indeed!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:56

Beware the College Loads(tm). On returning from college on break, the laundry bag follows, and several loads will happen in quick succession. Although, now that I mention it, I was an exception and generally tried to have my laundry done and put back in my room (though not folded) before taking off for break.

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 17:57

Totally. F*ck it. When you break it down to cost per day, or cost per load, it’s not even worth messing around with old appliances, especially when the new ones are usually a lot more efficient. Kudos for not buying into that front-loader hoopla. That's a trend I'm glad that died. "Wait, I need to bend over to load my clothes into a tiny hole, and the giant rubber gasket will trap water and grow mold? That doesn't sound like...Oh, it's European! TAKE MY MONEY NOW!"

sonicgabe > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 18:01

I just had our $900 washer stop working a few weeks back. The trusty multimeter told me all the wiring was good, so we started replacing the likly culprits one by one. I have a local parts supplier that would sell me a part and let me return it if it wasn't the broken part. We started at the cheapest one (the dial) and ended up at the most expensive control board (it has four). It took two weeks and four guesses, but we got it fixed.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Jcarr
05/02/2016 at 18:01

They’re really not horrible if people drain the bottom-most sump of them regularly and don’t load gritty things in them often enough to cack the seals. Obviously draining is an educational thing, though, and LOL WHO REEDZ INSTRACTSHUNS. Next stop - mysterious laundry funk. Not that the east Asia solution of having a drain in the laundry room floor running all the time is necessarily better.

Toby F., Manager > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 18:06

Make a bbq/fire pit out of your old units!

ttyymmnn > sonicgabe
05/02/2016 at 18:10

I’m not sure I’ll be able to fix this one. It’s a lot more complex than the old ones. I’ll try, though. I don’t like paying somebody $130 just to show up at the door.

shop-teacher > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 18:49

Just FYI, you should still change those every five years or so, because the rubber can still give way. Which reminds me, my washer’s hoses are 6 years old ....

-this space for rent- > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 19:20

Pro tip: in the future put the leaf blower at the dryer end so you blow crap into the attic/outside instead of into your laundry room.

ttyymmnn > -this space for rent-
05/02/2016 at 19:58

I went both ways.

-this space for rent- > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 20:21

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > -this space for rent-
05/02/2016 at 20:24

Kinja'd!!!

crowmolly > shop-teacher
05/02/2016 at 21:02

Yup. Family members flooded out their basement (from the first floor) this way. After the insurance claim and remodel they installed rubber hoses and let them sit for 6+ years again- until I noticed them dripping and flipped out. Stainless for the win.