Sunday, July 29, 2012

WWW

I've noticed that I've got a lot of W's in my life recently.
Wacky Weather
Work Worries
Washer Woes
Yup, my washing machine is on the fritz.  I got home from work yesterday to have Justine greet me with the words "The washing machine won't start".  Great... one more thing.  And just when she is finally cleaning up her 'floor-drobe' to get ready to leave for college.  V has done his research and managed to download the service manual. Hopefully it is something that he can fix.  Sadly, it is probably a problem with the circuit board and we'll need to order a replacement part. Of course, if that's the case, we may just get a new washer.  I can't see paying $250 to repair a 6 year old washer when I can get a new one for not too much more. That's the problem with these high-end, computerized things- you can't just replace one piece, you've got to replace the entire control console.  When we got this machine, it had great reviews.  It seems that a few years later, it has been dubbed "the worst machine ever produced by Whirlpool" because of technical problems.  But I guess we've lasted longer than most.  V has seen many stories of this machine lasting only three years so we've managed to double its general life expectancy.  But that's really sad considering that the washer we had before this one was about 20 years old when V finally blew it up. (a long story for another time)

sigh... if it's not one thing, it's another.

10 comments:

  1. Aw, Judy, I am so sorry for you! Not fun to have something as important as your washing machine go down. Hope it turns out to be an easy fix - it is great that you have V to check it out.

    I am really lucky here - we put a second washer and dryer in our shop so I have a back up set if needed(and for washing Tramp 1's stinky bow hunting clothes, dog bedding and shop rags).

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    1. Ooo, a second set... wow! That is really lucky. And it did turn out to be an easy fix. Hoorah!

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  2. Repeat after me: AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

    I have such mixed feelings about appliances in general. They're all so wonderfully energy efficient these days, but they seem to have such short lifespans compared to the old clunky ones. I'm left to wonder if the energy it takes to replace all of those groovy machines that die in a few years isn't counteracting any benefit that their energy saving designs might confer.

    Anyhow, I had to buy a new washer a few years ago because the 1968 Kenmore finally gave out. I hemmed and hawed for months and months (all the while doing my washing by hand.) Part of me thought I should get the old fashioned kind and just go used and cheap, and part of me thought I should go for a fancy high efficiency machine. After a ridiculous amount of research I finally bit the bullet and bought a ridiculously expensive top loading high efficiency LG machine. The deciding factor for me was the capacity - not that I do a lot of washing, it's just that I have a king sized bed (gotta have lots of room for all of the cats) and in the past I had to take all of the bedding to the laundromat at least once a year - which, aside from being a total pain in the rear, ended up costing around $50 for each trip. It's really, REALLY nice to be able to just toss the comforter in there any time somebody barfs on it (why do they always have to barf on the bed?) The downside is that it takes me nearly 3 weeks to dirty enough regular laundry to fill a load!

    But I've had it 2 years and I have no complaints. It has a 10 year guarantee on the major parts so I'm hoping that combined with the fact that it doesn't get much use will mean that it will outlast most newer machines.

    Good luck with it!

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    1. THANKS! Yeah, we did the big debate when we got this one- or I did the debating- V was hospitalized at the time after blowing up our old washer (he actually did have an explosion!- they really mean it when they say to not use degreasing sprays in an enclosed area or near flames). We went with a then-top- of-the-line Whirlpool that had rave reviews but turned out to be a dud after a few years because the computer parts didn't stand up well to the humidity or rattling of laundry- this was one of the first 'smart' washers, so I guess there have been a few growing pains. I'm still doing the debate. Efficient technology over long lasting.

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  3. Another one of 'those' days. Sorry about the washer. I hope V finds the easy (and cheap) fix.

    On the brighter side: your laundry is about to drop significantly.

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    1. True, it has been one of 'those' days- one of those weeks, actually! Justine has been doing her own laundry so I probably won't notice much of a difference except in the number of towels.

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  4. We have a 10 year old front loader (no service yet), and a 2- year old dryer. The dryer has gone thru a time, belt and sensor, cheaper than a new one.

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    1. Ah, if had just been a belt or something, that's one thing but the part we were worried about is really expensive- like half the price of a new machine. Our dryer was new when we got the house- so it's 3 years old now and has run like a dream.

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  5. You might remember my thoughts on this LOL.... yep I went back to the old top load, dial kind with no electronic displays of any kind, and love it so much that old piece of ^&%# "new" LG is but a distant memory now hahaha! FLOORDROBE! Thanks for the laugh, I will have to remember that one!

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    1. My BIL introduced me to floordrobe. It is SUCH an appropriate term!!

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