Sunday, June 12, 2011

Jerry-riggin' the washing machine

I took today off and planned to clean the house, do some laundry, and get some crafting done. After having a leisurely morning and watching Ellen, I went to change the first load of laundry that I had thrown in after waking up. Imagine my surprise when I open the lid and it's full of water! I messed around with it for a bit, but couldn't figure out how to fix it. That put a damper to the day as I spent the next few hours talking to friends and researching online possible ways to fix it. Peter and I bought our washer and dryer about 5 years ago for $50 and at the time they were 7 or 8 years old so they definitely have paid off. We just aren't in the market to buy new ones, ya know? When Peter and I got home, we worked on the machine together and found that the lid switch is bad. We tried looking online for where to buy a new one and the Sears (select stores) sells them so we were going to head to get one, but it was too late. So I thought of an article I read earlier where someone used a zip-tie to fix their lid switch. We figured it was worth a shot and we could always go buy the $35 part if it didn't work. Well, so far so good! It drained the tub and finished out the cycle. We'll keep our fingers crossed and see how long it lasts...

No comments: