We had the guy out to repair the washer and the garbage disposal. In preparation I scooped all the water out of the dishwasher, and got everything out from under the sink so he’d have room to work.
He arrived and tackled the washing machine first. He ended up taking it apart, doing a lot of testing with a multimeter, and checking on the internals. He finally determined that the control board that ran the motor was shot. Also, the motor itself probably needed replacing. It was a Maytag washer and about twelve years old. He said they do good for a long time but then they crap out. He also said that Maytag had moved more towards the commercial end of the industry, going more for industrial models than for consumer models. Ultimately, Maytags were a heavier grade of Whirlpools. He also said the newer Maytags did fine on the mechanical parts, but the electronics (like the board that controls the motor) tended to last only a few years.
Ultimately, it was going to cost as much to repair the washer as it would be to get a new one. We ultimately decided to get a new one.
On to the garbage disposal. This was a much more straightforward task. He first tested the old disposal to make sure it was indeed unrepairable. He said that it was completely frozen up. He took the one I bought, fastened the old power cord to the new unit (odd that they don’t come with the power cord) and put it in place. He tested it out and everything worked fine. And with a working disposal, the dishwasher should drain properly again.
Whilst he was working o the garbage disposal, a lady rang the doorbell. When I answered the door she asked if we had dogs. I told her yes, and she said that one of them was sitting by the backyard gate, and the other two had run off. I went around the side of the house and found Major Tom and Sirocco sitting by the gate. They have chewed a hole (with help from Magdalena) at the bottom of the pickets of the gate, and managed to make it big enough to escape.
I got Major and Sirocco inside (and fortunately they didn’t pester the repair guy too much) and went off in search of Magdalena. The lady who said the dogs had run off said Magdalena was on a side street. I hopped in the car and took off after her. While I was driving around, the wife called to tell me Magdalena had found her way home by herself and went right to her. I guess it’s just me she won’t come to.
Went out to buy a new washing machine. It should be delivered and installed on Monday. I also looked for some pickets to replace the ones on the gate the dogs chewed through. Couldn’t find anything shorter than six feet long. Of course, what I need is five-foot long pickets. I know, I know. Get a saw and cut off a foot. I wasn’t sure if we had a saw at the house so I had to pass on getting the pickets. I’ll look for a saw in the garage tomorrow.
Finally, after getting home from the trip to buy the washer I had to take the garbage out. No big deal until I went to the back door to carry the bag of garbage out and the doorknob came off in my hand. No big deal. I can put a doorknob in place. I even had the tools to do it. Got the screw on one side inserted just fine. The other side fell into the space between the lock mechanism and the door. I’ll have to fish it out or get another screw tomorrow.
I hope your day has gone better, my Hordeling.
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