This is the third day I have taken off for the washing machine repair man to come out. My co-workers are beginning to think I'm having an affair. Hubs could care less, as long as the machine gets fixed.
If you missed it, my 11-month-old Maytag washer doesn't sense when a load is off balance and shut down like it should. Instead, it keeps trying to get it done, causing it to get stuck in a cycle indefinitely. We found this out when 15 minutes before it finished one night, it got stuck in the rinse and spin cycle for 9 hours. Nine hours folks. The agitator melted and split in half. Youngest's winter coat was covered in melted plastic, as was a full load of brand-new Christmas clothes that thankfully, he wasn't too broken up about. Had water not been running through it, while draining the tub, we could have had a fire or flood, or both.
The first guy came out and declared we needed a new agitator. Um, yeah...
Two weeks later the next guy came out and installed the new agitator but never did a diagnostic check to ensure that it would not happen again.
Two weeks later here we are, with yet another tech and a new part, checked out some things, ordered another part, and informed me we'd be setting up another date in a few weeks for install. While discussing my tales of washing woes, I did learn some things.
Apparently having a large capacity washer (8cu feet) doesn't mean you can wash more things; it just means you have more room to wash it.
The new machines have a spin speed on them. While it will take a bit longer, spinning on low or medium (ours only has med/high) will ensure the drum doesn't get off balance.
You shouldn't wash more than 3 pairs of jeans in a load and no more than 3 large towels.
And no matter how much laundry you have, you should never fill it over the halfway point.
So now, until eternity, or the next 5 years with the way these machines are made, I will be the only one doing laundry to ensure the house doesn't burn down. But on the off chance someone wants to give it a go, I used my new circut machine to spell out the rules.
I probably could have put them on a sticky note.
I also learned I may have a circut problem...
These new machines are just junk, it seems. I'm ready for my new-ish washer and dryer to just go ahead and die. My next purchase will be the lowest tech-y version they offer. The ones with all the bells and whistles have more things to go wrong with them.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a circut - but I have a feeling that if I did, I'd also have a problem. I will slap a label on just about anything!
Hmm... I always fill to the top. Only problem in 12 years has been a lid switch going out...I guess the key takeaway is "12 years old"...
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! We wash 4 towels and all of our whites (underwear and socks and the like) together in one load. And I think we've done 4 jeans at one time. Now I'm wondering if we should check our manual and see what their load recommendations are.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nightmare you have had with this machine!! And of course the repair people don't work around your schedule (especially if you want it fixed sooner than later).
Maybe checking out the circuits could be a good thing......
betty
Aaaargh. I so hope that you are not paying for these repairs - and that this is the very last one.
ReplyDeleteGood grief! I would not have known all those washer rules. I hope your washer gets totally fixed and you don't have any issues for years with your newfound washer knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI think I am glad I don't have a cricut machine. I think I could be easily hooked, too--LOL! :)
Bloody hell I always thought bigger macine meant more clothess in machine to wash and now you tell me different.
ReplyDelete