Journal SiliconJesus's Journal: A day in the life. 2
Working shifts makes weekends interesting. This week, my dad took off for a 'mini-vacation' away from work, and he and my mom of course want to spend some time with my wife, myself and the baby. So far, with the crappy weather we've been having, they've painted their bathroom and gone shopping for furnature. They stopped by today to help me disassemble my 4 year old washing machine that my wife saw fit to destroy.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't totally her fault, but the blame lies squarely on her shoulders. My wife is what you could call a 'neat freak' to the extent that she has trouble eating at my friends houses if they are not totally spotless (how she's managed to eat at my parents house is totally beyond me). We have 4 cats, one of which has decided to start marking the entire basement as their own. I have cat allergies. Add all of these up, and somehow the cover to one of the sofa cushons winds up in the washing machine, almost setting fire to itself in the process (spin cycle + cottons touching lid = burnination). Luckily, I smelled it in the other room where I have the computers set up, and stopped it before it caused a fire.
The cover was burned a bit, but overall, usable. We took it out, and she rinsed it out in our oversized tub. We restarted the load and thought nothing more of it. It ran through fine, as did the next load.
The third load however did not drain. When you put the machine on the spin cycle, it made a funny humming noise and there was that distinct 'burning metal' smell in the air. I instinctivly unplugged the machine and started looking online for guide to fix the machine. First problem was that the machine had a full load of clothes in it AND a full tub of water. Tried using some hoses to drain off the water, but that cappilary action is highly overrated. In 15 minutes, I had the majority of the water bailed out by use of a small bucket. I started taking the machine apart, not really knowing what I was doing, but hoping that I would not break it worse than it was. Here are some things that I learned today.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't totally her fault, but the blame lies squarely on her shoulders. My wife is what you could call a 'neat freak' to the extent that she has trouble eating at my friends houses if they are not totally spotless (how she's managed to eat at my parents house is totally beyond me). We have 4 cats, one of which has decided to start marking the entire basement as their own. I have cat allergies. Add all of these up, and somehow the cover to one of the sofa cushons winds up in the washing machine, almost setting fire to itself in the process (spin cycle + cottons touching lid = burnination). Luckily, I smelled it in the other room where I have the computers set up, and stopped it before it caused a fire.
The cover was burned a bit, but overall, usable. We took it out, and she rinsed it out in our oversized tub. We restarted the load and thought nothing more of it. It ran through fine, as did the next load.
The third load however did not drain. When you put the machine on the spin cycle, it made a funny humming noise and there was that distinct 'burning metal' smell in the air. I instinctivly unplugged the machine and started looking online for guide to fix the machine. First problem was that the machine had a full load of clothes in it AND a full tub of water. Tried using some hoses to drain off the water, but that cappilary action is highly overrated. In 15 minutes, I had the majority of the water bailed out by use of a small bucket. I started taking the machine apart, not really knowing what I was doing, but hoping that I would not break it worse than it was. Here are some things that I learned today.
- If you take the top off of a washing machine (GE machines at any rate) there is a dissasembly manual inside.
- Plan on water being everywhere, even if the machine is empty and all the water into the machine is eliminated
- Think logically, and its no different than a computer, only mechanical instead of logical.
- Fixing appliances is the sure way to prove to your wife that you indeed are Mr. Right (and if you're lucky, Mr. Right Now).
- There is no problem that a few screwdrivers, a hammer, a pair of channel-locks, and a pair of needlenose pliers can't fix.
- Cat's hate water, and like fear, they can smell it.
Anyway, I somehow managed to fix it, and now my wife thinks I'm a hero. All in a day's work.
hero of the household (Score:1)
Oh yeah. (Score:2)
(Of course, I'm always just looking for an excuse, anyway.)
But good job fixing the washer!