p.s. If you didn't read my previous post, Mr. Roper is my dryer.
Well, Mr. Roper was a sneaky jerk. I was two loads into doing my weekly laundry (which consists of about 5 loads). I got busy and the laundry sat in there a while longer than it should have. So, I go to *fluff* the laundry by running the dryer for another 10 minutes and nothing happens. NOTHING! It worked a couple hours ago.
I went to my favorite site to diagnose problems with my dryer. Part Select. Put in your model number, add your problem and it gives a list of things that could be wrong and with many of them, and sometimes a video on how to fix it. YAY!
I'm going to go on and say that I really did not document this well. If you watch the video clips that I place on this post, you can pretend that is me. If you really want to believe it's me, in your head make him a woman who is swearing like a trucker.
So I did the diagnostic on my dryer. I started with the start switch (even though it was unlikely that this could be the problem). I mostly picked it because it didn't require a lot of work to get to.
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| Start switch from the inside of my dryer. |
I am going to leave the explanations to the experts on how to remove and test it.
Looks easy doesn't it? It ended up being my start switch. The problem, NOT a single place in ALL of Houston carries the part, because this is the part that doesn't break. Yeah...great! I had to wait a week for it to come in the mail.
Finally, FINALLY it came. I replaced it and my dryer worked. IT WORKED...
FOR TWO FREAKING SECONDS!!!
I'm completely serious. At this point, I think I had gone a little crazy. Okay, maybe a little more than crazy. Think crazy like Bill Murray in Caddyshack when dealing with the gopher. The thoughts running through my mind definitely involved possibly blowing up the dryer. The small rational section of my brain fought it's way forward and I decided to be logical and figure out what just broke.
I have a small confession. The part that broke this time, well...it was already broken. The door switch, you know the one that allows the light to turn on and off, that has been broken for years. It was broken in such a way that the light just never turned on and my dryer would continue to run if the door was open. Not a big deal. Well, the jostling of the dryer starting back up was enough for this to go even more screwy. It now thought that the door was open when in fact it was closed.
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| Door switch from the inside of my dryer. |
Thankfully parts places actually carry the door switch. What I'm really thankful for, it's easy to replace. Again, I'll leave it up to the professionals to show you how easy this is.
I now closed up the dryer, crossed my fingers and hoped like crazy that it would not just start, but continue to run.
It did. Take that Mr. Roper! I think I have come out on top in this battle once again.
Now, I have had a lot of people ask me why I just don't go and buy a new dryer. Well, the dryer in the course of the last 9 years has had to be repaired four times.
Belt - $17
Heating Element - $66
Start Switch - $31
Door Switch - $20
$134 spent on fixing my dryer over the course of 9 years, plus the knowledge that I have gained is worth the dirty clothes laying around while waiting to fix it. Also, I love that I have a dryer that can dry a load of jeans in an hour.
My husband loves that I can do this so much he surprised me with a rose when he walked in the door after work. How I love that man!
So, has anyone else tackled home appliance repair themselves or am I just crazy?
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