So my lovlies, as you all know, my I-Mac bit the dust more than a week ago, then my water system crapped out on me a couple of days ago, and today I went to wash a load of clothes, and lo and behold, my washing machine had died!...........or so I had thought.........for the better portion of the day, anyway.
I joyfully did several loads of laundry after my well pump and pressure tank were replaced yesterday, and all went well, but when I decided to do a load of whites this morning, (Yes! I do segregate my colors! No pink underwear for me, thank you!) suddenly my washer would not respond to its commands! It seems that even though it was turned off, water had been dripping into my machine overnight, caused by a tiny little piece of slate sediment stirred up by the well pump change. It was clogging a solenoid on the washer. At first I thought my washer was shot, and my heart sank! Another big expense, I thought! And that thought continued through the day today, until this evening when I was bailing out the accumulated dripping water from my washer with a sauce pan. It was a long and tedious process, and I was getting tired of it, because the configuration of the machine and its ringer in the middle, would never let me get more than half a sauce pan full of water at a time!
Then I remembered when I first installed the machine nearly 18 years ago, I had a similar problem. The wheels in my brain began to turn, and suddenly the solution popped into memory! I turned off the pump breaker, and opened the tap on the bath tub to drepressurise the water lines. This allowed the washer fill line to depressurise and clear the solenoid of its obstruction. Once the line had completely depressurised , I turned the pump breaker back on, and, voila! The machine began to drain and cycle again! Another big expense avoided, at least for now. My washer and dryer are 18 years old. How much longer can they last? The same can be said for my electric water heater. How have I avoided replacing all of these notoriously fickle appliances in all these years? Just lucky, I guess.
Please, keep your fingers crossed for me! I would love to get through another winter, with a minimum of hassles!
So, while I have you all here, have I ever told you how much I love all of you?
Melissa XX !
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11 comments:
"After all, unless we are post-op, we all have a life outside of the trans experience."
OK, that was an unfair and untrue comment. As a woman, there is almost nothing in my life that has to do with the "trans experience." Been there, done that.
Glad you rescued your washer. I think water heaters are supposed to be replaced every 10 years though. You truly do not want to wait until it bursts and floods before you replace it.
Good for you in solving the problem, about the water heater; since we have a gas heated one, I think it might be wise to install one of those that only heat when it's used. Sort of like the one's I used when I was in europe years ago, but probably much more efficient.
I installed an instant hot water heater, replacing the 15-year electric water heater. The difference in our energy bills was beyond dramatic. While the propane usage crept up a smidgeon, the electric bill plummeted!
Because I redid quite a lot of the pipes (water and gas), the entire project took about two weeks. If I'd put the new heater where the old one was, it would have taken me a couple of days.
Well, I've just dealt with an electrical problem, so I claim sisterhood here. My bathroom ceiling light went. It wasn't just the bulb, it was the entire fitting. It crumbled away as I investigated. Presumably it was original to the house (1964) or nearly as old.
Buying a new fitting wasn't a problem. But wiring it up was. The light was on some kind of ring circuit, and I found I had had two thick wires to fit into one little hole, and they wouldn't both go in.
I solved it, though. It had been some time (like years) since I'd attempted any electrical work, but my Alternative Wiring Thinking was spot on and hey presto it all worked!
We girls need to be practical and self-sufficient all the time!
Lucy
@ Ariel
Sorry, Ariel. I was just talking off the top of my head. That was a stupid thing for me to say.
Melissa XX
I don't know why the text came out in different sizes on this post. When I look at it in the editor it's all uniform in size.
Melissa XX
Sorry for the "mundane" comment But as pro-plumber I've learned the water heaters last longer if you can flush them... every other month or so keeps out the sediment I've known people who got 25 years out of one by flushing it out I've got a five year guarantee one that 12 year old. Also don't run the temperature real high(half ways ok) (sorry! I know, boarrrring)
Eureka moments are great when they happen, aren't they? -so, do you have your own personal well? I am impressed.The water that comes out of my tap theoretically strarted its journey on the slopes of Plynlimon, then meandered down the Severn to Gloucester, and along the Sharpness Canal to the Bristol Water works. I could wish it were a little less well-travelled....
@ mrslickiv6
I only turn my water heater on, when I need some hot water, then turn it off, so it isn't constantly cycling on and off. I do almost all of my laundry with cold water, so there is cold fresh water flushing through the tank whenever I do laundry. Maybe that's why it has lasted so long. Going on 22 years now, since it was put in when the house was new. I bought the house when it was 4 years old, and I have lived here for almost 18 years now. Knock on wood!
Melissa XX
@ Dru
Yes indeed! It's an 8 inch bore, 380 feet deep! I've always loved the idea that you can drill into the ground, and get free fresh water! Mine comes from somewhere up in the Appalachian mountains.
Your water is well traveld, but I'm sure it's well filtered and disinfected. After drinking well and spring water for years, the first thing I taste, when drinking a fountain drink or glass of water in a restaurant in town, is chorine.
Melissa XX
I guess the saying is true... When it rains, it pours.
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