Appliance repair

So who repairs their own appliances? Drier snagged the string on some of my daughter’s scrubs. Pulled it apart and front drum wear bearings (strips?) are essentially gone. Ordered from the big river for delivery tomorrow.
Can’t see spending $$$ for less than $20 in parts and some time versus having someone else do what I figured out myself.
I totally agree with your decision. The new appliances are short lived and junk anyway.
 
Depends if I felt I got my money out of it .. I replace, if its easy I repair.

I repaired the GE fridge a couple times.(2013 model) (<$50)
then traded it for a 10 year older fridge that actually holds temp
its needed $20 in parts and defrosted about once a year.
I almost replaced it with a nice counter depth french door this year but didn't pull the trigger because it was pickup only.

Proactively replaced the dishwasher(new maytag $400 from costco)
when I felt the old GE builder grade all plastic model which was leaking(seal $50), Rusted racks($70) and in general on its way out.

Old washer was GE from HH gregg cost $440~~ delivered for the pair
It needed mounts?(hangers?) a new tub bearing and a couple other small parts probably $150-$200 and an all day fix it job for me.
upgraded to a 5 month used Speed Queen Front loader for $800 named it "big bertha"

Still using the old $200 dryer and plan on it unless it loses the control board or something $$$.. then I'll likely replace with used.
tons of great dryers out there for $100-$300
 
All of my appliances are about 11 years old. Repaired my dishwasher(dryer element). Repaired my washing machine (big front gasket, pump, hoses). Snow blower maintenance. I worry about being able to get parts for washer dryer.
May buy control board and some bearings just in case.
 
lots of oven ignitors on the Kitchenaid gas oven. Ignitor contacts on the stove elements. Bearings/seals and spider on the LG front load washer (twice, didn't replace the pitted spider the first time and it ate the seal and bearings in short order). It'll get replaced the next time something in there dies.
 
There is something wrong with my brain today.
I thought maybe you were using samsung voice to text (mine is notoriously bad) but if you are serious that can be a sign of a health issue.

My SQ FL is fine I almost like doing laundry now. but they are so pricy I cant imagine they sell like hotcakes at $2700+(sales tax+ pedestal)

I wanted a TC5 top loader for several years.. but the front loader deal popped up.. super happy with it at $800..
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In another lifetime I repaired appliances for a couple years as a job. However, this was back when GE washers had a concrete block bolted underneath for balance, Whirlpool/Kenmore washers were belt drive before they went to direct drive, and I don't recall any digital controls, only mechanical timers and such. Front load washers were extremely rare and not mainstream. Refrigerators were often the easiest to me since they all operate by the same principle and have the same functioning parts, just different configurations.

But, this isn't unusual for me as I fix most everything I can before paying someone else, including cars, HVAC, small appliances, home repairs/upgrades, etc. Plus, I get the benefit of learning something and knowing corners weren't cut when repairing.
 
Years back I was given a GE electric dryer by my sister. That she had for about 25 years. It lasted me 20 years. I had to change a few belts, and 1 heating coil. Nowadays my newer washer and dryer have cheap door switches, which fail after a short while. I even changed out a capacitor in our window air conditioner. It's a LG 18,000 BTU unit, that I was gonna try to fix before I had to change it out. Thanks to Youtube, it was easy. That sucker is heavy. My friends gone thru several washers with all that computer controlled stuff on it, even the repair guy told him for what it would cost to fix, it wasn't worth fixing.,,
 
Repair took a few minutes to install. But found where the bearings mount on the support, the little pins that locate/center the strips broken. Bearings still went in and seem ok, but now I see why there’s kits with the support and bearings. Almost ordered that at the time but the extended delivery time made me skip . I’ll just keep an eye on it and if it acts up I’ll spring for the kit.
 
All of my appliances are about 11 years old. Repaired my dishwasher(dryer element). Repaired my washing machine (big front gasket, pump, hoses). Snow blower maintenance. I worry about being able to get parts for washer dryer.
May buy control board and some bearings just in case.
I'm going through this now with our Samsung front load washer. The pump stopped working during a load....pull washer from small closet in narrow hall, disassemble pump to find a small length of rubber assumed to be pump gasket and then install new pump from Amazon.

Test run, water all over floor. Repeat cycle to remove pump and find no leaks. Investigate front of washer and find door seal has similar rubber missing that was found in pump. Order seal from Amazon and replace.

Run test load and have no leaks but pump stops. Disassemble again and find more rubber....must have been caught in lower drain.

Reassemble and test. Pump stops again....disassemble and find slate/asphalt type flat rocks. Research and find it's some sort of fallout from the water that must have broken loose. Washer is about 7 years old. Clean out rocks and run test load.

Machine is stuck on spin cycle and won't complete. Run empty load and find that the barrel is wobbly. Order barrel struts....awaiting arrival today.

All in I'm only out $85 for the parts which feels great, despite the hours of work, if it limps it along for another 3 years.
 
My laundry stuff is '00's vintage. Top loader washers only for me. Front loaders back in '60's went away for all the reasons with today's machines. Only reason they brought them back was because of low water use regs and it was the quickest way to meet them before the tech of low water use top loaders were designed. Combo washer/dryer units are coming back into style, but they are notorious for lint build up internally. Had them in the '60's also and went away for the same reasons. 2 hrs for one load vs one doing a load while other was drying is one of the issues. Current crop of top loader washers are throw aways IMO.
In the olden days customers expected 20 yrs out of laundry equipment along with other appliances. Not anymore. I've have worked on wringer washers back in '70's - '80's. That was when wash day was really a wash day, all day.
Best dryer is a Whirlpool design from the '60's that is still around, the models with the long lint screen that pulls out from the top.
I've got a hoard of parts from my previous life so my laundry equipment will outlast me.
Fridge is another story, new house new fridge so time will tell. Left the Whirlpool in my old house but no issues in 8 years. That one replaced a '85 Kenmore, Whirlpool built one that the compressor finally wore out.
Oven ignitors are a wear item and are to be expected to get weak and slow or not lighting.
 
Reassemble and test. Pump stops again....disassemble and find slate/asphalt type flat rocks. Research and find it's some sort of fallout from the water that must have broken loose. Washer is about 7 years old. Clean out rocks and run test load.

Machine is stuck on spin cycle and won't complete. Run empty load and find that the barrel is wobbly. Order barrel struts....awaiting arrival today.

All in I'm only out $85 for the parts which feels great, despite the hours of work, if it limps it along for another 3 years.
Rocks are from the pot metal spyder corroding away that supports the drum. Common issue in all brands.
 
Our air fryer door interlock switch has stopped working. The NO contacts no longer close when actuated. 4 screws to get at from the top and a $1 (had to buy 10pcs for $11 on amazon) part that probably causes most people to throw it away. Our model strangely isn't on the recall list while a whole host of other Insignia air fryers are.
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I'm going through this now with our Samsung front load washer. The pump stopped working during a load....pull washer from small closet in narrow hall, disassemble pump to find a small length of rubber assumed to be pump gasket and then install new pump from Amazon.

Test run, water all over floor. Repeat cycle to remove pump and find no leaks. Investigate front of washer and find door seal has similar rubber missing that was found in pump. Order seal from Amazon and replace.

Run test load and have no leaks but pump stops. Disassemble again and find more rubber....must have been caught in lower drain.

Reassemble and test. Pump stops again....disassemble and find slate/asphalt type flat rocks. Research and find it's some sort of fallout from the water that must have broken loose. Washer is about 7 years old. Clean out rocks and run test load.

Machine is stuck on spin cycle and won't complete. Run empty load and find that the barrel is wobbly. Order barrel struts....awaiting arrival today.

All in I'm only out $85 for the parts which feels great, despite the hours of work, if it limps it along for another 3 years.
Citric acid is your friend. I have VERY hard water in my house. Hard water destroys appliances AND clothing. Those expensive washing machine tablets? Just compressed citric acid.
My washing machine used to stink to high heaven even with regular cleaning. I got under the machine and took out the large funnel type hose under the drum and all the other drain hoses and they were gross.
Washed and scraped everything out with vinegar and dish washer soap. The black rubber funnel type hose had 10 years of slime built up that wasn't coming off. It was an odd combo of minerals from hard water and small lint. Since I took all the hoses off and scrubbed manually the moldy smell is gone. The front grommet and the drum is only half of the cause of mildew smell in my front loader. So far the smell has not been back.
Luckily I have a bunch of special hose clamp pliers to get to tight spots and disassemble it all.
 
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