Once upon a time, we had a dryer….that worked.
When we moved in three years ago we bought a brand spankin’ new washer and dryer. They were shiny. They were new. They worked beautifully.
Over the past 6 months our dryer has started acting up. Phantom beeping, we had to have all the settings “just so” or it wouldn’t start…odd, annoying, concerning, but in the end our clothes still got dry and we have other things to worry about so we ignored it.
Until the night before Thanksgiving when the dryer refused to turn on. Push start, it beeps 3 times, nothing happens.
sorry about the crappy iPhone picture
So we brought our laundry to Mom and Dad’s on Thanksgiving. (We really just wanted to create a flashback to our college days)
Then we googled. We discovered it was most likely one of two problems. One problem had a $20 fix, the other had a $280 fix. We crossed our fingers and ordered the $20 part.
(can you guess how the story goes?)
Nothing. Nada. No work-y.
$20 part that didn't work
So we admitted defeat and called a repair man. He came out, put the dryer back together, and it worked perfectly. He had it running for about 30 minutes, started and stopped it many MANY times, everything worked great.
Confused but happy, we paid the nice man and I immediately threw a load of laundry in the wash because 2.5 weeks later we had a lot of laundry to do.
We washed it. We put it in the dryer. We pushed start. It beeped three times. Nothing happened.
(cue sad music)
We kept turning it on and off, changing settings, plugging and unplugging the machine. Nothing.
We tried again the next day and voila! It worked. One load of dry clothes! We tried it again with the next load, and….no luck.
So, we’re currently debating purchasing the $280 part or purchasing a brand new dryer. Stories, advice and magical solutions all welcome.
We’re also going to be headed back to Mom and Dad’s soon, because, well….I’m running out of back-of-the-closet outfits to wear.
I think I read somewhere that dryers are now built to last 3-5 years. How green is that? We're going on 5.5 with ours though. Crap, I just jinxed us.
ReplyDeleteSo, with that knowledge. I'd suggest buying a new one because $280 is a good chunk of the next one.
It's fun spending other people's money...
If it were me, I'd be buying a new dryer!
ReplyDeleteI think it's worth calling your repairman again to tell him. Maybe he'd look at it again without charging if he didn't fix it the first time (maybe). Otherwise I would tend to think new one, too, sadly.
ReplyDeleteDecorandthedog - I've heard that too, which is CRAZY. How can such a huge appliance be made to last less than 5 years??
ReplyDeleteJennifer - When he was out here we talked about the fact that he hadn't actually been able to "do" anything (since it worked for him!) and that it could go out again at any time. So that was how we left it with him. (It was the father of your previous piano students, FYI. He was great, just nothing he could do when it was working! But it still cost us $90. Boo. Lame.)
I've also been told that washers and dryers "just aren't built the way they used to be." We've always had great luck with online auctions, like K-Bid. Last year we bought a brand new LG front loader washer for $100, with the 1 year warranty. Definitely check those out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer! I hope you are able to get it fixed soon. There's really no way around a dryer in the dead of winter.
ReplyDelete:( it always sucks when major expenditures come up around the holidays. With all the deals nowadays, i would vote for buying a new one. Front loaders that are energy efficient can be found for $350 delivered on a good deal. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAll appliances are crap. I would raise hell with the manufacturer and then get a new cheap one if they won't do anything for you.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. New washer and dryer less than two years ago and had to put in over $200 to the washer and then it stopped working again, right when we had company and a vacation, so I went online, ordered the part everyone says was crap and watched a you tube video and installed it myself. Not easy and fun, my husband was amazed and well a bit concerned about my abilities, but it would have been another $150. It has worked since I replaced the part. That has been over 4 months ago. Good luck. I would look at a new one.
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ReplyDeleteDarn! What a bummer. We've had our dryer as long as we've been married- 2.5 years. So we are verrry close to that 3 year mark. Here's hoping it will hold out! They just don't make appliances like they used to. (I feel like an 80 yr old woman after typing that...)
ReplyDeleteChrista - Way to go!! That's a great story. I mean, minus the part about the washer breaking. Way to take charge and get it done.
ReplyDeleteBroken appliance are terrible! We are really REALLY hoping our washer and dryer last until we sell our house. Given the lifespan that most are claiming here, it's going to take a small miracle.
ReplyDeleteYou could just get a clothes drying rack and call it done. I have not had a dryer for my family of 4 for 3 years. Everything can be air dried. Saves us lots of money not only because we did not have to buy the dryer we are saving money on our utility bill as well. The best surprise when we stopped using a dryer was how long our clothes now last. You know all that lint in your drier is really your fabric wearing away. And the elastic that never last more than a few months, last for years when not ran through the drier.
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