OT- My washing machine wont spin

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jim rozen 22 years ago

You begin to realize how ripe homeowners are for plucking when you see the other side of appliance repair.

I remember when we were living in a rental condo, rented to us by a co-worker. We had just moved to the area and wanted to rent for a while before buying a house.

The place was nice, had a small built-in washer/dryer that stacked on top of each other. Apperently the pump on the washer had an inlet that was *exactly* right to accept a nickel. Larger and it would not fit, smaller and it would pass right through. But a nickel would jam the impeller and fracture the nylon pump body.

Of course we found this out the hard way, I told the landlady and she said this had happened before, she would call the repair place and have it done for several hundred dollars, like 350 or 400 or so. I said I would look at it and try to find a replacement pump.

Another co-worker recommended a local appliance repair place, they had teh pump on the shelf for about fifty bucks. Install took all of a half hour. I told the landlady about the cost and she tried to pay me for my labor, which I declined.

I think if one were honest and competent, it would be tough to not make a pretty good living at appliance repair, the customers would line up around the block.

Jim

================================================== please reply to: JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com ==================================================

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Backlash 22 years ago

There was a man around the corner a couple of miles from me who repaired washers and driers in his back yard, but required customers to do their own drop off and pickup. Until he died, there was a steady stream of pickup trucks and trailers coming from and going there with appliances. His son-in-law worked with me on the day job, then left and worked every night there working on the appliances. Looked like a good backyard business.

RJ

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Gordon Couger 22 years ago

Charge 20% markup on parts and $50 to $75 and hour and you can make a living and not rape the people you are working for. You are stuck in the world of money being worth a lot more than it is now. Competency is worth a great deal when they charge $35 an hour for a mon back.

Gordon

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Stephen 22 years ago

Check out used appliance stores. They often strip down machines they aren't going to rebuild and they are willing to sell the parts. I had a motor go bad a few years ago. The parts store wanted an arm and leg for a new one. Expensive enough to make buying a new washer the best choice. The used appliance store sold me a motor for about $25. Also check out junkyards. A few weeks after I bought the used motor I saw one at the junkyard the scrap dealer said just take it.

Of course the other big consideration is how long the wife will live without a washer. It's no fun living with someone that has to go to the Laundromat.

Scp

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Gunner 22 years ago

Thats exactly what I did. I also picked up a used belt...all for $25. The belt squeals though..so I need to get a new one, or put the old cracked one back in.

The missuz has a bad heart so its risky for her to go do the laundry thing, not to mention she has to wait for the weekend for me to get home with the single vehicle (still dont have the Volvo up and running..master cylinder..sigh) so she can go.

Thanks all for the help.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

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Stephen 22 years ago

Used parts are the only economical solution for replacing major parts. On my Kenmore I had to replace the motor. The replacement cost so much it would have made more sense to buy a new washer. I got a used motor for about $25.

The GE design sounds completely different than the Kenmore. Kenmore's design is one of the best I have seen. Building the machine looks easy and cheap but the machine is still easy to service. Remove 2 screws and 2 clips and the cabinet can be removed with all parts easy to reach. I am surprised GE hasn't come up with a better design. But after the disaster they had when they redesigned their refrigerators they may be a little nervous about any new design. They had to replace the compressor on every refrigerator made for several years. Replacing that many compressors must have cost them over a billion dollars.

Scp

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