Our washing machine broke last week and the first thought was to buy a replacement but I wanted to at least attempt a repair first.
The machine would still fill and empty water, but the dishes remained dry and there was a burning smell. So, I unplugged it, tipped it over and popped open the bottom cover.
Aside from the controller, the dishwasher was very simple: a drainage pump, a circulation pump, a heating element and some solenoid valves. A multimeter showed the (main suspect) circulation pump still had continuity which narrowed the search down to the pump’s starting capacitor. Seven euros and a few days later and it’s back in action!
The simple fix really gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. It feels great to extend the use of something that I already have rather than need to consume more.
Can anyone relate? Any good repair stories?
I’m a big fan of the right to repair movement.
I relate. I like working on my car for similar reasons. As others have touched on, you feel like you’re cheating the system when you do it yourself and save money. Very satisfying.
Last week, I unhooked the toilet in our summer home and dragged it outside. (If you ever unhook your toilet from sewage, stick a plastic bag into the drain, to block the stink.) - it was dripping near the intake hose, and the button mechanism didn’t work. Oh, and every now and then there was a mysterious puddle on the floor under it… Cleaned out the accumulated rust/mud/junk from its tank with a garden hose, dishwashing sponge and vinegar (not sure if the vinegar actually dissolved anything or not). Removed the tank, and removed all the old and deteriorating plumbing stuff from inside. Replaced the leaky gasket between tank and bowl (ha! found the reason for the occasional puddle around the toilet) and reassembled the tank. Installed a new flush valve (30€) and a new filling valve (15€) (tho on the second look, the intake valve was actually still serviceable). Replaced the gasket between intake hose and filling valve (1€ for a package of 10) and hooked up the whole mess.
Result:
- The intake hose is not dripping into a bucket anymore.
- I now have a button to press, when I want to flush, instead of manually lifting the whole flush valve :D
- I saved the cost of a new toilet (that’s somewhere around 160€ for a cheap one, less 46€ for the replacement kit I bought)
- The work took an hour or a couple. Shopping for a new toilet and installing it would also have taken an hour or a couple
Hell yea!
Money saved and many kilos diverted away from the landfill.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention. Dragging a toilet to recycling center is a lot more hassle than junking the valves in my trash can.
Congrats, I hope it stays fixed! I can’t repair anything, but I support the movement in principle. I usually try to take good care of the things I own and buy things which with replaceable parts (think headphones) or things which are more ecological (think traditional wet shaving with a DE razor). Actually, come to think of it, I might try to repair my headphones. Something that can’t be replaced broke – part of the headband near the ear cups but I think I can fix it with tape.
Straight razor user here! Nothing cuts through a week-old beard like a straight razor. DE razor (which I also own and use) barely manages - I have to unscrew and flush it every now and then. The new fancy cartridge-based ones with 17 blades just clog instantly.
As for hoarding shaving soap - that happens when you promote a tool into a hobby.
Promoting a tool into a hobby is a succinct way to put it. Something I’m guilty of, nonetheless…
I was able to replace a light in the bathroom with an energy saving led version and although the result isn’t perfect it gave me a lot of satisfaction knowing I had succeeded doing that for the first time and saved a few hundred to the electrician.
