My washing machine leaks water. This frustrates me. So I decided to try and fix it myself. After more than an hour of unscrewing, taking it apart and being crammed in a tiny space I finally located the source of the problem.Running the washer while I watch carefully for the source of the leakage tears up my knees on the floor. But after quite a while of investigating eureka, I find the source, and it happens to be in the hardest to reach place possible. Uhg! Now I'm feeling hostile towards this white washer of wardrobes.
With the help of my father in law, we begin taking it apart further, following the direictions and moving at a good pace. Eventually we take off the agitator (that thing in the middle which turns the clothes all around), and we're only one oversized bolt away from victory.
The piece that we have to unscrew is 2 inches in diameter. I have a pair of channel locks that will grip that wide, but the warning from the instructions says to be careful because the piece is made from fragile aluminum...(oh come on, the hugest piece fastened on super tight has to be removed with care!! You've got to me kidding me!).
Sadly, my wimpy hands are unable to squeeze the channel locks hard enough while at the same time applying turning power to make any progress. Nathan Angrier! Father-in-law tries...also wimpy. We both try at the same time.....can you picture this scene?...Two sweaty men fumbling around trying to cram half way down into a washing machine tub and get anything accomplished? Well, it didn't work either.
I have a set of HUGE sockets and wrenches. After digging them from the closet we found the one that fit. Ah ha! This will do nicely. Huge wrench and huge socket were fitted over the huge bolt, and all of this led to a huge disappointment! Yar. My wimpiness culminated after almost popping a vien on my forehead attempting to loosen that blasted bolt, but like Aerosmith to eloquently said, "I can't get no satisfaction."
I was seething with anger. One bolt stood in between having a dry floor and having to clean up water everytime we wash clothes. But alas, with our tails tucked in shame, the two of us reassembled the cursed device accepting that fact that we just lost many man points.
Anyone else have any frustrating house projects they want to share?
1 comment:
Love your post! Our story includes upstairs neighbor's airconditioner drainage leaking all over our storage closet. We rescued the damp photo albums and repacked wet boxes, but the mold is pretty nasty. Landlord is continuing to do repairs, but it's still gross. We're not touching our washing machine for all the reasons you mentioned!
(Oh, and it was the Rolling Stones in 1965 who couldn't get no satisfaction, not Aerosmith.)
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