I have a piece of knowledge to impart. A tid bit. A nugget.
Don't ever wait to do the laundry until you literally don't have a single thing left to wear. Do not leave it until you're so desperate for underwear you are forced to wear, not only the uncomfortable ones but the novelty, ripped and worst of all ... Valentine's Day gift ones.
Because if you do that, on the day you finally exhaust all underwear possibilities, and are forced to do laundry ... your dryer will break. And you will not notice until you've already washed a huge load of laundry. At midnight.
My fella came downstairs on Saturday morning to a house dripping in underwear. There were jeans, socks and tee shirts hanging off of every possible knob and rail. My kitchen looked like someone bombed Bangladesh.
What happened, was I pushed the button to turn my trusty Bosch dryer on and it kind of lit up, but not really. The buttons were kind of faintly trying their best to light up ... and then they went out. Asshole buttons.
Now a normal reaction to this problem would be to scream like a stuck pig, curse the dryer God's and then call a service repairman in the morning.
Which is exactly what I did. However, I didn't call the service reapairman to come and fix my dryer for me. I called to ask him if I could do it myself.
As it turns out ... I could.
And you can too. Here's how.
Step #1. The dryer repairman told me it was likely a blown fuse causing my dryer issues so I Googled where the fuse box on this particular dryer was. It was at the back. Of course. Move your dryer inch by inch so you have access to the back of it.
Step 2. Assess whether or not you can squarsh yourself into the space between the wall and the dryer to gain access to the back of it. Decide you hadn't had lunch yet so you probably could.
Part of my problem with getting a repairman (aside from the cost) was finding a repairman that could fit into this space. Unless I happened to get ahold of some repair service that happily disregarded child labour laws, my chances were slim.
I decided I could fit, so I squished through to get to the back of the dryer and find the fuse box. The plastic baggie you can see in the foreground at my head level is filled with backstage passes from when I hosted an entertainment show. I'm not sure at all why I keep them in a plastic baggie hanging in my "laundry closet". I don't have to have a reason for everything, do I?
Step 3. Disconnect power to the dryer. Immediately. Before you do anything else. You can turn off the breaker, or just unplug the thing. I unplugged the thing. If you do not unplug/disconnect the thing there is a chance you will regret it in a large way. And so will those who are forced to plan your funeral.
And then I took a look around. This is what I found behind the dryer. A few towels that had fallen back, a lot of dust and a whack of change which fell behind the dryer several years ago. Oh. And a bunch of hoses and stuff.
Step 4. Locate the fuse box. It was pretty obvious to me, the literal "box" at the back of the dryer with the power cord going into it was the fuse box. Plus it had the words "All Fuses 15 A" on it. That helped too.
I opened it up by unscrewing a couple of screws and sure enough ... it looked like it was filled with something that could be fuses. I'm pointing to one of them there.
To gain access to the fuses, you have to unscrew the knobs on the side of the box.
The fuse comes out with it.
Step 5. Remove the fuse. Remove both fuses actually, so you can test them to see if they're bad. If a fuse is bad, then you know it probably IS the source of the whole broken dryer, Slumdog Millionaire decor problem.
Step 6. Get out your trusty Ohm meter. An Ohm meter tests things like batteries and fuses among other things. They're around $40. Unless you buy things on sale, in which case they're around $14.99.
The instructions for the Ohm meter will tell you how to set it to test a 15 amp fuse. I set my meter to Ohm "20" to test my 15 amp fuses. Simply touch the probes to either side of the fuse to test it. If the fuse is good the meter will beep. If the fuse isn't good, there will be no sound and no change in the display.
The first fuse I tested didn't beep and showed no change in the meter reading at all. Bad fuse. Which is good news!
The second fuse I tested registered there was current running through the fuse. It wasn't blown.
Step 7. Buy a replacement fuse. So off to my local electronics/fuse store I went to pick up my new fuse. If you do this, remember to bring your old fuse with you. I even had the store test my fuse to double check that it was indeed bad. It was.
Remove your old fuse ....
Step 8. ... and insert your new one.
Put your fuses back in their spots in the fuse box at the back of the dryer, close the fuse box back up, plug in the dryer and push everything back to where it was. Do so in the most attractive manner. Like so ...
Everything is back where it started. My dryer cost a fortune by the way. It's the only one that would fit in my laundry closet. However, with that high price came unbelievable conveniences. For example, it's a condensation dryer. That means, there's no venting. The water is whisked away in a tube and drains down the same drain pipe as the washing machine. It's the kind of engineering and technology only a smart person could have come up with.
Turn your dyer on. Ta da! We have power.
And when I say power, I don't just mean power to the dryer. WE, you and I ... have power.
As I often say, It ain't that hard. Any of it.
You do NOT have to rely on a service repairman for everything. Oftentimes they can't be bothered to come out and fix your stupid dryer. They're more than happy to tell you how to do it. All you have to do is ask.
Asking never hurts. I once asked my friend Renee for a pair of gold Norma Kamali shoes on a whim and she gave them to me. So get over the whole embarrassment thing and ASK. Free shoes and inexpensive dryer repair await.
So let's look at the totals here.
If I'd had a repairman come, it would have cost approximately $130 for the visit and the part.
Instead I diagnosed and fixed it myself, which cost me the price of the fuse. $14.63 including tax.
And as luck would have it, I found $15.76 in change behind the dryer.
Which means, by fixing my own dryer ... I made $1.13.
I don't expect too many of you out there to fix your own major appliances, but I want you to know you CAN. You can fix/install all kinds of things all by yourself. It ain't that hard. Any of it.
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Marti
Ugh. Having a Monday here, so reading this blog is great. Amazing. And perhaps will motivate me?? Maybe??? Maybe?? YES!!! UP I GO!!! OFF THE COUCH!!
Thanks Karen! (Really, I'm a "can do" woman, but I don't know I would have tried this. Now, if it ever happens, I definitely will give it a shot!)
Lisa
My dad is an appliance repairman. Fuses just blow sometimes. Mine cost $3.00. It's amazing how simple it is to fix things sometimes, although some appliance repair takes special sized tools, and some take manufacturer-specific tools that people don't normally have. I took my furnace apart last year. And most repair manuals are available online.
Barry
I love you a little more each day. Not in a creepy way, I swear.
Pat
As I was reading this my husband was passing by and said, "What's she doing? Changing a fuse?" Yep. His reply was, "Fuses shouldn't blow under normal conditions.... unless there is an issue" Like what? "Possibly overloading the dryer or a fault with the internal electronics/electrical or....something else." He is NOT an appliance repair man but a guy who teaches electronic and computer engineering at a post secondary institution. Howver, he is pretty handy dandy at solving problems with appliances and saving us loads of $$$. Just a tidbit of info. to file in your mind for future reference.
Karen
Pat - Agreed. I asked the electronics people I bought the fuse from and they said the same thing (that fuses don't normally blow). However, the fuse is 12-13 years old, so they also agreed it was possible for it to blow. We'll see ... Fingers crossed it's O.K. now. Say thanks to your husband! ~ karen
Samantha
LOVE the shoes you chose to fix the dryer in. Super awesome! You make my day, everyday. We have coffee you and I. Sounds creepy stalkerish, but really, I just enjoy reading your thots, which make me think I can do just about anything. I spray painted stuff this weekend. It was awesome. Thanks for keeping it real and being a becon of encouragement to women, well, and guys too. Anyway, just, thanks.
Wendy
I love that you're fixing your dryer in heels!
blake
I adore your faith in me!
Kristen@TheFrugalGirl
Go you!!
I am always afraid of fixing large appliances, but my husband and I have managed to fix both our washer and our dryer all by ourselves.
I'm always so proud of us when we manage to get something like that done.
Rachel
LOVE you!!
Karen
That's awfully nice of you to say. :) ~ karen
Kristen@PrettySweet
Hmmm...we've been having dryer issues - it might very well be a fuse. I'm sending this post to my husband. Maybe we can fix it!! Thanks. =)
Susie
You go girl!!! : )
Brenda
Bravo bravo bravo!! And may I add another benefit of doing things yourself? I bet your arms and legs got a mini weight-lifting session shimmying the washer/dryer combo out a few feet. I've been on a mission to keep my home with hardwood floors free of dust bunnies and I don't think my arms have ever looked so good since I am moving furniture every week!
PS: LOVE the Slumdog Millionaire reference!! LOL
Donna
so smart! That means your choice in appliances, self repairing and your shoes in that one shot. Love them!
Joni Nawrocki
Awesome! However, I've never had a repairman tell me how to fix it. They've ALWAYS wanted to make the call and get their money. Must be a Canadian thing. Ya'll are so nice. :o)
Sara
Joni - There is hope to find this sort of kindness elsewhere! A washing machine repairman in Austin, Texas talked me through a simple repair on the phone a couple summers ago. I knew there was a reason he had multiple great reviews on Yelp!
Farquist
Now I want a chandelier in my laundry room.
Liz S.
I was about to comment on that.
Karen - Take a good pic of the chandelier. I want to see what kind of chandelier you have in your laundry room!
Sharon
I love your "can-do" kindred spirit. And your right. It never hurts to ask. One of my favorite outfits (back in the '80s) was a madras plaid skirt with a turquoise knit top. When I bought the skirt, the shop had no tops to match, but the sales lady was wearing one that matched perfectly. So I asked if she'd like to sell it to me, and she did! I walked out of the store with a whole new outfit. So "it never hurts to ask" applies to fashion as well as home repair.
Karen
Sharon! I know! Hence the Normal Kamali shoes!!! :) ~ karen
SK Farm Girl
And all the while you were wearing the cutest little flats!!! You are my kinda chick, Miss Karen! From one fashionista to another, shoes can make or break not just an outfit, but the whole situation!! Way to rock that repair job! Girl power!! :)
Pam'a
Brava, Karen!
Is there a way to put the fuses in backwards, like a battery? Or does either way work? Because if there's a backwards way, I'll choose it...
Karen
Pam'a - These particular fuses work either way. When in doubt, pay attention whilst you're ripping stuff apart. ~ karen!
Suzy
why didn't the person taking the pictures help you?
if you have no vent where does the lint go?
Karen
Suzy - Heh. That'd be the timer on the camera taking the pictures. And the lint goes in each of the 2 lint traps, like any other dryer. :) ~ k
Shauna
Way to go girl!!