After years of intermittent do-it-yourself repairs of a loyal old washing machine, it finally started leaking from a crack in the bottom of the main tub. Replacement of a the tub would have cost close to $300, which is far too much to pay to repair such an old machine, making it an end-of-life event. It would also have taken at least a week to get a replacement tub, which is too long to be without a machine, especially with health problems that require a painful level of cleanliness.
Yesterday I went with my sister to Lowe's and Home Depot to look at new machines. We wanted one with a soak cycle and the ability to select an automatic second rinse at the end of the cycle. We found one that was on sale for something like 30% off that I felt good about, so we decided to buy that one. It's a Whirlpool and it will be our first HE machine. We were hoping for a washing machine with a mechanical timer so we could control it with a smart plug without losing the position in the cycle, but the only ones we could find without a digital timer were made by GE, which my family and I consider to be a junk brand. Hopefully this new machine will last us at least 10 years.
Having done repairs on the old machine, such as replacing the pump, the transmission, and the balance springs—all of which were fun repairs—I hope the new machine is as thoughtfully designed for easy repair.
The washer will be delivered on Tuesday, and I'm excited but also somewhat nervous about it (because my anxiety makes me second guess myself).
Also this week I discovered a pinhole water leak in the plumbing coming from the water heater. We called someone in our local LDS ward who has some plumbing experience, and he was able to replace the damaged copper pipe fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the leak was not discovered in time to prevent water from infiltrating into the control system of the electric water heater, so now it's tripping its reset button once or twice a day. We have the panels open with a fan blowing inside it to try to dry it out and solve the problem. If that doesn't work, apparently the sensors can be replaced.
Edit: We found a bad connection in the water heater, and fixed it. The water heater appears to be fully functional now.
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