Washing Machine Drain Pipe Backin’ Up Blues

Leave a reply

Well, well, well…
I got me an old washer
It’s makin’ me blue
It spits up out the drain pipe
I don’t know what to do.

Can someone help me,
with my scummy water blues?
I got water in my basement,
Oh, Samurai, tell me what to do!

I say I got me a washer…

Ok, that’s enough of that. A little bit of the Blues goes a long way with me, bruthah.

This problem is common in older houses with jack-leg plumbing jobs; with drain pipes that are too small in diameter; or from drain pipes that have become constricted from years of built-up gookus and scum inside of them. Many times, the problem is exacerbated by using too much detergent in your laundry; recommended reading: Your Detergents Suck.

Someone posted this problem in the repair forum and another user posted the photograph below of his very clever solution:

Vertical Surge Pipe Solution for Washing Machine Drain Pipes that Backup During Pumpout
Vertical Surge Pipe Solution for Washing Machine Drain Pipes that Backup During Pumpout

Let’s Call a Spade a Spade

7 Replies

Parents, students and teachers at Berkeley’s Thomas Jefferson
Elementary School will soon vote on whether to rename their school
because the nation’s third president was a slave owner. The question
of whether to rename the school has been debated for more than two
years — since several teachers, including an African American mother
of three former Jefferson students, said Jefferson’s moniker offended
them and suggested a name change. On Monday, Principal Betty Delaney
released a list of potential new names — one nominated by a student,
the rest by adults. Parents, students and teachers must first vote on
a new name, then take a second vote on whether to replace Jefferson
with the new name. The school board must officially approve any name
change. [read more]

I completely agree with this! Thomas Jefferson stood for too many great ideals and is too good a name to be defiled on government schools. Instead, we should re-name all government schools to accurately portray them for what they really are: government indoctrination facilities. Why sugarcoat it with human-sounding names? Schools should have names such as “Government Indoctrination Facility #666.” The only distinction among the various GIFs would be their registration number. So at highschool sports events, it would be the 666ers vs. the 1029ers, and so on. Go team!

And the PC Brownshirts go marching on!

Hillstomping Update: Smarts Mountain

Leave a reply

I’ve hiked this mountain many times in the past. It’s a moderate eight mile (round-trip) hike to the summit which has an old fire watch tower that you can climb for tremendous 360 degree views. In the photo below, we’re about halfway up; that’s the summit of Smarts Mountain in the background, behind Bubba. If you click the picture for the larger view, you can just barely see the fire tower.


Bubba Strikes a Contemplative Pose Along the Trail to Our Objective, Smarts Mountain (in the background)

This was the first hike of Spring! Gorgeous day, temps in the low 40’s, full sunshine, clear blue skies, and visibility at the summit went on forever. The picture below was taken from atop the fire watch tower. I’m looking northeast toward the White Mountains. If you click the picture for the larger view, then you’ll see (from left to right) Mt. Moosilauke with a little snow cap on the summit, then next over are Mts. Lafayette and Lincoln, and the white, heaving mound of Mt. Washington is on the right-hand side.


Rare View of the White Mountains from the Smarts Mountain Fire Tower

No matter how many pictures I take, they just fail to capture the expansive grandeur of the mountain vistas. So, I used my digital camera to make a moving panorama of the entire 360 degree view from inside the fire tower on top of Smarts Mountain. You’ll need Quicktime to watch it. You can download the free version here (there’s a Pro version offered on that page for $30 but you don’t need that, just get the free version– it’s just as good for this purpose).

Three Easy Steps to Total Washing Machine Flood Prevention

Leave a reply
I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard from clients who’ve told me about a washing machine flood horror story. In one case, my client had an upstairs laundry and the washing machine overfilled. Naturally, she had left the house and came back home to over $20,000 worth of water damage to her home. Here are three easy steps to keep this from happening to you.

Install Floodstop on Your Washer Water Supply Valves

FloodstopThis system is awesome! Installs in just a few minutes by simply unscrewing your washer fill hoses, installing the solenoid valves, and then plugging in the sensor. It works by sensing water beneath the washer that shouldn’t be there from overfilling, burst hoses, whatever, and then it shuts off the water supply. Slick!


Install Steel-Braided Fill Hoses on Your Washer

steel braided washer fill hosesIf you’re still using those cheap black rubber hoses (like most folks), you’ve got a time bomb in your laundry room. Unless you diligently shut off the water to your washer after each and every use, it’s just a matter of time before one of those hoses bursts. These steel-braided fill hoses are the cheapest and best flood insurance you can buy!


Place a Leak-Catcher Beneath Your Washer

washing machine leak catcherIf you have an upstairs laundry, you can protect that nice floor from being damaged by soapy, scummy washer water with this handy, easy-to-install leak catcher.


Ok, three easy steps to total flood prevention from the most flood-prone appliance in your home: your washing machine. And all this for less than $150. Like I’m tellink you, dahling, it’s such a bahgain!

The Appliance Repair Hotline Assumes Room Temperature

2 Replies

If you’re a regular to this site, you know that one of the features I offered was a Toll-Free Appliance Repair Hotline. I decided to pull the plug on the Hotline. The reason for having it in the first place was to help grasshoppers find the appliance repair help they needed here at Fixitnow.com. Turns out most people weren’t interested in finding information so they could help themselves; they wanted live appliance repair help, on the phone, real-time, with the Grand Master of Appliantology. And they wanted all that for free. Amazingly, some people would actually cop a ‘tood with me on the phone when I’d refer them to the forum or live help for detailed, personalized instruction in repairing their appliance.

Let’s pause for a reality check.

There are more than 1,000 pages of appliance repair help at Fixitnow.com, all free for the reading. But, that’s the problem: you gotta read. One thing I learned about my users is that most of them are the Great Unwashed Illiterati, also known as Boobus Americanus; they see the computer monitor as another form of TV and so look for a talking head to tell them what to do and think. (If you’re reading this then congratulations! You’ve evolved beyond Boobus to Surfus Americanus.)

In addition to the vast repository of appliance wisdom contained in the pages of Fixitnow.com, I offer personalized and interactive help for free in the Appliantology Group. Only trouble is that now, in addition to having to read, Boobus must compose a coherent message describing his appliance dilemma. D’OH!

The other reason for dropping the Hotline is that we’ve completely redesigned the main table on the home page to make it easier for users to find what they need when they first visit the site. This new design should obviate the need for the Hotline. If you have any comments or suggestions on the new main table, let me know by using the comment link at the bottom of this post.

Surprisingly, I just don’t make enough money running a free appliance repair website to be able to offer live, real-time consultations at no charge. However, live appliance repair help is available as a subscription service, albeit a for a subscription fee that’s so ridiculously low that it might as well be free. But, even with such a modest fee, it keeps the live help work load manageable and provides some compensation for my time.

Ok, I have to get back to my day job: licking urinals at the Texaco. Happy fixing!

Coughin’ Up More Cash for New Appliances

Leave a reply

Looks like all the big US appliance manufacturers will be raising their prices for new appliances this year. With the prices for new appliances increasing, appliances will become less disposable and the repair vs. replace decision will be skewed in favor of doing the repair. This bodes well for the appliance repair trade. If people have to pay more for appliances, repair companies will be able to charge more for their services. We’re going to have to charge more anyway because of increasing gas prices, so it’ll probably end up being a wash at the bottom line. But this also means that more people will be fixing their own appliances so I predict steady growth in traffic, parts sales, and live help subscriptions here at Fixitnow.com.

When consumers buy a refrigerator, dishwasher or washing machine made by Whirlpool this year, they will be paying up to 10 per cent more than last year.

Whirlpool, the biggest US manufacturer of home appliances, decided to raise prices to compensate for sharply higher raw material and transport costs.

“I don’t think this industry has ever seen the order of magnitude of cost increases and shortage issues with both materials and transports that we’re seeing,” Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool’s president and chief executive, told analysts recently.

Maytag, another home appliance manufacturer, also increased prices after being hurt by higher steel costs.

Analysts say that attempts by appliance makers to raise prices have failed before because companies would undercut one another, bringing prices back down.

But higher materials costs mean all appliance makers are in the same boat. “We are seeing no sign that any of the suppliers are breaking ranks on pricing,” analysts at FTN Midwest Securities say in a research note.

[Read full article…]

Hillstomping Update: Mts. Welch and Dickey

Leave a reply

Dayyam, I hit this one just right! You just could not ask for better winter hiking conditions. In fact, it was SO nice, that I almost feel like it’s cheating to call this a winter hike. But, Spring Solstice isn’t ’till the 21st, so technically it’s still winter. Although, you’d never know it by conditions: pure blue skies, temps in the upper 20’s with a very mild breeze, plenty of snow pack, not rotten yet, still with good bouyancy. It was one of those rare winter days where you could comfortably linger on the summit as long as you wanted. Usually, the summit visits on winter hikes are very brief due to the raging winds and extreme wind chills combined with a rapid loss of body heat as soon as you stop moving. Ahh, but today was soooWEET!

The Welch and Dickey loop is one of those cheater hikes in the White Mountains. That’s where you get incredible views for comparatively little effort. “Comparatively” is the key word– compared to hiking the 4000-footers, this is a cake walk; but it’s still a 4½ mile hike in the White Mountains, in the winter, with a full winter pack, so I think a bead or two of sweat did form on my fair brow.

Anyway, the pictures below tell the story. Click ’em for a larger view.


Viewing the Tripyramids from the Shoulder of Mt. Welch
Bubba gets Excited as We Near the Summit

Bubba Takes a Break on the Summit of Mt. Welch
Ooo, Aahh!

Looking Back at Mt. Welch from Mt. Dickey
Viewing Franconia Notch from Mt. Dickey: Cannon Mtn. on the Left, Franconia Ridge on the Right

Field Notes: Frigidaire Dryer Front Drum Glide Replacement

5 Replies

If you have a Friggidaire dryer (also sold under the Kenwhore brand) that chews holes in your clothes, you probably need to replace the drum front upper felt glide kit. The picture below shows you what I’m talking about (click the picture for a larger view):


Frigidaire Front Drum Glide, Old and New

To light this candle, start by removing the front panel– see my enlightening tome on Dryer Disassembly for instructions on this.

Next, use a stiff, sharp-edged putty knife to scrape off the old glide kit. Maybe sand it down a bit just to make a nice surface. Wipe off all the grotus and residue with a clean towel.

The kit comes with high-temp adhesive. Open the tube and slather that stuff on. Now, I’ll share an old-timer’s trick with you. Squeeze whatever glue you have left into a paper lunchbag then put it up to your nose and mouth and hyperventilate violently for several minutes until your vision starts to tunnel inward. Then hold your breath and wait for the special appliance trick to be revealed.

Ok, after you’ve awakened from your chemical slumber, slap on the new felt kit. Note the orientation: the overlap of the teflon pads should go toward the door panel. Clamp it for a minutes using the proprietary technique illustrated below:


Installing the New Drum Glide Kit

Note that this is a patented technique so, if you use it to install your glide kit, you must remit your royalty payment to the United Samurai Beer Fund.

To learn more about your dryer, or to order parts, click here.

Fixite Do: The Ancient Martial Art of Appliance Repair

1 Reply

Most folks think of appliance repair as just another one of the technical trades, like a plumber or electrician. And, it’s true, there are those who practice appliance repair as merely a trade. But did you know that appliance repair is actually an ancient martial art, older than Kung Fu, Karate Do, and Tae Kwon Do all put together? Yes, my leetle Grasshoppers, I shi’ite you not. The ancient martial art of appliance repair is called Fixite Do (pronounced “fixi-tay do”). According to archeological records, Fixite Do originated in Lower Slabovia sometime during the Fermentecean era, which began right after the Jurassic era. You may be interested to know that Samurai Appliance Repair Man is a fully trained and certifiable master in the ancient appliance repair martial art of Fixite Do. The picture below is an actual live shot of the Samurai applying his art (click the picture for a larger view):


The Samurai Demonstrates Fixite Do

Hillstomping Update: Mt. Kearsarge

Leave a reply

This was my second post-back surgery hike carrying a full winter pack. (The first was last week to Ethan Pond– it was so cold that I couldn’t take any pictures so it wasn’t worth posting anything on it. Nice hike, though.) Things are progressing well and, while I still have some healing to do, it hurt less this time than on the Ethan Pond hike. That’s encouraging progress! Like the Ethan Pond hike, this hike up Mt. Kearsarge was selected for mellow grades and short distance (about six miles).

One of the most astonishing things I saw on this hike was moose scrape that was more than 12 feet high! (For those of you who don’t know what moose scrape it, it’s marks left on trees from male moose scraping their antlers during rutting (mating) season.) That is NOT a moose I’d like to cross paths with during rutting season! You can click the picture below for a larger view:


Moose Scrape on Mt. Kearsarge

But it was a gorgeous day for a hike: partly cloudy skies, mild breeze, great visibility, and with temps in the upper 20’s it was warm enough to get subtle hints of spring in the air. In the photo below, I was looking out toward Ragged Mountain. If you click the picture for the larger view, you’ll see Bubba on the trail. Yeah, he da goodest, bestest Bubba ina whole wide world!


Viewing Ragged Mtn. from Mt. Kearsarge

And in this one, I was looking toward Mt. Cardigan. In the larger view, you can see its snow-capped twin peak in the center of the picture.


Looking Toward Mt. Cardigan from Mt. Kearsarge

Coming next: Ragged Mountain. Stay tuned, you won’t wanna miss it!

Appliance Repair Revelation, A Peek Inside the Whirlpool (and Kenmore) Duet Dryer

1 Reply

appliance tip of the day archive(Click the pictures for a larger view.)

If yours is the gas version, the gas burner assembly is conveniently accessed from the front of the dryer by simply removing the quarter panel below the door panel. You’ll see the assembly on the right hand side, as shown below.

Whirlpool / Kenmore Duet Dryer: Gas Burner Assembly
Gas Burner Assembly

All appliances these days have a tech sheet hidden somewhere inside of them. To find the tech sheet on the Duet dryer, you have to remove the top panel and thar she blows, as Samenilla points out below.

Whirlpool / Kenmore Duet Dryer: Tech Sheet Location
Tech Sheet Location

If you need to get deep into the guts of this beast, such as to replace a belt or change the venting from the side to the back, then you’ll need to remove the door panel assembly. To do this, you first need to remove the top control panel. You’ll undo some screws, as shown below, and then the control panel slides up and out. Be sure to secure this panel because if it slops around, you could damage some delicate ribbon connectors. With the control panel lifted off, you have full access to all the mounting screws for the door panel. The rest is trivial and I won’t bore you with it.

Whirlpool / Kenmore Duet Dryer: Remove Top Panel to Remove Control Panel
Remove Top Panel to Remove Control Panel

Ok, tear ’em up!

For more information about your dryer or to order parts, click here.

grasshoppers sitting with the master doing a special gas conversion

No Child Left Unmedicated

1 Reply

If you want national (socialist) healthcare, then you trust the government with your medical care. If you send your kids to government school, then you trust the government to educate your kids. So, for you, letting the government get into your kids’ heads with mental health screening is simply the next logical step. Right out of Marx’s platform for implementing Communism– get control of the minds of the youth and you control the future of the nation. And you helped.

Big Brother is on the march. A plan to subject all children to
mental health screening is underway, and the pharmaceutical firms are
gearing up for bigger sales of psychotropic drugs. Like most liberal,
big-spending ideas, this one was slipped into the law under cover of
soft semantics. Its genesis was the New Freedom Commission on Mental
Health (NFCMH), created by President George W. Bush in 2002. The
NFCMH recommends ‘routine and comprehensive’ testing and mental
health screening for every child in America, including preschoolers. Bush has instructed 25 federal agencies to develop a plan to
implement the commission’s recommendations. [read more]

Appliance Repair Revelation, Disassembling the Maytag Neptune Dryer

Leave a reply

You can click the pictures below to see a bigger version.


Remove the Door Jamb Screws


Pull Off the Front Panel


Remove Clips to Lift top Panel

The remainder of the disassembly follows the procedure for the regular Maytag dryers.

For more information about your dryer or to order parts, click here.

grasshoppers sitting with the master doing a special gas conversion

To learn more about your dryer, or to order parts, click here.