The Washer Saga

To preface this part of the story, let me say that Jill (friend from work) has Netflix and if they receive a movie I want to see, she loans it to me.  I always try to watch it that night and put it in the mail the next morning.  She had given me one.

We start with both the washer and dryer hooked up and ready to work.  So excited.  My first load to dry in my own dryer.  I had run just enough water the day before to make sure nothing leaked.  I started on the dryer vent around six-thirty so, my time to watch the movie was shrinking. 

I started the washer and popped in the movie.  Let the washer fill while I dealt with the previews and had the movie ready to start.  Opened the lid to put the towels in and the water looked dirty.  Shrugged.  The washer may have been sitting a while.  Might have been something in my line.  Drained it and started it again.  Started the movie.  Let it get full this time.  Looked in and the water still looked dirty.  Shrug with a small grrr.  Wouldn’t hurt to run it through a wash.  Should get rid of whatever is causing the dirt in the water.  Let it go and watched the movie.

When I realized the washer had quit, I paused the movie and started it filling again.  Let it get about a fourth full and the water—looked—dirty.  By this time, I was past wanting to get wash done.  I’d spent all the time I was willing to.  Besides, the only other thing I could think of was a leak in the line going to the washer.  Major work and going to have to wait until the weekend.

I know, you are wondering why I would immediately go there.  A few weeks earlier, Amanda had some work done on her lines.  My water comes off her lines and I had dirt in the lines for a couple of days.  So I sat the washer to drain and finished the movie. Showered, put on my jammies, brushed my teeth and the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder. (Wish you could see my face, I still grin over it).  Walked over, raised the washer lid, shook my head and started laughing.  Most washers are white or blue inside.  This one was tan.  Yep, that’s why the water looked dirty.

The thing is, just six months ago, I would have been beating myself up over all this.  You know, telling myself how stupid I was, can’t do anything right, blah, blah, blah, blah.  This time I didn’t and didn’t realize it until I was telling Amber the saga.  While I was talking, it hit me that not once had I beat myself up over any of this.  Not once.  That’s freedom.  Real. True.  Freedom.  The grace of God at work.  Yea!

The Dryer Saga Continued

Okay, the washer was hooked up, the dryer running but I hadn’t connected the vent.  Something that should have taken ten minutes at the most.  Ha!  Let the saga continue.

For those that don’t know, I live in a trailer.  My washer and dryer fit in the small hallway between the kitchen and bedroom.  I repeat; small hallway.  The outside vent pipe stuck out about four inches.  The dryer also had a pipe sticking out for the vent.  No big deal; line them up, push them together.  Voila! done, ready to dry.

Uh, no (picture head wag).  It took an act of congress to get the pipes lined up.  The wall pipe had to be trimmed, or it would make the dryer stick out two inches further than the washer.  Small hall, big girl.  Not gonna work.

I don’t know what kind of washer and dryer was supposed to go in that space but. . .  Suffice it to say, the washer was not getting any closer to that wall no matter how much I wiggled it.  Finally got the pipes lined up and head tilt.  Seriously???  Wall pipe, four inches off the floor.  Dryer pipe, three and a half.  The legs on the dryer were already as high as they would go.  That left two options. 

First option, wrestle the dryer up on half-inch blocks.  Which meant finding half-inch blocks—of any kind—I could use, having both pipes meet, push them together while keeping the dryer on the blocks and then leveling it once I got the pipes connected.  Way too much work for this girl.

Second option, vent hose.  No problem, slide it on one pipe then the other and we’re good to go.

Yeah, right (picture head hanging).  Remember the small hall.  Dryer vent hoses are long, and I didn’t want a vent hose snake behind the dryer.  Also because of the sticking out problem mentioned above, I was going to have to mush it against the wall.  So I cut about a foot and a half off and commenced to connecting.  Both ends of a vent hose are male connections so it will slide over the pipe.  The pipe coming out of the wall was also a male connection.  No surprise there.  Got the pliers and modified the wall pipe.  Finally wrestled the hose on the wall pipe and got it taped down.  Tried to slide the hose on the dryer.  Hum-m-m.  What do you know; the dryer had a male connection, also.  Applied the pliers again but couldn't get the hose on in that small space. 

Deep sigh.  Laid everything down, walked off and played on the computer.  Then, did the only thing I could do.  Turned the dryer so that the back faces the washer, did some major modifications on both pipes, connected the vent hose and taped ‘er down.  Yea! no air leaks.

It might look odd but it works and that’s the main thing.  I was ready for my first load of clothes. Or, so I thought.  That’s when the saga of the washer started.  Yep, to be continued.      

In case you missed the first installment:    The Dryer Saga

    

The Dryer Saga

You may remember, about a year ago, a friend from work gave me a washer.  Yea, didn’t have to go to the laundry mat.  But. . .since I had to use either my sister’s or niece’s dryer, it restricted the times I could wash.  It couldn’t be while they were washing, late at night or when it’s raining, etc.  Bummer.  But still better than going to the laundry mat.

Recently, a young couple from my church (New Hights)—Amber & Phillip Gray—upgraded their washer and dryer and gave me their old ones.  They graciously delivered them even though they live in Winnsboro.  I assured Phillip I could hook them up no problem.  Wha-ha-ha.  Let the saga begin. 

Just that week, I had been named employee of the month at Neiman Service Center (a warehouse).  I received $100 and the coveted parking spot.  The $100 covered buying the hoses for the washer and electric cord for the dryer.  (Thank you, Lord, for the blessing.)  I traced my dryer outlet and headed to Lowes©.  I told the young man what I needed and showed him the picture of the outlet.  In minutes, I was headed home.

I got the washer hooked up, first time, no leaks.  Whoa.  Fist bump.

I have a four prong dryer outlet.  Got the cord out of the package and read through the directions.  Did a quick read over the back of the dryer and took the plate off to hook up the cord. . .  Screeching halt.  A four prong dryer means four wires to hook up.  There were three screws.  I looked at the four wires and back at the three screws; four wires, three screws; four wires, three screws:  huffed and read the instructions again.  My first thought was ‘spit, I’m going to have to get a new outlet’ which meant finding someone to put it in.  

Let me preface the rest of the story by stating I was tired by this time. 

I called my brother-in-law.  Not answering.  So, after a bit, I texted my Ex.  He called and I explained what I was doing and saw.  He said I could put the neutral and ground together if I had to but there was a 'you really don’t want to do that' in his voice.  After more discussion, I said ‘there is a white wire across the bottom attached to a screw’.  (All you real macho men and women keep the laughter down.  Like I said, I was tired.)

When I started laughing, he asked ‘what’.  Remember, I said I had read over the back of the dryer.  Literally, this was what I was looking at.

EXTERNAL

GROUND

CONNECTION

Yes, letters that big with this huge long arrow pointing at the screw with the white wire attached.  He told my how to make sure there wasn’t any electricity running through the dryer body without killing myself and to call him back when I was done.

Hooked it up, plugged it in, didn’t get shocked and it started heating right way.  Score.  Didn’t have the vent hooked up and as much as I wanted to try it out, it could wait till tomorrow.

To be continued.  I did say this was a saga.  :-)