The Age Old Free and Easy Fix


 About half a year ago, my dryer stopped working. It turned on and heated up, but wouldn't turn anymore. I hired a fixer to come fix it, but a few days after he fixed it, it stopped working again. This was during our Corona lockdown and he couldn't even come fix it. But then lockdown ended and he fixed it again, but then after about two weeks it stopped working yet again. Each time it was the same part that broke, and after three times and enough money invested in "fixing" it I was done. I didn't want to throw good money after bad so I decided that three strikes and it was out, and I bought myself a new dryer.

So my dryer was a big expense and it wasn't one I had been planning on (my dryer still was relatively new- only 2 years old) and I had just paid a few times to get it fixed.

On top of that, I had lots of other expenses, and money has been tight for various reasons.

And then my new dryer stopped working.



I mean, it didn't stop working entirely. 

But somehow there's this sensor that tells how dry clothing is and stops when its dry, if you have that setting on.

The sensor was wonky and assumed the clothes were dry and kept turning off the dryer mid cycle.

I tried turning it off but nothing I did worked.

I couldn't dry my clothing. Or barely. I'd put on the dryer, it would run for 5 minutes, and then turn off. Rinse and repeat. Again and again. And I can't always drop everything to get the dryer to turn on again, so loads were taking forever to dry. Which means that I had to hang the laundry to line dry, and I absolutely hate line drying. Hate it with a passion.

But I just spent so much money on dryers already. Fixing the other dryer three times (or it might have been four), and then buying a new dryer, and now needing to pay for a repair person again?

At this point I was just resigned to line dry, as much as I hated it.

And then my friend Michelle got an idea. Why not unplug the dryer and plug it back in?

I mean, it couldn't be that simple. This is something that was plaguing me for over a month. I tried ALL the fixes in the book.

But, skeptical as I was, I gave it a try.

I unplugged the machine. I plugged it back in.

And it worked!

Yes.

Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones!

I mean this even happened with NASA. Their Hubble telescope's gyroscope wasn't working, and they just needed to turn it off and turn it on again to get it to work.

So if it worked for NASA, its not that ridiculous that it worked for me.



Penniless Parenting

Mommy, wife, writer, baker, chef, crafter, sewer, teacher, babysitter, cleaning lady, penny pincher, frugal gal

5 Comments

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  1. Thought we had lost a washing machine recently when it kept stopping before the spin cycle. Found a tip which suggested to run the washer on the hottest wash with half a bag of soda crystals in the wash. We were skeptical but figured the soda crystals were cheaper than a new machine. Amazingly it worked. Apparently, if this model machine hasn't been used for a while, a thin tube can become blocked and the crystals cleared it. In the last few months we have lost a microwave, toaster, electric kettle and a handle came off the lid of a stovetop kettle and the phones are on the blink! Fixing the washing machine was a real blessing! Glad your fix worked but I hate it when someone suggests turning it off and on again!

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  2. That made me laugh. I also wrote it down for future reference. Thank you!

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  3. The good ol' reboot! Hooray for your smart friend! It might help the fixit guy to be informed of that too.

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  4. I call that the Comcast 10 second test. No matter what's wrong with your internet, they will insist you unplug for 10 seconds. I've found it works for many things in life. Also, next time you need a dryer, go old school. I refuse to get a new fancy computer ridden dryer and stick with the older kind. Just twist for time and push to start. I wish you had a 2nd hand store there like I do here for appliances. I got a dryer for $150. Washer for $200, I expect them to last 5 to 7 years as refurbished items. Hope your dryer lasts a long time.

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