We can’t be the only household with this problem. It seems like every time I get something fixed that has been a pain to fix, something else seems to break. For the last month or more I have been dealing with my washing machine. It’s five years old and has been used a lot. As a family of 6, we probably do 10 loads of laundry a week. I understand parts wearing out and needing to be replaced with that much use.
Growing up, my dad fixed anything that was broken. It didn’t matter what it was, he fixed it. I grew up with this same mentality. I don’t have the patience to wait for service people who charge ridiculous fees. I google what’s wrong, watch YouTube videos on how to fix it and find the parts on Amazon. I can usually have it fixed the next day. I have included links to what I used incase you happen to be having any of the same problems.
A few months ago I changed the balancing rods. Took all of 30 minutes and around $30. About a month I noticed a clicking noise and the clothes on top when I turned it on were still on top when it finished. It obviously wasn’t washing them. After some investigating to decided it was the actuator. Ordered a new one and installed it. Two screws and a plug, super easy. Problem solved. A few days later, the same problem. I tip the washer back and the arm for the actuator has come out of the splutch. That’s not a typo, it’s actually called a splutch. I stick it back in there and it’s good to go for a couple loads. After daily struggles I ended up changing the entire splutch, capacitor, and the actuator again. Everything is good and seems to be working.
Clothes are washed without incident or violent noises from the washing machine. Put them in the dryer and get them drying. As I finish putting the next load in the washer I hear a loud noise from the dryer. Great! It’s still running but the drum isn’t turned. Must be a broken belt. I just replaced the belt and a piece of the pulley about 6 months ago after my husband put shoes in it that got stuck.
I got the new belt delivered the next day. Put it on, rewashed cloths, and get them drying. All is good, then I smell rubber and hear the brand new belt break. It lasted an entire 5 minutes. The next belt is a two day wait. Thankfully it’s warm this week and I have drying racks. Cloths are drying on the front porch. Hopefully tomorrow we will once again have a fully functioning washer and dryer. But what will break next?
For the record, I have a Whirlpool 6 light washing machine and matching dryer. From my research all of the 6 light models from Whirlpool, Kenmore, MayTag, etc all have the same issues.