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My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: davester
Date: October 18, 2007 09:32PM
My washer won't drain and I hate waiting for, then paying, appliance repairmen! Being a long-time amateur car mechanic (brit sports cars mostly), I've found that most of these things are so simple that anyone with a lick of sense can fix them, especially if he/she has Samurai Appliance Repairman [fixitnow.com] to back them up. What's really nice is that I found out from Samurai Appliance Repairman's forums that there's a miniature diagnostic and service manual squirreled away behind the control panel of my Fisher & Paykel washer. I guess they do this because this brand is so different from all the others (though it is extremely simple in design/construction. I've figured out from running the diagnostics that the problem is either a broken (or more likely jammed with a small piece of clothing) diverter valve. Unfortunately:1) the washer was full of water and clothes; and, 2) the diverter valve is underneath everything, meaning I have to take pretty much the entire thing apart to get at it. However, I must say that this thing is a pleasure to work on. Everything is really easy to disassemble and it is an elegantly simple design. Another recommendation for Fisher & Paykel...a trained monkey could fix this thing.

As soon as I get finished taking a breather, having a glass of wine and posting online, I'll be off to the laundry room to bail the remaining water and get at that valve. Wish me luck!



"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: decocritter
Date: October 18, 2007 09:37PM
Luck

Don't drink too much wine
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: h'
Date: October 18, 2007 09:38PM
I've had a f/p for about 4 years. No problems at all so far (knock plastic).
I'll be interested to hear what you think may have contributed to the clog- looking forward to your success story . . .
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: space-time
Date: October 18, 2007 10:09PM
good luck!

let us know the outcome.

Don't drink and drive

Don't drink and work with electricity

Don't drink and work with plumbing.

be very careful out there!!!
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: will2000
Date: October 18, 2007 11:07PM
I bought a refurbished washing machine last summer from a local repair shop. It came with a 90 day warranty, and on day 85 the lid switch broke, so they sent a repairman out to replace the part.

No charge, and it took only an hour from the time I called to completion. If it had been out of warranty, it would have cost about $100. Well worth it.
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: cbelt3
Date: October 18, 2007 11:38PM
I think I'm in envy/hatred of you guys. I mean, my dishwasher catches FIRE, I argue with the company for two weeks until they *Agree* to fix it for free, and it's been two months of 'backordered parts' since then.

ON the brighter side, the kids all know how to do dishes by hand. They don't like it, but they know how to do it.
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: davester
Date: October 18, 2007 11:40PM
OK, I found the offending part...the diverter valve. If I'd known this was the problem I could have flipped the machine on its back and extracted in in 10 minutes instead of taking the whole thing apart. Oh well!

Now all I have to do is buy or order the new part and bolt it in. It's just a simple little plastic solenoid valve. One absurd thing. From the Samurai Appliance Repairman site I found out that U.S. appliance parts retailers sell this valve for $180+ (the whole washer only cost about $400 new) but if you order it through F&P it is only $15. Reeeeeeeediculous!



"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: modelamac
Date: October 19, 2007 08:04AM
Why not just lower the drain hose into a bucket? That shoud work unless the drain hose exits the machine up high, above the water line.



Ed (modelamac)

Trying to figure out some people is like trying to smell the number 9.
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: davester
Date: October 19, 2007 09:14AM
Quote
modelamac
Why not just lower the drain hose into a bucket? That shoud work unless the drain hose exits the machine up high, above the water line.

Yep, it exits up high. Anyway, it wasn't too big a deal to bail the tub once I had the basket out. One thing about this washer. The construction is very lightweight with a lot of plastic parts. That doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing, but it probably means that you'll have occasional parts failures (though they are ultra simple to replace) more frequently than on an ultra heavy duty 20 year old Whirlpool. My old washer was built like a tank, but it was much harder to work on and so heavy it was a real pain to tip it over (the opposite of the F&P).



"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: davester
Date: October 19, 2007 11:36AM
For those of you waiting with bated breath to find out what was jammed in the diverter valve, that was a red herring. The little arm on the valve that's attached to the solenoid was broken. It's a flimsy little plastic arm...no wonder it broke. Anyway, I called F&P and they'll have one here monday for $21 shipped.



"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: Dick Moore
Date: October 19, 2007 02:10PM
Way To Go, Davester! Washer Repair Leader!!!!



What it is, man, a low-down and funky feelin'
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Re: My washer is now in pieces on the laundry room floor!
Posted by: billb
Date: October 19, 2007 04:20PM
Sounds like you may apreciate the ease of repair quite a bit more often. :-)





Where were you when they needed a mechanic ?


:-)
:-)
:-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2007 04:30PM by billb.
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