Mechanical Success

Last Wednesday evening, Herself put the last load of laundry into the dryer, and turned it on.  At first, all was well; suddenly, however, the dryer began making a grinding/screeching noise with every rotation of the drum.  It was loud and alarming enough that Herself immediately sprinted over to turn off the machine and inspect matters.

She suspected that the root of the problem was the same as had occurred previously (a year ago, or more), when the dryer had begun to make a somewhat similar, though not quite as urgent, squeaking noise.  Back then, an appliance repair person was called, and he -- at great cost -- replaced two of the four tiny "drum slides" in the machine.  At the time, Herself was flabbergasted not only at the charge merely for the mechanic to set foot into the house, but also at the outrageous price of those two pieces of plastic that together would approximately cover an area the size of a single business card. 

She would fix this herself, she decided.

Step one:  determine where to purchase replacement parts.  Herself's Beloved kindly called the local hardware store to see whether they carried such items; they did not.  Rats.  Herself went to bed, resolving to take care of it in the morning.

Bright and early Thursday, off to the internet Herself went.  A brief perusal indicated that she would need the model number of the machine.  Unfortunately, however, the sticker with the model number upon it had long since worn off of the inside of the dryer door.  Miraculously, she located the instruction booklet that came with the dryer, and identified the model number based on the receipt that was attached to it.  Alas, that model number did not match exactly any of the model numbers at the appliance parts website; it was very close to four different model numbers, though.

She studied the diagrams for each of the four similar model numbers, though, and determined that they all used the same parts number for the dryer slides.  She ordered four (shockingly inexpensive) slides, and a new lightbulb for inside the dryer for good measure since it had recently blown out.  Total cost, including shipping, was under twenty dollars. 

Happily, the parts arrived midday Saturday, far sooner than the three-to-five-business-days indicated as the shipping time frame. 

Once more, Herself went to the internet.  She found a video detailing how to replace the dryer slides. She viewed the relevant parts, and then off she went to the machine.  The top of the dryer had to be removed, as did the front.  The slides needed to be located and replaced.  The front of the dryer needed to be fitted back properly with the drum afterwards, and everything else put back together.

With the top of the dryer back on, the screws all back in place, and the new lightbulb installed for good measure, it was time.  Would it work?

Herself turned the dryer on.  It hummed nicely.  There were no grinding, squeaking, or screeching noises whatsoever.  Success!

I know this may seem like small potatoes to some.  Nevertheless, Herself was enormously pleased.  Though she is not mechanically inclined whatsoever, she managed this repair.  And as a bonus, it cost about one-tenth of what it would have if the mechanic had been called.

VICTORY.  Huzzah!