Trouble in Laundry Fairy land

Yes - we had some trouble yesterday with the washing machine and as I type this I have my fingers crossed that the trouble is over.  I noticed the washer wasn't draining all the way and then saw the dreaded error code and the washer stopped.  For some of you that may not mean much. For me, the last time this happened we went a record 18 days without use of both washer and dryer.  The first 3 days were without the washer and the rest without the dryer.  We managed to get through the washer issue without too much trauma, but boy not having a dryer was a challenge.  There aren't too many laundromats around here, so I had to improvise and I wish I had pictures!  We live in Texas and it gets really hot here in the summer.  So I decided to use the natural dryer that God created and hang our clean wet clothes out back on the patio furniture.  I strung up jump ropes and used them as drying lines.  Our underclothes were cleverly placed where they wouldn't be seen by anyone.  I will say even though the clothes weren't as soft as usual, they sure dried faster in the Texas sun.  I think I got more laundry done during that time than ever before.  We have a Homeowners Association here and they would not have been pleased with our back yard looking like the Beverly Hillbillies!

Anyway, I personally like to try and fix things first before I call a repairman.  I do not mess with electrical, gas or plumbing stuff unless it's very, very general.  I do watch the technicians and ask questions very sweetly so I can learn what they are doing.  I feel more informed and have fixed many things myself that way.  I did just that with the washer when he came out last time so I knew where to start. This time I opened the base of the washer (front loader) and checked the filter first.  It usually eats socks and things.  I didn't find socks, but I found bobby pins, coins, parts of jewelry and gook.  Nice.  Be aware though, it you check this, water will come out and flood your laundry room floor, so have lots of towels ready.  This didn't fix the problem, so I checked the hose on the back and found nothing.  Then I took off the screws on the back and took the top off so I could check the connections (I made sure to UNPLUG the washer first!) and put it all back together.  So far, so good.  I used the opportunity to clean out from under the washer which wasn't pleasant.  But hey, at least it's clean again.  I try to be smart and call a technician when I need one, but it doesn't hurt for women to know a little about the home they take care of.  I will leave you with one important one - know where the water main is and have a way to turn it off in case of a broken pipe or water heater.  Ours is at the street and you have to have a wrench or special tool to turn that thing.  Just a tip!


Happy Laundry day!


Sara