DEBORAH CROMBIE: So this is how our relaxing Memorial Day went. See photo 1. What is missing from under our kitchen counter?
See photo 2. (Hint: it doesn't normally live in the dining room.)
Yes, that is the underside of our relatively new KitchenAid dishwasher, undergoing surgery for the second time in the last few months.
I normally run the dishwasher on delay last thing before I go to bed, then unload first thing in the morning. Yesterday the readout said "Clean" but when I started pulling the dishes out I discovered that they were, in fact, NOT clean, and that the little detergent pod was lying undisolved in the bottom of the tub. (Don't you hate that, when you've put up a few things before you realize they are still icky, then have to pull them out of cabinets and drawers again?)
Hmm. My resident handyman (Rick!) quickly diagnosed the problem--there was no water going into the tub.
Quite a few YouTube videos later, Rick thought he'd ruled out a blocked line, and that it was probably in the control panel. (Or something like that. Mechanical explanations go in one of my ears and out the other...) Having dealt with this machine before, he had it out and in the dining room pretty quickly. Part ordered, should arrive Thursday, then fingers crossed! And we managed burgers on the grill before ten o'clock, which I count as a success on a torn up kitchen/appliance failure/plumbing disaster day.
We have had a history with dishwashers in this kitchen. When we did the big remodel back in the late aughts, we put in a fancy KitchenAid double drawer washer, thinking we didn't really need to fill a big machine every day. A cool idea, maybe, but nothing ever quite fit, and it turned out that the dishes were never really clean either. And while the first may have been down to KitchenAid's design, the second problem was not. Turned out, when the poor thing finally gave up the ghost and we went to replace it, that our contractor had plumbed it with cold water rather than hot.
Duh.
The new one (with hot water!!) has been much better but apparently has a bit of a delicate constitution.
Have you ever had a jinxed appliance, Reds and readers? I hesitate to even whisper this, as I'm afraid I'll create some bad ju-ju for our nearly twenty-year-old, wonderful Maytag refrigerator...
And is there a handy person in your house?
DEBS: So sorry about your dishwasher woes!
ReplyDeleteHope I am not jinxing myself, but I have never had a jinxed appliance. My chest freezer is almost 30 years old & has continued to work after being moved to 3 different apartments in 3 cities.
And I have been in my Ottawa apartment for over 10 years and my fridge & induction stove work like a charm.
The only appliances that have had a short(er) lifespan are my microwave and electric kettle!
P.S. I have never lived in any apartment with a dishwasher! My parents never had one, and every rental was dishwasher-less. My Ottawa galley kitchen is too small for a dishwasher.
DeleteLaundry washer & dryer has always been in the building's separate laundry room.
I never use a dishwasher when I stay in London flats, Grace. But at home, feeding two people usually three meals a day, I really miss it.
DeleteJohn is the handyman here and he keeps everything running smoothly. Fortunately, we have not had any jinxed kitchen appliances [but our television [which we've replaced] used to change its volume all by itself] . . . .
ReplyDeleteIn over fifty years, my wife never complained about our dishwasher -- I was always meticulous about that chore. Picking up my clothes at night, however...
ReplyDeletechuckling here, Jerry...
DeleteWe all have our little failures, Jerry! :-)
DeleteYou have my sympathy, Debs! Ten years ago our ONE year old refrigerator had a big problem. Called the always trusty Richard's Appliance, an actual local appliance repair shop, and the guy came out and fixed it to the tune of two hundred bucks.
ReplyDeleteI have a very handy person in the house, and have been handy myself over the years, but tricky electrical/mechanical things in small places are often beyond both of us. Youtube is pretty amazing, though. I'm still girding myself to take apart my twenty year old KitchenAid mixer and fix the speed switch, which won't ever go all the way off, so I have to unplug it every time I need to stop the beater.
YouTube is amazing, isn't it. I figured out how to change various parts in the toilet tank via YouTube.
DeleteYikes Edith, that's brave. I would never open an appliance up myself!
DeleteOttawa holds a FREE REPAIR CAFE each year. Volunteers help repair broken household items, including small appliances, textiles, electronics, furniture, and more!
DeleteThere are 5 free repair cafes sessions planned for 2024.
I am definitely not a DIY person, so this is a great resource for me (if needed).
https://ottawatoollibrary.com/repair-cafes/
DeleteRepair cafes started in Amsterdam & are found in many cities around the world.
Brilliant idea, Grace!
DeleteHome Depot here in the States has regular workshops they give on all kinds of home handyperson stuff. Including some for kids.
There is a repair Cafe here, but I wanted to ask them first if they would fix the mixer. Because it's really heavy to lug around.
DeleteThat is so cool, Grace! What a great idea!
DeleteEDITH: Sure, every repair cafe is different so you should ask. FYI my neighbour got her stand mixer fixed there. It was the opposite problem to yours - it would not start. But it was fixed for free & works fine now.
DeleteNo jinxed appliances, but discovering one morning that the fridge had given up the ghost -- during COVID lockdown -- was a total drag. A friend and a neighbours took portions of our freezer contents to put into theirs and a colleague gave me a lead on an appliance sales woman from whom I then bought a replacement fridge over the phone. It was delivered the next day. All was well in the end, but it was fraught during the process!
ReplyDeleteHuge sigh of relief there, Amanda, especially with all the supply chain delays!
DeleteOnce, fairly early in our marriage, the washing machine broke and my husband decided to fix it himself. He had a book with directions on how to fix appliances and he's an engineer so I agreed. I spent about two months carrying baskets of clothes across the backyard to a good friend's house who had offered me the use of her machine while my washer sat in pieces. Only once.
ReplyDeleteNow we have an excellent appliance repairman. Excellent. The kitchen appliances are old, so he has found rebuilt parts.
If I had to choose an appliance to give up, it would be the dishwasher. Washing clothes by hand is a much bigger pain than dishes and I honestly get the dishes cleaner than the dishwasher does.
Washing dishes by hand wastes a precious resource though, dishwashers use much less water!
DeleteYes, I try to be frugal when washing by hand, but the dishwasher is still better.
DeleteOh please don't mention troubled refrigerators Debs! We have two, one in CT and one in KW, both of which are really too old to carry on. I only speak kindly to them...
ReplyDeletePat them occasionally, or sing to them! But seriously, I've heard such tales of woe from people with new refrigerators that I'm afraid we'll never have another as good as this Maytag.
DeleteMy husband is handy for old school problems (general plumbing, mechanical issues) but not so much for anything requiring electronics. For instance, he repaired my Maytag dryer which is one of the base models without bells or whistles. But most of our appliances are out of his wheelhouse. That's not to say he won't TRY.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm too afraid of that jinx you mention to start singling out particular appliances other than to say I recently replaced our 40 year old Roper range with one that likely won't last a quarter of that long.
Ann
ReplyDeleteOh Deb, just be glad you didn’t have a load of houseguests
DeleteWe have seven year. Old dishwasher, GE Profile, fabulous. We do a monthly, well every couple of months anyway, cleaner. Check one out in the dishwasher soap aisle. So far so good.
And nothing seems to be jinxed
Oh, and I am the handyman here. Julie isn’t familiar with ever the day to day operation of any appliance except the microwave and the toaster.
Division of labour and knowing one's place in the household handyperson hierarchy makes for a peaceful home in my view!
DeleteYes, indeed, Amanda!
DeleteMy son has had all kinds of problems with his appliances, due to having sulfur water, we've been led to understand. He finally stopped buying new and can manage to pick up used ones fairly cheaply. I thought I would need to replace my 15- year old GE dishwasher but I did a few basic things (like making sure the gasket was clean) and it's been performing very well these last few months. On the other hand, my sister and her son have had the replace their more expensive dishwashers every few years.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago, in the middle of the summer my boiler stopped working and I had no hot water. We were waiting for parts which my plumber said might take 2 weeks. Being only one person in the house and eating mostly sandwiches or other cold things my dishes were not really very dirty but I did not want to heat pots of water to wash them. Nor did I want to pack them up and take them to a friend's house. I called the number found in my dishwasher manual and asked if I could run the dishes with only cold water. First she said no but then she said that since there is a heating element in the dishwasher itself it would probably be okay. I only had to run it a couple of times with cold water and the dishes came out fine, or at least they looked fine. They felt hot too so I didn't worry.
ReplyDeleteDon't ask me how I managed to 'shower' in my back yard with a hose I laid out in the sun.
At least it was summer, Judy:-) Our water heater went out last winter and I was boiling water in the electric kettle to get an inch in the tub warm enough to sluice off with...
DeleteI've been so grateful ever since, without a working boiler I wouldn't have had heat, let alone hot water!
DeleteHarrumper worked at Home Depot. He was kitchen design. Appliances was right next to him. He now considers himself an expert in appliances.
ReplyDeleteHe is Cheap!
Last dishwasher broke. I like the outlay of GE. I wanted a new GE. I wanted this one – printed out page and SKU number. Gave it to him.
He bought the GE one model down – cheaper. JUNK!
‘Takes a set of 24 china” – only if it very thin china, so I can only use every 2nd slot.
All dishes have to be put in in a specific order or it doesn’t clean. Forget about a dish in the left-hand corner – soap doesn’t dispense. Too much silverwear – the holder that I use is garnished from an old dead one and jammed in – I have no idea how you were supposed to load the one that came with it – dishes don’t clean. Wine glasses – only 5 please.
No garburator. Have to have him come once a week and hand clean the filter – yes I prerinse the dishes – it makes gobs! Bottom rack keeps falling off the rollers – when full and heavy.
It does, however have a stainless steel interior – apparently important as it ‘won’t stain’. It also makes it dark inside – I preferred the white.
I hope it breaks soon. Only 3 years left to go…
Remember that I said I had put three of Rhys’ books on hold for the summer. Two are coming, together, now. Arggghhhh, I can’t read that fast!
Now, please explain if the dw was not supposed to be in the dining-room, why is the bicycle? Laps between courses – may I suggest sorbet instead?
I wondered about the bike in the living room, too...
DeleteMargo, thanks for the chuckle!
Delete"Laps between courses -" LOL, Margo
DeleteOh, Margo, a cautionary tale, for sure. I would never, ever allow my husband to choose an appliance. He would go for the cheapest one in the showroom, and wouldn't care if it was harvest gold and only could only work on alternate Leap Days.
DeleteToo funny, Margo! The bikes were in the sun porch, which I absolutely hated, but when we just put in new blinds in the porch I moved them into the dining room, where they are a little less unsightly. There is no room in the garage because of all Rick's "fix it" stuff...
DeletePrevious fridge was purchased new shortly after parts began to be made in China--so the repairman told me the first time he came out to fix the fridge. He came out the second time, exactly five years later, but the third time, he said, nope. Not worth putting junk parts in. Freezer part of fridge died first, followed the next day by the refrigerator compartment. All the stars aligned, the gods smiled, and I found a fridge the next day. From a honey hole store that didn't deliver, but miraculously had a truck available that day. Delivery to be expected within the week. The driver called before I got home from the store--he was on his way. Youngest brother showed up unexpectedly, with a big dolly in his truck. Old one out, new one in. And the following day, the junkman came and collected the old one for free. Keeping my fingers crossed that this new one lives long and prospers!
ReplyDeleteYou were blessed, Flora!!
DeleteUgh so sorry about your dishwasher. You are lucky to have a handyman in the family! I haven't had a working oven for a couple of years--it's too long of a jinxed appliance story to share. I went to a local appliance store two years ago. I definitely wanted to replace my gas burnered/electric oven stove with an all electric model because climate change. The salesman talked me into a fancy induction oven and I plopped down a large deposit. He said he would order a stainless steel side panel because the version I was buying was designed to sit between two countertops. My stove only has a counter on one side. It turns out that the supply chain issues meant that the side panel would not be available. I decided to back out of the transaction and had a real struggle getting my money back. Ugh. not shopping there again. I ordered a countertop oven/airfryer and have been using that. I do want to get a new all-electric stove--one of these days!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have an air fryer but we do have a big toaster over which we use more often than the big oven. Quicker, uses less energy, and heats the kitchen less.
DeleteI think we're on our third dishwasher in 30 years. And our second stove (which is giving me a hard time lighting one of the burners). Yes, I tiptoe around the fridge, which is still going strong! Which is good, because I don't know how I'd put one of the new monstrosities in my tiny kitchen.
ReplyDeleteForgot to say The Hubby is my handyman. He's spent many an hour with YouTube videos fixing all sorts of things.
DeleteYes, they are huge!
DeleteFrom Diana: Oh dear, I am so sorry about your Kitchen Aid dishwasher, Deborah. The owner of the local appliance store decided to retire and now if we need an appliance we have to go far away to get an appliance. I read the Consumer Reports and find out what they say about the appliance that we are thinking of buying.
ReplyDeleteHope that darn dishwasher will be repaired soon!
Fingers crossed, Diana!
DeleteDishwashers have been our problem appliance, too. We've been in our house nearly 30 years, and only recently replaced the refrigerator and range for the first time. But I think in that time we have been through three or four dishwashers. We have also replaced the water heater twice, but even at that it may have been close to 20 years apart, so it didn't feel excessive.
ReplyDeleteI distinctly DO NOT have a handyperson in the house. So much so, in fact, that about 35 years ago when we were about to purchase our first home, hubby sat me down to have a heart-to-heart conversation about it. He wanted to make sure I understood that this was not a strength of his, and that his approach to such repairs would always be to call a professional. I found it sweet and endearing at the time and while occasionally it is inconvenient, I have never forgotten that I got full disclosure from the very beginning!
That is so sweet, Susan!
DeleteWow, Susan, 20 years for a hot water heater is about twice the natural “life span”…which is variable depending on hard or soft water and all sorts of other things. Elisabeth
DeleteI am the handyperson, unless it involves ladders higher than 4' tall or electricity or wild creatures of any kind. (Although I have gotten less squeamish about bugs and stuff over the years.)
ReplyDeleteUnclean dishes and undissolved pods usually means the filter needs to be cleaned. The newer dishwashers do a fantastic job of grinding up the crud, but grease and fibers clog up the drain and cause problems. That's what I would have checked first. (Note to self: time to clean the dw filter.)
The best thing about building a new home is all new appliances. Except for our washer and dryer, and the great toaster we've had for about 20 years now, everything else is only five years old. The one thing that drives me crazy is how often the umpteen smoke alarms, which are wired, but predate the long-term battery ones, need a new battery. That telltale beep in the middle of the night makes my blood run cold. And with 9' ceilings, I can't change them myself.
Our "appliance" bete noir has been, for the last 40 years, the motor for the septic system. Steve used to baby the one at the old house, making sure it was lubed and running, and would pass the annual inspections. (Big trouble if the county comes and the motor isn't going or "hot".) He replaced the motor twice in 34 years, and spent a ridiculous amount of time managing it. Even though we hated not getting an easement to the sewer on the next street (evil, jerk neighbors, none of whom still live there), the new system is meticulously maintained by a contract company, and is *knock wood* faultless, so far.
The question is why does the smoke detector Always go off like a stepped on frog in the middle of the night, and the fact that they are all wired in sequence means you don't know which one it is! (also, he who knows everything, put the one in the mainfloor hall just in front of where the steam/smoke comes out every time the oven door is opened - even though he did that in the last house and I complained perpetually! Some people don't learn (or listen...)
DeleteWe did check the filter first, Karen, and it was fine.
DeleteMargo, you do have your challenges!
DeleteI assumed Rick would check, Debs. Just wanted to share for general info, especially for those of us who have had older dishwashers that didn't require it. Last year I stayed in a home that had been used mostly as an Airbnb for many months, and as soon as I opened the dishwasher I knew no one had ever cleaned the filter. The owners are friends with my daughter, and brilliant professionals ( one is a nutritionist who has written a For Dummies book), but they had not known that needed to be done. What a nauseating job it was, but we were staying for two weeks for free, so it was something I could do for them.
We have a Kitchen Aid oven and when our power went out several appliances went out until hubby did something to the breaker. Bingo - everything now works BUT the oven. The display says Err and has a code. The appliance repair company we bought the stove from says they can't figure out the code but will send someone over to check it out. Fingers Crossed. It is fairly new.
ReplyDeleteAs far as dishwashers we have a Bosch and when we had a problem the repair guy came out quickly and didn't charge us! Yeah.
Anyway, I love your dining room Debs. Beautiful.
We are on our third Bosch dishwasher. They are the best.
DeleteMy good friend swears by them, too.
DeleteSince I moved into this house four years ago, the refrigerator's ice maker has never worked properly. At frequent intervals, some ice--sometimes a tiny shard--gets stuck and no ice will descend. Now that my son is living with me, he is able to reach up into the mechanism and sometimes release the ice stuck there. Then it typically takes a while for the ice to start again. It's never a good idea to press the Reset button, because then it takes even longer. If Nick's attempts yield no results, it's the handy travel hair dryer that is our saving grace. I simply stand in front of the ice maker and give it a blast of hot air for several minutes until the offending pieces of ice fall down into the ice maker. Yes, I have dreamed of replacing the refrigerator for this reason, but in general it works well, and new ones are super-expensive. Plus, this is apparently a problem not only with owners of my brand but of almost every refrigerator (sigh).
ReplyDeleteThe last time I replaced my refrigerator I looked for one without an icemaker since I wouldn’t use it anyway, it would require a special installation by a plumber and it takes up a lot of valuable freezer space which is important.
DeleteIt was hard to find a model that didn’t have it. I called Home Depot and they had a Whirlpool with no icemaker and that is what I bought.
We have actually never plumbed in our icemaker because I prefer storebought ice--enough so that I'm willing to pick up a bag at the gas station once a week or so.
DeleteCurrently have a microwave which has given good service for many years, but the last time I was going to use it there was a crackling sound which I didn’t want to even try to investigate.
ReplyDeleteI’m not willing to take a chance on a possible electrical issue and I think it would cost more for a house call than just replacing it. Since it is built in, I have to decide whether to have a new one installed or just buy a countertop replacement.
I’ve heard that most small appliances and larger items over a certain age are not being designed for long term use and there is a built in obsolescence.
My repair person would be me so I pray things don't breakdown. That being said, my sister and brother-in-law are to finish the front bathroom in my house. Water damage in the floor meant taking out the wall between bathroom and bedroom. Two new floors later and new shower surround installed, they are back to finish the bathroom sink and cabinet and hook up the plumbing for both. Its an eight hour trip for my rebuilder and his advisor to make a house call so I change my own light bulbs and ask friends if they know of any good repair people if I need something bigger.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the bathroom, Deanna!
DeleteOh, my! We went through a bout like that with refrigerators. Yes, plural - talk about a jinx! We bought a brand new LG fridge with all the bells and whistles including a really cool door in door feature. Had it for four months before it quit. On July 3rd, the night before our July 4th pool party bash. Okay, happens, fortunately we had a second fridge in the garage so nothing was lost. Repair guys from Lowes came first thing on the 6th, ordered parts, gave us a loaner fridge for the kitchen and off they went. Lowe's called to say parts weren't available for six to nine months. We ordered a new fridge. Same make/model - we loved the door in door feature. One month later - new fridge wasn't working. We still had the loaner so no big deal. Gave up on the LG and ordered a new Samsung Chef's pro series French door fridge. More bells and whistles, but huge and gorgeous, and it had the added sparkling water feature that my husband loved. While we waited for that, hubs figured he would talk a look at the motor on the LG that quit working. He found a small bone in the motor. Not exactly confidence building. Looked like a chicken bone. The Lowes' repair guy just shook his head and said, "Stuff happens." They carted the fridge off and left the gorgeous Samsung. Two weeks later the sparkling water spritzer thing stopped working. Out came Lowes with a brand new Samsung same make/model. At this point we still had the loaner fridge and decided to just buy the danged thing. They gave a us good price and we had a two refrigerator kitchen. No worries, it was a big room. The day after the second Samsung arrived, the replacement parts for the LG did, too. We called Lowes, they said just keep them. I guess they figured they were a consolation prize, although what we were expected to do with miscellaneous motor parts was more than we could figure. We put them in attic. You never know. Two months later, the sparkling water thing on the second Samsung quit working. We looked at each other, shrugged, and figured what they heck, as long as the rest of it kept working, we'd buy club soda.
ReplyDeleteNow for the good news. We moved a few years after the great refrigerator fiasco. We took the huge Samsung with us, and the loaner fridge that we'd bought for great price. Both are in our basement at the new house - both in use. I think Lowe's was happy that we were moving!
I forgot to mention that as long as it doesn't involve plumbing, hubs is the go to repair person. He's an electronic engineer and can take anything apart - sometimes he even puts it back together correctly :)
DeleteThe more fancy features, the more there is to go wrong!
DeleteUgh, I feel you, Debs. I had to go without a dishwasher for a time when we had a kitchen leak and it was a very sad time for all, mostly me. I'm the handyperson in my house but I may have outsourced it to Hooligan 1 as he's got a few weeks off from school and work, so I've hired him as my handyman and he is getting things done! I'm soooo happy :)
ReplyDeleteYay for H1, Jenn!
DeleteOh my, I so relate to this! Reminds me of when an electrician put in an outside light for us but neglected to connect it to a wall switch. But living without a dishwasher?!? We did, once upon a time. The dark ages.
ReplyDeleteI think that takes the cake, Hallie. Bet you never hired that guy again...
DeleteThere is NO handy person in my house, just me and You Tube (which helped me change my lawn mower spark plug yesterday!)
ReplyDeleteMy Doomed Appliance is the vacuum. There are exactly two rooms in this 3,000- square foot house with wall-to-wall carpeting; the rest is all wood flooring with area rugs. Nevertheless, this place is absolute death to vacuums. Now, there are challenges: over the years we've had as many as four pets at a time, there's forced hot air heating, which leaves a lot of dust, and I keep 1-2 woodstoves fired up in the winter, and the wood leaves bits of bark and twigs from kindling. But still! The average vacuum is supposed to last 5-8 years; mine clunk out after three - or less! I've tried traditional bags, bagless, the Rainbow (water filtration) and it's always the same story.
Fortunately, there's a vacuum repair shop (they still exist!) nearby to help me out. I suspect over the years we've paid enough to send the owner's kid to college...
Maybe you'll have to bite the bullet and invest in a Dyson, Julia. We have the big plug in Animal, but I can't even remember when we've used it, because I swear by the battery powered version. The catch is that you have to use it often and not let stuff build up. Just a ten minute whisk around is normally part of my daily routine and keeps the drifts of dog and cat hair under control.
DeleteMy husband is fantastic with computer problems (software, not hardware), but neither of us can fix a single appliance. Luckily, when we bought our apartment, it had a Miele dishwasher, oven, stove, microwave, and fridge, all only five years old. They lasted twenty more years more, all of them, and then all broke down, one after another, in the same year. That was an expensive year because we replaced them all with more Miele, but I hope these new appliances will last as long as the old ones. Time will tell! No jinxes so far.
ReplyDeleteTwenty years is a pretty good standard, Kim!
DeleteHow frustrating, Debs. The only time i had a bad dishwasher fail was right before i had 12 women coming for a Christmas lunch! I went to unload dishwasher and it was still dirty. And have you found appliances die in threes?
ReplyDeleteDon't jinx me, Rhys!! And what did you do about your lunch??
DeleteWe've been in our house two years now with the appliances that came with it. Garbage disposal went first. Got a new one. We weren't that fond of the dishwasher. When it did the same no water trick as yours we found out no one in this town works on this brand. So goodbye dishwasher, hello brand new one.
ReplyDeleteWashing machine, refrigerator, water heater always died just when I had money set aside for something fun. I make it a point now to never discuss any financial upturn in front of my appliances.
ReplyDelete