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I mentioned in another thread that our dryer broke yesterday. From my rudimentary evaluation, I suspected that the belt had snapped. I found a YouTube video last night showing how to replace it and figured I would give it a shot before calling in help. I'm quite sure a repairman would have run me a minimum of $100 and probably more.
This morning, I popped open the top panel (having learned how on the video) and sure enough the belt was split. According to the internet, my local Lowe's store had the belt in stock. I went over and picked it up. I then came home and with a little help from my wife, proceeded to disassemble the dryer. Wow, was it dirty in there. After figuring out how to get the belt installed, I also took the opportunity to give the whole vent system a thorough cleaning. I know that clogged vents are a fire hazard and also decrease the efficiency of the unit and make it take a lot longer for clothes to dry.
Once I was sure the belt was where it belonged, we put the whole thing back together and IT WORKED!
Total time spent, including all of the cleaning: about 1 hour.
Total money spent: $8.51!
That YouTube video probably saved me at least $100. Plus I doubt the repair guy would have done the cleaning I did. And we didn't have to schedule a visit and wait around for him to come.
I know this isn't news to most of you, but before calling in paid help or, even worse, trashing something that breaks, it's worth spending a few minutes with Google and YouTube to see if you can troubleshoot and repair the item yourself.
This morning, I popped open the top panel (having learned how on the video) and sure enough the belt was split. According to the internet, my local Lowe's store had the belt in stock. I went over and picked it up. I then came home and with a little help from my wife, proceeded to disassemble the dryer. Wow, was it dirty in there. After figuring out how to get the belt installed, I also took the opportunity to give the whole vent system a thorough cleaning. I know that clogged vents are a fire hazard and also decrease the efficiency of the unit and make it take a lot longer for clothes to dry.
Once I was sure the belt was where it belonged, we put the whole thing back together and IT WORKED!
Total time spent, including all of the cleaning: about 1 hour.
Total money spent: $8.51!
That YouTube video probably saved me at least $100. Plus I doubt the repair guy would have done the cleaning I did. And we didn't have to schedule a visit and wait around for him to come.
I know this isn't news to most of you, but before calling in paid help or, even worse, trashing something that breaks, it's worth spending a few minutes with Google and YouTube to see if you can troubleshoot and repair the item yourself.
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