Washing Machine Repair
A washing machine is an expensive machine. So when it seems to be acting up, the first instinct you have is to call the repairman. But really most washing machines are not terribly complex. While you do want to leave the really complicated repairs to someone who is trained in how to fix washing machines, when you detect a problem, it is possible you can repair the problem yourself if the problem is simple. So why not take a look at it before calling for a repairperson with a minimum charge of $100?
The problem that most often gets your attention is the smell of something burning. It might be like rubber or some other burning smell. The thing to keep in mind about a washing machine is that the one big moving part is that drum and it deals with a lot of lint and other little pieces of stuff that fall out of our clothing. It is really easy for something to get wedged down in the mechanism and begin to rub and burn. If you can open the machine up and find the offending item and pull it out, the machine might be good as new.
To open up a washing machine, make some room in your laundry area and give yourself some light. It might help to rig up a spotlight just for this kind of thing. You can get lights that are housed in a shell that has a hook for hanging on the machine but that are handy for moving around to see up inside the washing machine insides. Like many of the items we will use to fix your washing machine, your local hardware store will have that kind of light.
With plenty of room, take the back off. You will probably notice how dirty it is inside the guts of the washing machine. All of that dirt might be the source of your problem. A little tender loving care with a shop vacuum cleaner sucking out that filth with special attention on the belts that turn the drum could clear out whatever it was that was burning and fix your problem with some simple maintenance like that.
Many of the problems you might have will jump right out at you when you look inside your washing machine like this. If a belt is worn out or a wire is frayed and coming lose or a part has burnt out, you can sometimes spot that problem. If you can get that part off easily, you can take it to the hardware store and often find a replacement easily and mount the new part in place. Your washing machine will be good as new. Put the back panel back on, push the washing machine back in place and congratulate yourself because you fixed it without spending an arm and a leg on a repairman. That is a good feeling.