This has been the Summer of Repairs for us. First, it was our Sears Craftsman lawn mower (10-years-old) that needed a new wheel. Then our garage door opener died (18-years-old). We decided to replace the garage door (28-years-old) with a new, insulated garage door. Now, we’re dealing with a broken dryer. Our Maytag dryer (13=years-old) started making squeaking noises. Diane told me she sensed a “burning smell,” too. So we had the dryer fix-it guy come out. He said the motor needed replacing. We said, okay.
The next day, the dryer guy showed up and after about 5 minutes he announced, “They sent me the wrong dryer motor.” So now we’re playing the Waiting Game. Have you had any repairs done this Summer? What kind of experience did you have?
George, just lately I’ve been going through one of those patches you speak of where everything breaks down at once: the well-pump, oven, clock, chimney…. and worst of all, the computer. Spent last night going through Internet Withdrawal: insomnia, night sweats, nausea, vomiting…. I even watched cable TV! Back online now and I can tell you it was Hell–sheer Hell.
Dan, I have multiple computers so that doesn’t happen. But I’m worried about our sump pump (it’s making rattling sounds when it runs) and the refrigerator in the basement groans a lot. We might not be done with repairs.
George, one of the requirements for selling our house was to have a septic test done — something we didn’t worry about since he had been here for nine years with regular maintenance and no problems. The test failed and we just spent $7500 for a completely new system. We don’t mind spending the money but it’s the unexpectedness that irks me. I think our septic should have been considerate enough to give us some advanced warning. Don’t like unplanned surprises.
Jerry, I’m with you on unexpected bills. A $7,500 expense is a hefty charge.
My mantra is: Anything man-made will eventually breakdown…and usually at the worst possible time. This summer my husband had to of a lot of work-related travel and every time he was out of town we had a major appliance go kablooey. First, in early summer on a Friday night when it was 95 degrees, the air conditioner gave up the ghost. Luckily, we have a labor warranty so I didn’t have to pay the $150 an hour emergency cost, but the replacement parts were over $800. Goodbye Vitamix savings fund! Next, the dishwasher’s pump died–a new pump, fortunately under warranty, so no charge, but we were using paper plates for a week before the part came in. Then, a faucet broke in my girls’ bathroom; $122 later it was fixed. Finally, as I was pulling out of the driveway one morning, I saw water on the street in front of our house. Further investigation showed water bubbling from the water main–oh boy! Thankfully, the break was on the city’s side of the main, so they handled the repair. I’m so glad my husband is now back home for a while!
I’d like to put in a plug for my Kenmore washer and dryer. We purchased them with money my in-laws gave us when we got married–and we’re coming up on 27 years married. Other than routine maintenance, the washer and dryer have given admirable service through a quarter century plus of moves, kids, and mountains of laundry!
Deb, I hate to say stuff like that because I always believe it is tempting fate. I hope your washer & dryer doesn’t break down now!
Deb, you’ve gone through a lot of repairs! Good thing your husband is home for awhile! Many of our friends have Kenmore appliances and like their reliability. Diane still uses our Maytag washer that’s 36 years old. They don’t make them like that anymore!
We had a Kenmore that lasted like that too, but when we moved and needed a new one for this house, the Sears sales guy told us “They don’t make them like that any more. Expect 8-10 years at best. We bought GE and they have been OK but Barbara doesn’t think they get the clothes as clean.
Rick, Bill Crider loves his LG washer and dryer.
One of the nicer things about Hungary whereI live now about half of the years with my wonderful Hungarian wife is:
Repairs are cheap- and professional, if you have the right people at hand.
The biggest problems this summer:
The dishwasher leaked lots of water and our expert for washing machines immediately said: No, I don’t have any experience there so we had to search for someone else. The guy we found immediately asked on the phone: Which brand?
When he heard “Bosch” he said, ok – he came and obviously knew his stuff, so after 20 min he had time for a coffee and some small talk while the machine did a test run …
All in all we paid around 20$ …
The biggest problem we had was that some clump of grease or blocked or sewage, so two guys came with a vibrating contraption that tore through the whole sewage line from upstairs to the cellar – that took them about two hours and cost us around 150$ …
So you can see that prices here are much lower. And generally the idea is: repair if possible, exchange only when necessary!
PS:
In Germany you pay a fixed sum of around 50 € or more just for the repairman driving to you (sometimes an additional amount per km) – how do you manage that in the States?
Wolf, the U.S. is more like Germany. It costs about $50 to get a repair man out to “look” at the problem. Parts are not cheap. Our clothes dryer is fixed, but the new motor and related parts cost us $230.
Ah yes, the joys of home ownership. That’s yet another reason we are happier renting. The only real repairs we’ve had lately was on the car. Like Diane, Jackie noticed a “burning smell” several months ago and we dealt with it. We had more repairs (on other parts, let me say) in July, but overall we are still very, very happy with our Subaru Forester and would definitely buy another when the time comes.
In the house? Nothing lately, but you never know when something will break down. But fortunately we can afford to upgrade when necessary.
With a new house (old new house) you don’t want to know about it. I figure we are out about $35,000 and counting.
Patti, yikes! But sometimes you have to invest in a house to make it your own. The first thing we did when we moved into this house was to put in central air conditioning. And, of course, we had all the rooms painted.
This summer it was tub/shower faucets. The tub faucet, long kind of cranky to shut off, finally kept dripping, no matter what twist/push/pull maneuverings I went through. California water shortage! Can’t just let it drip, must fix! My handyman Mike – a jewel – advised that first thing to try was replace the cartridge (innards) & hope that fixes it. If the whole valve is beyond saving, have to break into walls to replace the whole thing. Anyway, he went ahead with that plan, and I told him to do it for all three faucets – all the same design and all unquestionably original equipment, 1966 vintage. These things are nothing like the simple faucets I used to fix in Ohio – take out the screw, pull out the stem, put on new washers. These required a specialized tool (like a steering wheel puller) to remove the cartridge. Things looked bleak when the first one he tackled, downstairs shower, had this little horseshoe retainer key break with the remnants well corroded & stuck in the valve. Looked for a while like the back wall (of my office, wallpapered no less) would have to be opened up to allow total valve replacement, but Mike persevered, using more patience & skill than I could ever muster, and got the broken bits out. Similar annoyances cropped up with the other two — should we have been surprised dealing with 60-year old plumbing? Anyway, they eventually all got fixed (there was a temporary hiatus of a few days, with one shower out of service, while Mike had oral surgery), they all turn smooth as butter like they never did before, and shut off authoritatively. With this round, now every water valve in the house – including the main shutoff, another horror story – has been replaced by Mike, excepting only the outdoor garden hose outlets. Ah, the joys of home ownership! Why is it Nero Wolfe never has these sorts of problems with his brownstone?
Art, handyman Mike sounds like a gem! Plumbing problems can be the most costly and frustrating type of repair. We have a general fix-it guy for most minor repairs. He’s worth his weight in gold! I thought you knew that Archie Goodwin did plumbing on the side.
Because Archie takes care of the problems and he never knows about them?
Jeff, I think you’re Jackie’s Archie!
We had the apron of concrete from the front door entrance, around the garage, and back to the deck mudjacked.
Now visitors don’t have to pole-vault up to the front stoop.
Beth, our concrete driveway is pitted in parts. The winters really take their toll on concrete around here. We’re looking at replacing the old concrete with new in a year or two. Many of our neighbors have already opted for new concrete driveways.
Can we give a big shout out to good, reliable, honest handymen and mechanics? They’re a dying breed, so appreciate them if you know them.
Deb, we appreciate our fix-it guys! They’re a breed apart and getting as scarce as hen’s teeth. But a guy who can fix things is invaluable!
Just yesterday morning (oops, a James Taylor moment) we had the Maytag repair guy out because our second freezer has been frosting up. It a frost-free model, 8 months old, under warranty. Guy came, looked at it for a couple of minutes, said the door was bent (not by us!) and he’d order a new door. He said he sees that a lot, the doors get bent at the warehouses. It looked fine to us, but the seals weren’t tight at the bottom. So in 10 days to 2 weeks we’ll have that fixed. We didn’t use to consider extended warranties, but things don’t seem to be made as good these days, so we’ve started buying them on some bigger items like major appliances.
Rick, we bought the extended warranty on some of our high-end appliances. I think it’s just a smart policy.
I can’t think of anything here but Linda got central air conditioning to the tune of six grand. Not a repair; it’s new.
Bob, I could not live without A/C. We’ve found repairs sometimes come in threes: our lawn mower, our garage door opener, and then our clothes dryer. Hopefully, we’re done with repairs for a while.
George the Jinxer. Today the Infiniti Check engine light came on, Barbara took it in, it was the air/fuel sensor. $680 later all fixed. We didn’t see that coming.
Rick, I had a feeling Something Would Happen.