An uplifting experience

Re: An uplifting experience

David Weaver

I'm sure the number of appliances tossed due to a $300 repair bill due to a $30 part is high.

My mrs. is a habitual launderer. double digits of loads per week. Our dryer is 15+ years old now, and I'd guess it's dried about 8000 loads.

The front bearing has worn through three times (which is just a plastic structure with high wear plastic inserts in it).

If I miss getting the inserts replaced and the actual frame gets worn through, the part cost is $26 for the entire assembly and takes about 10 minutes to change.

It sounds like you'd expect when it's worn through and the barrel is playing worn plastic parts like a violin.

Re: An uplifting experience

Dale Stansbery

That air bag jack is what caught my eye. I bought a long screwdriver type pry bar at HF to level my stove. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to hold the stove up and spin the levelers at the same time. My eggs run to the left.

Re: An uplifting experience

Barry Irby

Saw a similar lifting bag at Home Depot. Glad to know it works.

Re: An uplifting experience

Tom Dunlap

The bag has other uses too.

If your keys are locked in your car gently pry the door open in the furthest spot from the hinges. Slip in the bag and pump it up. Take some heavy copper grounding wire and make a poker to hit the lock button on the door.

Re: An uplifting experience

Steve D, CT

I've been repairing my own appliances through the years, blessed by older designs that had no computers. It's not that complicated and you can save a ton of money.

So far I've done a Whirlpool washer transmission and a level switch, Whirlpool dryer belt and rollers for us and my parents, a Hotpoint fridge condenser fan (3x before I got the rotation right), Hotpoint infinite switch for a stove, Magic Chef control panel at least 4X ( a chronic problem), Panasonic microwave touch panel, Bosch heater relay in a dishwasher, and an Amana fridge evaporator fan that was too late. Bought a new fridge after that one.

From what I have read, the new computer controlled appliances are doomed when the controllers are out of production. That is a crime.

I have three...

Jason Roehl

...at work. I use them under the bottom edge of doors as I replace worn out hinges. I may need more. The doors I’m working with are in a courthouse built in the 1880s, and weigh 300-500 pounds, depending on the door. The hinges I get are from an outfit in Washington, and cost $140 per pair (of course there are three hinges per door). Anyway, the existing hinges have two barrels on one leaf, and one barrel on the other leaf, so there is only one bearing point per hinge. Over time, they have worn down and/or mushroomed enough to allow the door to drop up to 1/8”, and the latch/lock hardware don’t work then. By using the airbags (they came as a set marketed to locksmiths), I can lift the door enough to replace one hinge at a time. The reproduction hinges have two barrels per leaf, so two bearing points per hinge. They should last a little longer.

Jason

2X lumber + shims to slide under with toes

Re: An uplifting experience

John McGaw

I'm familiar with airbags but have never seen one so small. Can see where it might come in hand in a lot of situations. On the other side there are special bags made to lift even the largest aircraft after a landing gear failure. Huge, kevlar, and muy muy expensive.

Re: An uplifting experience

Barry Irby

For reasons known only to Facebook I started getting popup ads for "Viking Arm" gadgets. Some sort of clamp like device that has a square foot that allows you to lift things or pry things apart. Interesting enough that I poked at it and learned it cost something like $250 for a pair. There were offers for versions from China that were more like $50 a pair so I ordered some. Several months later they arrived and I am disappointed to say the least. They look like left over parts from making caulking guns and not something that will safely lift 250 pounds. Now to figure out how to return them. The Viking Arms stuff is still interesting buy not $250 interesting.