Friday, December 9, 2011

Washday blues

I'm a pretty frugal person - I don't like the concept of replacing stuff just because it's old.
This week my washing machine had it's 30th birthday - I bought it in December 1981.
Since then, bless it's stout little heart, the Kelvinator has washed clothes, garage overalls, and even nappies (my daughter had it for a while back in 1984) without missing a beat.

Apart from replacing a pump some years ago, it's required no maintenance. It still washes just fine, but the lid is broken. I repaired it once, and wrote about it here, but when we reached thepoint of wedging a piece of cardboard behind the lid to make it go, the Resident Grandson began to whinge and moan gently suggest that maybe I should buy a new machine.

I resisted; why pay big dollars for a new machine when this one was still working (more or less)?

But I did mention to my sister that maybe I might consider a new machine, and if she saw one at a garage sale, I'd be interested.
She found me this - a Kleenmaid, the kind you find in laundromats. It's a heavy duty workhorse, with a ginormous bowl, which would easily take a doona or a big blanket. And it cost just $25.

It arrived on Saturday arvo, and on Sunday the Resident Grandson connected it up, and we decided to give it a trial run, without clothes.
As it filled, we noticed something. Water. On the floor. We shut it off, and I mopped up.

On Monday, our friendly local handyman came to take a look, and quickly found the problem. This hose has a hole, where no hole should be. The machine had apparently been stored in a shed for a while, and rats had feasted...

Finding a spare hose was problematical. Thank goodness for Mr Google! It seems Kleenmaid washers are no longer available in Australia, but there are a few places that carry parts.
Several emails later, I located a hose, and ordered it online. Hope it arrives soon, I'm running out of clean clothes...


1 comment:

  1. Well done Marcie. Hope it is the right hose and all goes well. I had a problem getting an oven door seal for our 6 year old Westinghouse oven . The local plumbing supply with a royal name who sold it to me, couldn't help. Thank goodness for the Internet, I found a very helpful young man in south Australia who does oven doors hinges and seals. I got it in the mail and installed it myself. Hooray now my oven holds the heat.

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