Been going to the laundromat
That gets old
We have been living in Logansport, Indiana for almost 2 months now. We are liking it.
However, after having lived in the Philippines for about 2 decades, and having to sell most everything we owned when we moved back, we are basically starting over like we are 20 years old.
One of the “big ticket” things on our list was a washer and dryer for our clothes. For the past 7 weeks, we have been going to the laundromat. That is both expensive and also inconvenient. My friend took me to a place here in town where they sell good used appliances. They had a wide selection of washers and dryers, and their price is certainly right. You can choose whichever washer and dryer set you like for $450 for the set.
So, about a week ago, we chose a set and scheduled the delivery for Saturday morning, March 9.
We live upstairs
The house that we live in has two stories. Each floor is a separate rental. We are in the upstairs. It is nice and spacious, but being in the upstairs can sometimes present problems. Although there are separate entrances for each level, being upstairs we can rarely hear the doorbell or knocking on the door, so we have to keep an eye out if we know somebody is coming.
Another problem is that the stairs are not too wide. They are plenty wide for walking up and down, but if you are bringing large items up (like furniture, a washer, or a dryer) it can be difficult.
I went and rented an appliance dolly
In anticipation of the Saturday delivery, on Friday afternoon I went and rented an appliance dolly. The rental place is closed on weekends, so I would have the dolly until Monday morning.
The appliance dolly would help us bring the washer and the dryer up the staircase. I measured the width of the staircase and each unit had plenty of room to go up the stairs.
The Washer and Dryer were delivered
I had asked that the washer and dryer be delivered “after 10 AM” on Saturday. Feyma and Chris work 2nd Shift at Tyson, and they usually get home around 2 AM. By the time we go to bed, it is usually at least 3 AM. Sometimes even later. So, a 10 AM delivery would give all of us a chance to get our normal rest.
Sure enough, the delivery was exactly on time, right down to the minute. Impressive.
The store where we purchased the machines told us that they don’t deliver upstairs, they would leave the washer and dryer on our front porch, and it was up to us to get them upstairs. OK, understood. The owner of the place is an older gentleman, so it was understandable since he does the deliveries himself.
Time to bring the units upstairs
So, the appliance guy dropped off the washer and dryer, he left, and we got right to work. Got the appliance dolly ready. put a strap around the washer, and headed up the stairs. The climb of the stairs with the appliance dolly was pretty easy no problems.
No problems until…
Our stairs have a place at the top where there is a 90-degree turn. Oops.
We got to the turn, and there was no way we could turn there. The space just was not big enough to make the turn.
Both Feyma and I got frustrated and upset. Our thought was that we would just have to sell the washer and dryer and keep on going to the laundromat. We didn’t want that, though.
LeRoy to the rescue
My friend, LeRoy, has been a real life-saver. He was the one who encouraged us to settle here in Logansport and he has been there at every step if we needed anything. I can’t thank him enough for that.
So, I was telling LeRoy about our problem on the stairs, and he arranged for two strong guys to come on Monday morning to help. His nephew and a friend of his showed up right on time.
Up the stairs again
The guys looked over the problem and decided that we might be able to turn the corner if we did not use the appliance dolly, so they, being pretty strong, got the washer first and carried it up the stairs. Wow, amazing! I was so happy, and Feyma’s look on her face was priceless. I could tell that she was so happy that we would be able to wash clothes at home, at last.
Next, the guys went down on the front porch and got the dryer. Again, muscled their way to the upstairs, and we were in business.
Maintenance Man
When we rented the house where we live, the property manager asked us if we would have a washer and dryer, and we said yes. She asked us if we could call her when we buy the washer and dryer. She wanted her maintenance man to hook them up, so he could make sure there were no leaks, and such.
So, after the washer and dryer were upstairs and in place, we called the property manager and she sent the maintenance man right over. Sam got everything hooked up and ready to go. We were so happy.
First run of the washing machine
We decided to run the washing machine empty to just make sure it went through the cycle properly. We set all of the settings and turned it on. The water started filling the tub. When it had the proper amount of water in the tub… nothing. It did nothing else. Didn’t drain. Didn’t spin. Nothing at all.
We were very disappointed. We left the washing machine ready to run for the afternoon, but it never did anything. So, I called the place where we bought it. The owner came over.
The owner checked it out
The ower of the appliance shop showed up and went to check things out. He confirmed that it was not working. He said, “We check every machine to make sure it works, I guess we missed this one.” Indeed, it seems so.
He said they would gladly replace the defective unit. However, the hassle of bringing it upstairs (plus I paid those guys for their trouble, of course) was not something we really wanted to repeat.
LeRoy to the rescue again
I told LeRoy about the situation, and LeRoy said he felt sure he could fix it. LeRoy has a long experience in appliance repair. So, he will be coming out tomorrow to have a look.
Will LeRoy have the magic touch to get it working? We’ll see. If not, we’ll get the muscle men back out to take the defective washer down the stairs and bring the working one up. I’m hoping for LeRoy. 🙂
I’ll post an update when we know more.
Allways something Bob . A never ending story
That is so true, Phil. If it isn’t one thing it’s another! 🙂
What brand are they Bob ? Maybe it is a ” smart ” washing machine that is waiting for the clothes to be put in before starting the wash cycle. With stairs like that to climb, it might have been easier with one of those all plastic washing machines from The Philippines LOL. Good luck Bob I hope the difficulty is easily resolved.
Hi Bob, they are whirlpool. Not a smart machine, my friend came today and took a look, but he thinks they are beyond a reasonable repair. The person that sold the washer to us will replace it.
Ah, I have run into this very problem with the machine not functioning beyond fillup. Had to replace the timer in the head of the machine. (It is right behind the big control knob you turn to set the setting). I do all of my repairs myself. So I hope that your Buddy LeRoy only has to replace the timer and you will be good to go.
my friend believes that it is the timer. However, when he got inside he found that a lot of previous repairs had been done, and not done properly. So, it’s going to be better just to have it replaced.
Wow that stinks on one hand and on the other a good thing. I love shopping for used appliances at a place like you went to. My most recent washer and dryer were used “rent to own” machines. I had to make a couple repairs to both to make them run like new but i got them for only a hundred bucks for the pair. My newest machines still have to be worked on but ready to get the washer fixed and running again. But not in a hurry to get it going. Machines are prob 10 years okd and still have the sticky plastic screen protector on the face. Lol. I found there is nothing wrong with buying good appliances for cheap. Thw majority of the population has to have the newest out of store appliance to impress the visitors. Lol. Hope you and the fam are well!
I totally agree with you about used appliances. some of the ones that I saw there were amazingly nice. Most look brand new. Yes, I got a bad one this time, but he is standing behind it, and I am not turned off by the experience.
Hi Bob,
We live in a two story apartment. We had a stacked washer and dryer in the kitchen, but it was a real pain to bring the clothes downstairs to wash and cart back upstairs again. We had the upstairs bathroom redone and put in a space for a washer/dryer combo. We purchased a machine that is both a washer and a dryer to fit in the space. Totally impressed with the machine as it fits two people just right. I’m even more impressed with it being on the same floor as the clothes storage.
What kind of washer did you have in Davao City?
Glad the sales guy is standing behind his work. It might be pain to have to go/up down the stair again, but having a working machine at the end of it is a good thing. Hope your health is getting better.
Tony
Hi Tony. In Davao, we had a Whirlpool US Washing Machine. We hung our clothes for drying. We bought that many years ago from an American expat who was going home after a few years of living there. Got a great deal on it, and it always did a great job for us! In fact, when we sold it in December, we got back the amount that we paid for it like a decade ago!
I am doing great! My health is excellent.