I've Had A Very Satisfying Day....

[global1]

My old Whirlpool Clothes Dryer crapped out the other day. I suspected that the belt that drives the drying drum broke. So I went to the Internet and Googled the model number of my dryer and I was able to find the part number for a replacement belt.

I went to E-Bay and searched the Whirlpool Model Number and lo and behold I was able to order one for $9.97 and free shipping. Four days later I received the new replacement belt.

I then went back to the Internet - YouTube - and searched 'How to replace a belt on this dryer'. Again - lo and behold - there were two videos that took me through the belt replacement process for my dryer.

Today - I headed down to the basement to do the job. After about 1 hour - and following the instructions in the video - I was able to fix my dryer. As a bonus - I was able to vacuum the innards of the machine and clean it up. I reassembled the dryer by reversing the taking apart process and plugged the machine back in - and guess what - it worked. I fixed it.

I saved myself the cost of a service call and paying serviceman's price for the replacement belt and I saved myself from having to go out and buy another dryer - like most people do when their machine goes out.

I'm gonna sit back tonight and sip on a celebratory cocktail and enjoy my victory. A real satisfying day for me.

[PoliticAverse]

1. Once again someone demonstrates that youtube is the greatest public educational resource

in human history.

[lamp_shade]

21. That's A Fact. So many of my quests into youtube begin with "How to..."

I've saved thousands of $$ over just the last 10 or 12 years.

[niyad]

2. Congratulations.

[Hoyt]

3. Excellent. How To videos have saved me thousands.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Nice job!

Yeah, those things are rather easy to work on once you get the order of operations down. There’s always some clip that’s hard to figure out until you’ve seen it done.

I taught myself a/c installation by watching and rewatching hours of this guy’s classroom quality instruction and literature:

[c-rational]

5. Bravo. Very satisfying indeed. I You Tubed a fix to my levelor blinds and it worked perfectly.

No need to buy a new one.

[KPN]

6. Congrats on a job well done ... and you paid

yourself handsomely to boot with the savings.

YouTube is my go to whenever I need to repair anything or tackle a project I’ve never done before. It’s never failed me on any task, project or repair I’ve had the gumption to try — and there’ve been tons.

[TallMike]

7. yup

Had a buddy with an obscure washer of some sort. reached out to guy on fb and within 24 hrs he had a complete step by step tutorial from the guy. Was quoted some 265 to fix. did it himself for 27 bucks.
That inter-web thingy aint so bad at times...

[littlemissmartypants]

8. A wonderful tale. Thank you for sharing it, global1. Well done! ❤

[Thunderbeast]

9. Would you like to come over to install a trailer hitch?

YouTube video is a little intimidating!

OEM hitch means removing bumper and trim pieces and cutting a hole in the bumper cover.

Wife tells me to take the project to the nice guys at the body shop. "Solve the problem with your credit card" she says. My thrifty nature (farting buffalo cheap) makes that choice untenable!

What to do?

I'll buy a sixpac of craft beer!

Actually, YouTube has guided me through many repairs...cars, furnace, cell phone. They are great!

[LNM]

10. Good for you!

YouTube has solved many of my knitting problems. I know people learned to knit prior to YouTube, but I'm thinking it took a whole lot more time and beginners would have to stick to simpler projects.

[Klondike Kat]

11. I replaced the belt on my old drier three times

I also replaced the drum bearing once. Saved a ton of money.

The first time cost me a few bandaids (lots of sharp edges). Finally had to replace it when the motor failed. Got over 20 years out of that old thing.

[CaptainTruth]

12. Congratulations! I presume the rollers were ok?

There are usually rollers, little rubber wheels, that the drum rests on as it spins, & eventually the bearings in those wear out & sometimes make a godawful squealing sound when the dryer runs. That usually happens about the time that the belt needs to be replaced.

After fixing a few dryers for customers I've learned to replace the rollers & belt at the same time, that way I don't end up replacing one & having them call me back some months later to fix the other. It's easier & cheaper for them if I just replace both while I have it apart, then it's good to go for years.

Or until the "door open" sensor switch fails, I've replaced a ton of those on dryers, washers, & microwaves. If you're handy with a screwdriver they're easy to replace & available on Amazon.

[sprinkleeninow]

13. Wanna come over chere and....

[Phoenix61]

14. WooHoo!!! Great job! It's most satisfying to conquer tasks like those. nt

[MLAA]

15. I now know who to call when mine craps out 😬

Congrats on a job well done.

[The Wizard]

16. I did the exact same thing.

I also oiled the wheels the drum turns on. I blow out the lint from the bottom of the dryer once a year to avoid fires.

[Bayard]

17. You are my hero

[Aussie105]

18. I've replaced that rubber band twice on the same dryer now.

First time was pre YouTube, so did it the hard way.

Second time was easy, been there done that.

Hardest part is to get the dryer off the wall and back on, without giving myself a hernia.

Feels good afterwards, right? Satisfies some sort of primitive male urge. Or something.

Good to know there are videos out there on that job though.

EDIT: This dryer has a drum that runs on felt strips. When I hear metal on metal, it's time for new ones. Fiddly but do-able.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

19. congratulations. I watched a youtube video and

was able to repair a pull cord on my generator. Now I can get it to start, but it will not stay running.

[Wicked Blue]

20. You are awesome

[Oppaloopa]

22. How do you even hear the video on you tube

I have chrome book and I cant hear them

[padfun]

23. Yep. Whirlpool, Kenmore, Acuna and a few others are alike

And easy to fix. I bought 5 fuses and three heating elements for ours. The heating elements seem to last 18 to 24 months. I change them and it takes 10 minutes.

We've swapped out the guides, the motor (it wasn't necessary) and a few other parts.

You can keep these things together for decades.

[kwijybo]

24. Good on you!

My Mother thinks I'm a genius because I can do that and fix her washer (pump, door to drum gasket) and dryer (heating element, heating element, belt), as well as a lot of other things. I google them to find the youtube videos to fix what's wrong, and get the parts. Takes time, but less each time. A friend looked up how to do some obscure repair to his very old truck (very obscure, since he repairs his truck all the time), and they had it!

Now, if we could get the RW to be able to tell the difference between a good source for appliance repair (say, So-And-So Appliance Repair, for example) and a bad source for COVID or other infor (someRandomGuy).

[Demovictory9]

25. Congrats

[Gore1FL]

26. I am less prone to take on projects as I did when I was younger.

Too many have spiraled into long, multi-step, tedious, endeavors. Anymore, I can't take the frustration.