A moment of silence for the washing machine

[Khan]

It died at age 15 (after filling) with a load of dark cotton clothing inside.

Is there some way to bypass that (have to close door to operate) switch?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Piece of paper wrapped in tape and jammed into the switch. Otherwise unplug it, take the screws out that hold it in place, take the two wires off the switch and join them together, wrap in electrical tape, done.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Or you could blow it up and post the video. That would be more fun!

 

[HFWR]

Interlocks are made to be defeated!

Spoken like a true technician...

 

[cantlogin]

People have had their arms twisted OFF by reaching into a spin cycle. Be careful!

 

[Khan]

Piece of paper wrapped in tape and jammed into the switch. Otherwise unplug it, take the screws out that hold it in place, take the two wires off the switch and join them together, wrap in electrical tape, done.

How do I join the wires together (pictures)?
Should the local hardware store have electrical tape?

 

[Westernskies]

It died at age 15 (after filling) with a load of dark cotton clothing inside.

..go forth and agitate no more.

 

[Goonie]

Or you could blow it up and post the video. That would be more fun!

People have had their arms twisted OFF by reaching into a spin cycle.

.......and post the video. That would be even more fun!

 

[RustyShackleford]

Or you could heed the advice given the me on my recent "washing
machine stinks [literally]" thread and go buy one of these new front
loaders. I have my eye on a $699 LG unit at Sears - waiting for Labor
Day sale. JD Powers rates the LG brand WAY above any others.

Front loaders have myriad advantages:

1. Simpler mechanically - or so I'm told by smart people here.
2. Use less water, much less.
3. Save gobs of energy because of #2, and even moreso because
they get your clothes much dryer by spinning them faster.
4. Much easier on your clothes because of the way they work (and
probably because of less drying time too).
5. Very trendy - your friends will be jealous.
6. If you feel the need for REALLY big wash capacity, they make 'em
(but you'll pay). Salesmen told me that the "small" 3.6 cu-ft
I'm considering will still wash as many clothes as my largish
Maytag top-loader.

 

[unclemick]

Or you could heed the advice given the me on my recent "washing
machine stinks [literally]" thread and go buy one of these new front
loaders. I have my eye on a $699 LG unit at Sears - waiting for Labor
Day sale. JD Powers rates the LG brand WAY above any others.

Front loaders have myriad advantages:

1. Simpler mechanically - or so I'm told by smart people here.
2. Use less water, much less.
3. Save gobs of energy because of #2, and even moreso because
they get your clothes much dryer by spinning them faster.
4. Much easier on your clothes because of the way they work (and
probably because of less drying time too).
5. Very trendy - your friends will be jealous.
6. If you feel the need for REALLY big wash capacity, they make 'em
(but you'll pay). Salesmen told me that the "small" 3.6 cu-ft
I'm considering will still wash as many clothes as my largish
Maytag top-loader.

They don't 'look normal' and besides they are ugly.



heh heh heh - but I suppose they are better than a flat rock and a stick. So how do I get my 3 yr old top loader(Sears) to croak so I can agonize over a front loader?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

How do I join the wires together (pictures)?
Should the local hardware store have electrical tape?

I should probably have asked what the problem is that you're trying to solve, just to be sure. I'm guessing it thinks the door is open when its not?

The switch probably has two little pieces of metal tab sticking out and each wire probably has a little connector on the end with a sleeve that slides over the tabs on the switch. All you'd need is a piece of wire bared on both ends that you'd stick into each of the two sleeves, then wrap in the tape. Make sure the little piece of wire you use is about the same thickness as the two wires leading to the switch. They might be carrying a little bit of voltage...

Electrical tape is available in almost any department store or hardware store. Walmart/kmart/target would have it. Just plastic tape with good adhesive.

Could look something like this picture. See the metal tabs on the bottom of the switch in the upper left? Those things in the lower left are what should be on the ends of the two wires, and they slide tightly over those tabs.

 

[Khan]

I should probably have asked what the problem is that you're trying to solve, just to be sure. I'm guessing it thinks the door is open when its not?

The switch probably has two little pieces of metal tab sticking out and each wire probably has a little connector on the end with a sleeve that slides over the tabs on the switch. All you'd need is a piece of wire bared on both ends that you'd stick into each of the two sleeves, then wrap in the tape. Make sure the little piece of wire you use is about the same thickness as the two wires leading to the switch. They might be carrying a little bit of voltage...

Electrical tape is available in almost any department store or hardware store. Walmart/kmart/target would have it. Just plastic tape with good adhesive.

Could look something like this picture. See the metal tabs on the bottom of the switch in the upper left? Those things in the lower left are what should be on the ends of the two wires, and they slide tightly over those tabs.

The machine does does not start when the lid is closed (or when the switch is depressed manually).

I shall try the manual bypass.

 

[RustyShackleford]

So how do I get my 3 yr old top loader(Sears) to croak so I can agonize over a front loader?

That's a pretty new machine to be replacing, I must say.
My Maytag top-loader is 20 years old ! I seem to recall
something about a charity that rehabs appliances for the
needy, I'll give it to them, or Salvation Army or something
(and take the tax deduction, woohoo !).

I guess I missed one of the main points in my earlier homage
to the frontloading machine which I don't even own yet, which
is that with all these energy savings, the thing probably pays for
itself fairly quickly. Especially if you're likely to need a new
machine soon anyhow - probably true for me, maybe not for you.

My Maytag manual says is uses 40 gallons on a "large" load and
"permanent press" cycle (which rinses more, I think). For the LG
I'm looking at (WM2016CW, basically their bottom front-loader),
it's impossible to find the info on the web (which I find a little
suspicious), nor even in the downloaded owner's manual. I called,
and a customer service rep said 12-13 gallons.

 

[ls99]

They don't 'look normal' and besides they are ugly.



heh heh heh - but I suppose they are better than a flat rock and a stick. So how do I get my 3 yr old top loader(Sears) to croak so I can agonize over a front loader?

Can't believe you need help in figuring this out

-Plug into 220
-Fill up with blankets
-Strap wrench on spindle to hold it locked
-Add a pound of lava rocks

Stand back and admire.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Mythbusters killed a dryer by filling it with ball bearings and a few pieces of meat wrapped in kevlar, turning it on and then going home for the night.

Khan...
Appliance Parts from RepairClinic.com - Troubleshooting: Washing Machine

Illustrations by manufacturer and a troubleshooting guide.

Just make sure to unplug it first. And make sure your hands, feet and earlobes arent inside any part of it when you plug it in or turn it on.
Appliance Parts from RepairClinic.com - Troubleshooting: Washing Machine

 

[Khan]

Mythbusters killed a dryer by filling it with ball bearings and a few pieces of meat wrapped in kevlar, turning it on and then going home for the night.

Khan...
Appliance Parts from RepairClinic.com - Troubleshooting: Washing Machine

Illustrations by manufacturer and a troubleshooting guide.

Just make sure to unplug it first. And make sure your hands, feet and earlobes arent inside any part of it when you plug it in or turn it on.
Appliance Parts from RepairClinic.com - Troubleshooting: Washing Machine

Thanks.

I am smart enough to unplug stuff.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Me too. I just forget to do it once in a while.

 

[Ronstar]

It died at age 15 (after filling) with a load of dark cotton clothing inside.

Is there some way to bypass that (have to close door to operate) switch?

Piece of paper wrapped in tape and jammed into the switch. Otherwise unplug it, take the screws out that hold it in place, take the two wires off the switch and join them together, wrap in electrical tape, done.

Mine had the same problem after 20 years. Kind of like CFB, I used to jam a wood shim between the lid and switch activator to get it to work. I finally gave up and bought a new one a few years later.

 

[Westernskies]

The machine does does not start when the lid is closed (or when the switch is depressed manually).

I shall try the manual bypass.

Mosts of the posts seem to be focused on how to get around a faulty switch. If you are going to go to all the trouble to hotwire it, why not just replace it? It can't be more than $20 and a lot better solution than exposed wires, a wad of tape or a board wedged into the switch...and a lot safer in the long run.

If you are trying to assassinate the washer, drywall mud is definitely the way to go...
Don't ask me how I know this.

 

[HFWR]

I would suggest using "butt connectors" [insert Beavis laugh here], as shown in this photo:

I've added some lines for reference. The angled lines show the ends of the metal tube inside the plastic casing. Strip insulation from each wire to 1/2 that length. Place a wire in each end, snugging the insulation fully against the metal tube. Then, crimp each end with pliers, at about the location shown by the vertical lines...

 

[Nords]

So how do I get my 3 yr old top loader(Sears) to croak so I can agonize over a front loader?

Do what everyone else does-- put it on Craigslist for $125 and explain that you're selling because you're redecorating...

 

[deserat]

Is99 - outstanding way to destroy something - reminds me of Dave Lettermen with the little boys grinning and saying "we're gonna blow stuff up - right?"

Thanks for the laugh!

 

[Goonie]

Mosts of the posts seem to be focused on how to get around a faulty switch. If you are going to go to all the trouble to hotwire it, why not just replace it? It can't be more than $20 and a lot better solution than exposed wires, a wad of tape or a board wedged into the switch...and a lot safer in the long run.

Where's the fun in that? The alternatives at least offer some hope of thrills & excitement......but simply replacing a faulty part is BORING!

 

[Walt34]

That's a pretty new machine to be replacing, I must say.

Apparently laundry gear is one of those things that "They don't make 'em like they used to".

We bought a Kenmore washer & gas dryer in 2002. Eighteen months later the dryer died from a bad circuit board that cost half the price of a new dryer so I junked the old one and bought a new Maytag. So far the Maytag has held up but I hear even those aren't made as well as they used to be.

Evidently appliances are to be considered disposable unless you can fix it yourself.

 

[HFWR]

I have a set of Hotpoint laundry appliances that are 12yo and counting.

Knock on wood...

When they die, I'll probably go front-loader on the washer, but I don't want the laundromat-sized units. I prefer relatively small loads, mostly because a large drier load usually results in wrinkled shirts. I want my Grateful Dead t-shirt to look crisp and clean...