Never use that flexible piping in back of your dryer, if possible. Also, definitely make sure you use metal flex if you must use flex. The white stuff is paper and it catches fire so quickly.
Laundromats suk, hold. Feel for you and the Mrs.

Dryer vents / piping are a pain. Especially in our house, where there is a long run from the dryer to the outside wall. A couple of years ago I installed a heat activated fan to pull the air through the tubing so the lint would get dry and exit the vent in the back of the house. Cut down on the clumps of wet lint in the tube. I still open it up occasionally and remove the lint. So I don't think lint buildup is the problem.

The problem is all the cheap appliances they build today. Then again, none of us want to pay more up front for better quality, so we don't get what we don't pay for. Hence the service contract. Would I happily pay the $150 the service contract cost toward buying a more expensive dryer that doesn't break? Sure. Now find me a dryer that won't break. At least this way I know Sears will come out within a week and fix it when it does break.

I don't mind laudromats. Slightly inconvenient to get to. But at least they have big machines and lots of dryers so you can get all the laundry done at once. At home you save the car ride and hanging at the 'mat, but you have to run the loads consecutively instead of all at once. So it can take all day to get the laundry done. If you are comfortable leaving your clothes "unguarded" at the 'mat, you can even do the grocery shopping while the stuff is in the washer (especially this time of year when you don't have to worry about finding melted ice cream all over your car's trunk), fold the delicates while the other stuff is drying, and be done with multiple tasks in an hour. No way to get all the laundry clean in an hour at home.

No, the laundromat doesn't bother me much. What bothered me was back when I was single, doing laundry in the laundry room of my apartment building at 10:00 Saturday night because I didn't have anything better to do. The good news was that no one else was doing laundry then so I never had to share machines. And since I was working 80+ hour weeks, that was basically the only time I was both home and awake.

6 year old appliance.

I had a dryer belt broke. I youtube a fix, ordered the part and fixed it myself. Part from Sears was $30, shipping was $20 (wtf?). Repair would have been $300.

The washer broke months later. I youtube a fix, but did not feel I was up to it, so I just called for repair and paid $300.

Long runs are gonna be bad, move your output closer.
The fan plugs.
Move your output closer .

It has nothing to do with being cheap,.
It does have to do with understanding what you are using, they put load limits on things for a reason.

The average person should never have to run their washer and dryer everyday, "the average person".
They have comercial duty machines, the average person cannot afford those.

Yes, there is definitely a balance. As you may remember, I recently installed the new cooktop in the kitchen, which included widening the hole in the circuit box using a dremel tool. In past years I have changed belts, hoses, filters, and spark plugs on my tractor and repaired other home appliances.

However, for some reason, Sears makes the service contracts on kitchen and laundry appliances fairly attractive. I know that we could have paid $100 for one repair call for our dishwasher, or $150 for a service contract that includes both parts and labor. Turned out we needed a new electronic control panel that costs $200, plus the service tech had to come twice, which would have cost $200. So we got $400 of repairs for $150.

I haven't ever had a dryer break... except for the time I was trying to *thoroughly* clean all the lint out from the place where the lint tray? screen? goes. While sticking my hand in there - very tight squeeze! - I broke the plastic "wall".

I fixed it myself, using screws and washers to keep the broken pieces together.

Ended up with holes in all my clothes from where they caught on the screws and pieces of broken plastic.



When I was single, the most depressing things to do were going grocery shopping, going to the laundrymat, and putting gas in the car. I hated doing those three things alone.

Here's my Public Service Announcement: Apparently, in addition to cleaning the lint trap of lint, one should also *wash* the lint trap occasionally (once/year?). Especially if you use those horrid dryer sheets.

Try it: take your lint screen to the sink and run water "through" it. Does water tend to pool, not run so readily through the holes? Now try using a bit of hand soap to rinse it thoroughly, until the water runs freely through it.

Supposedly this will help your dryer to not overheat/wear out.

ETA: it should also shorten the time it takes for clothes to get dry. If it seems that it's taking longer and longer to dry your clothes, but you've cleaned the lint from all the appropriate places, try washing the lint screen.

Dred:

Thanks for the advice.

Hmmm, closer output. 5 feet of concrete porch around the front of the house where the dryer currently sits so can't punch a vent hole nearby, and anyway I don't think Mrs. Hold wants the lint venting near the front door or onto the front porch. Back of the basement is finished so can't move the dryer in that direction (the vent pipe passes overhead, but hidden in a drop cieling). I guess we could move the dryer to the north side of the basement near the oil tank, then run run the 240 volt and water over in that direction, as well as a discharge pipe to the septic system. I think I'd rather have a vent discharge issue every few years.

jayne

Thanks. Never heard of that trick. Will try it once the dryer is repaired.

Jayne's advice is sound. One thing: most dryers' fine print in the instruction manual actually suggests monthly washing of the dryer lint screen with a soft brush, not just soap and water.

During the Golden Globe "pre-game" last night, I mentioned that Fergie's husband was handsome. Mrs. Hold replied (drumroll please) "not as handsome as you!"

Then she started clapping her hands and giggling and saying "I remembered to be nice! I remembered to be nice!"

I thanked her. Told her I was pleased. That she had finally passed the first class from the "Hold School of Laying It On Thick" and that I am looking forward to her enrolling in the more advanced classes.

Mrs. Hold s in Florida visiting her Dad who is having surgery tomorrow. I am Mr Mom this week. Wish me luck with all the juggling!

Best wishes hold!

Ah, we all know you'll be fine!

Sending a prayer for her father.

A good opportunity to take them to the movies or ice skating or maybe even a short hike and winter picnic with cocoa and sandwiches. Have fun with it, Hold.

Hmm, yes, well, both have to get to the school bus before 7 am so mornings are out. S15 has basketball practice every evening from 5:30 to 7:30 except the days when he has a game. D12 has swimming practice every night except Friday, generally starting between 5 and 6:30 and ending somewhere between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. Both have practice Saturday morning. D12 has a birthday party Saturday afternoon and she and I need to acquire a gift for the birthday girl before then. Sunday D12 must be dropped off at the pool at 5:30 am so they can drive to Albany (we are in CT) for a regional figures clinic. So I guess we could do a midnight hike with flashlights Friday night if any of us are awake!

Generally Mrs. Hold does the dropping off and I do the picking up on my way home from work. The only problem with doing both is that I have to leave work 3 to 5 hours earlier than I normally do. So I am getting here 2 hours early every day to try and make up for time "lost" at the other end. Hopefully I will learn to be more efficient! Oh my, maybe less time here at MB!

Or...skip simultaneous practices in favor for some family time...

Kind of makes you realize what your wife was talking about with the running around with the kids, huh? Imagine having to leave work 3-5 hours earlier on a regular basis...

I have never doubted that Mrs. Hold makes a very important contribution to our family between 3:00 and 6:00 pm every weekday afternoon.

It is like the commercial for the Boys & Girls Clubs narrated by Denzel Washington. When do most kids get in trouble? Age 13? Age 17? No, between 3 and 6 in the afternoon if they aren't supervised.

I have the utmost respect for single parents. I don't see how they do it on a continual basis.

Me either, Hold. I know 2 women who raised their daughters on their own from the beginning, and I've always wondered how they did it. I think you just do what you have to do.

Got through the week. Made dinner from scratch twice. Did all the laundry so Mrs. Hold came back to all clean clothes (except the ones in her suitcase). Updated schedule "on the fly" as several activities arose at the last minute. Could not do this every week because it cut into work time too much. But proud of myself for her absence causing the kids so little change to their schedules.

Mrs. Hold thanked me on her return for the house not being a total disaster. She was even willing to spoon when we got to bed, something she never permitted earlier in our marriage and which I sorely missed. I liked it. Did not feel bitter that it did not lead to sex. But did not feel connected, either.

Over the weekend, I realized how my life is not as I want it in many ways. My fault for not doing better at work. And my fault for giving in too easily to Mrs. Hold's preferences.

We almost never have any adults over for dinner. I would like to entertain more often. But Mrs. Hold refuses. She is embarrassed that our house is not fancier. She is embarrassed that we cannot afford to serve fancy food. I remember during one MC sesison the counsellor said "if you make rack of lamb with doilies on the bones every time, people wont' invite you over because they can't or won't reciprocate. Sometime you need to serve hot dogs or spaghetti or pizza so people can feel comfortable."

Sunday night we went for Indian food because D12 was at the synchro meet. So we went for a cuisine she can't eat (allergies). Of course, Mrs. Hold prefers the most expensive Indian restaurant in town. Yes, the plates and napkins are lovely. But every dish is several dollars more than the other places. I am tired of POJAing what we can and cannot afford. I am sure she is tired of POJAing and not being able to afford what she wants.

I need to live my life. If we cannot reach POJA as to what to do, well, then I guess we will drift further apart. We would probably both be happier with different partners.

We started talking about her parents and how they relate. How her mother reacted to her father having surgery and then having cardiac problems and being in ICU. Apparently her mother withdrew into herself and was not able to be as supportive as Mrs. Hold thought was appropriate. Mrs. Hold said she would be there for me. She said we are going to grow old and wrinkled together. That she is not done with me.

I imagine I will like that when the time comes. I'm just not enthused about having to live through the time between now and then. She is saying everything that I would want my wife to say. But I don't feel good about it. I don't feel loved. Probably because I don't love myself.

Just more rambling eeyore thoughts. Wishing everyone a happy Monday.

Well...one good thing about today, Hold. The temps are up - at least in my region. I hope they are there too.

Maybe for today, you can allow yourself to rest from analyzing how you feel about Mrs. Hold.

Professionally, what more could you be doing, reasonably, to improve things in that arena?