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Post by ohblondie on Oct 21, 2014 8:07:51 GMT -5
When it rains it pours.
My dryer is over heating - I am scared to use it
My washer is not draining properly and when it sits for awhile - it fills with water. I know how to drain the water before using it - but the washer is getting kinda smelly
My hot water tank is leaking - has been for awhile
Furnace stopped working - the moisture from the water on the floor got in when teh air intake valve would kick on - fried the control panel (new furnace - installed last year)
The seal on my freezer door does not seal properly. there is a gap when I shut the door.
What should I replace or fix first?
Does anyone know how to fix a seal in the freezer door? (top half of fridge freezer)
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Post by canna on Oct 21, 2014 8:20:30 GMT -5
I would get the leaking hot water tank fixed/replaced soon as possible first.
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Post by lucie on Oct 21, 2014 8:23:44 GMT -5
As a person who hates cold, I would start with
1. a hot water tank
2. furnace (if that is what you use for heating), especially if the winter is coming where you live
By washer, do you mean a washing mashine for laundry or a dishwasher?
3. Laundry mashine takes precedens before
a dishwasher - washing dishes by hand is easier than doing laundry.
Then would go the freezer
and the dryer the last. You can do without a dryer.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2014 8:53:12 GMT -5
furnace!!! WInter is coming quick!
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 21, 2014 9:32:18 GMT -5
Washer refers to clothes washer. As in washing machine.
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bubble
New Member
Joined: October 2014
Posts: 4 
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Post by bubble on Oct 21, 2014 9:39:03 GMT -5
I would get the furnace and the hot water tank fixed first. Is there a launderette nearby that you can go to to wash and dry your clothes? It sounds like a nightmare ...
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Post by misssue on Oct 21, 2014 9:42:27 GMT -5
Oh Blondie! Here is may take, and I have replaced water heaters, a couple of furnaces, appliances etc.. in 33 years of owning two houses. My logically thinking is this: Do the water heater replacement first. If is it leaking, and has been for awhile it will eventually have the bottom give way, they rust from there.. Why? Because if it gives way, even with a floor drain near by, if you have one, it will flood the floor it is on! AND if the furnace, is near by, even up on a couple of bricks of blocks, it might ruin that further! The furnace is worth or costs more than a water heater.. and furnace is new. I am assuming that the water heater and furnace are in the basement. If the water heater is leaking from the a valve, that might be fixed, but if the darn thing is about 8-10 years old, it might be kaput.. and I was shocked to have to replace mine a few years ago.. since it was not really that old in my world, and my 2nd in this house. I was told yes, unfortunately they do not "make them like they used to". The furnace, that control panel should not be hard for a tech to replace, it just will cost money! They are modular unit type things now days! What moisture on the floor got in the furnace.. through the discharge clear hose that most furnaces have on the floor to a drain? Or did you have other water on the floor that went under the furnace? I am glad I do not have a HE washer and dryer.. tons of people I know have issues with them. The upper freezer door, and I have a giant fridge with a top freezer too.. clean seal which is called a gasket. First with some warm soapy water. Use some Q tips or soft brush to clean seal very well. The warm water will help soften it up too, so when you shut it, it molds back to where it should be.. hope that makes sense. I have loaded up the door in the freezer with way too much stuff.. I am a master of fitting things in there, meaning packed, since I gave up my upright freezer in the basement. Sometimes just rearranging it, door "hangs" better and shuts tight. I use the dollar bill trick, see if I can pull it out. If that does not fix it, and I have not done this, use some petroleum jelly on it, and heat it up with a hair dryer! I read that somewhere, in my quest to fix things... I say here often, go with the simple plan first. I also would see if it got moved a bit.. sometimes the floor is not level.. and I know that like me, you religiously move that fridge monthly and vacuum behind it.. yeh right  !! Hope this helps! My priority is hot water first.. no flood. I am guessing the furnace warranty does not cover it.. IF you have the water or moisture gone, have you tried turning the furnace on? Those control panels sometimes dry out and work! Might try a hair dryer on that too.. and get rid of that floor moisture! Dehumidifier? |
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Post by desireelafleur on Oct 21, 2014 10:24:02 GMT -5
I would definitely do the hot water and furnace first, then the freezer (an open freezer costs you electricity and potentially ruins food which costs you money, the the washing machine (take some garments in the shower with you!), then the dryer.
That is optimal way, imho, however life doesn't always go optimally. Go with what you can handle quickly. Perhaps the freezer is a "quick" fix. Get that out of the way. Youtube sometimes has great "fix it" tutorials. Maybe they have one for your washer. Something like this?
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Post by def6 on Oct 21, 2014 10:44:42 GMT -5
Hello Oh Blondie  I'm sorry everything is breaking down right now. I have purposely not read the other responses…this is the order I would go in  I would get the furnace checked out first. It may still be under warranty. Then the dryer. But if you need to wait for money reasons…you can hang everything up on a rack to dry. Please don't run a dryer that you don't trust. Then the freezer seal, you need a new seal or no way to keep ice or frozen food. The water heater…what a pain but put some towels down. Some businesses offer sweet rebates to switch to gas or electric, or tankless. May also be a tax rebate. The laundry machine last. If it stinks you could always run a white load with bleach like every other time or every three loads. Mostly, know that you can work with these problems until you have the time / money / patience to deal with them the way you need to. If you can just pay for it all right now then….you are certainly worth every penny.  |
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Post by papermoon on Oct 21, 2014 12:36:45 GMT -5
I agree with the advice to get the water heater fixed first and then the furnace.
Don't use the dryer at all! The vent is probably clogged either with lint or softener buildup... either way, it could burst into flames. So just unplug it until you can afford a repairman. Hang up the wet laundry on a line or go to a laundromat.
Running the washer with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle will take care of any odor. It's also the best way to cleanse your washer of any detergent or softener residue. The vinegar smell will disappear when it dries.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 21, 2014 14:02:06 GMT -5
I second the washing of the freezer seal. We did that, and have used a simple inexpensive child safety latch to keep it shut.
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 21, 2014 14:46:25 GMT -5
oooh...never thought of the child safety latch. Thanks Paper GRace....great idea.
I will post an update when I get home.
Meanwhile - the repairman that I DO NOT LIKE is at my house working on one of these items.
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Post by hurricane on Oct 22, 2014 11:07:39 GMT -5
I second the notion that it is imperative to get the hot water heater fixed first, and quickly. Mine started leaking and I put it off for about a week, and then the bottom of the tank rusted through...it dumped 40 gallons of water on my floor in an instant (I do have a floor drain nearby but such a high volume of water overwhelmed it). The flood ruined nearby carpeting, bathroom vinyl flooring, and floor molding. It was a huge mess to clean up and cost way more money that it would have to just fix it right away!
I called Home Depot and they had a new water heater out withing 24 hours....they do this for any appliance. Pick out a new one online and they deliver/install it the next day. Lowes does this too. You don't even have to make a trip to the store if you don't want to!
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Post by misssue on Oct 22, 2014 14:08:13 GMT -5
I hope that you got things fixed Blondie.. it is hard to have to go to work and schedule repairs too. Of course when you are not working, you can not afford to have repairs!
Good info Hurricane! I did exactly what Hurricane said about Home Depot for the water heater That was the first big house item that broke when I was divorced and alone after 28 years of marriage. That rushing sound in my basement that afternoon, was not the water softener that I could not figure out how to reprogram that darn thing back to night.. it was the water heater bottom falling out and water pouring out. I do have a floor drain and it did not flood, but still.. took me a few minutes to figure out how to shut off the water to it.
I had always had a good plumber, and what the ex or I could not do, we used him when we remodeled one bathroom. BUT he is expensive. Not that he has not helped me or sold me parts since alone. Or answered my questions.. he said I get a kick out of you.. only woman I know who shows up with a part for her pressure tank and says do you have one? He said how did you get that out of there on your own? I said I used Utube!
A friend said call Home Depot. I never thought of that, because I have never used anyone but private contractors. I did just that on line, bought one in my pjs.. I did call and ask a few size questions, but got the same gallon etc I had. Another friend called and said let me call my ex son in law, he is a union plumber and might do it for a little cash.. and he did, and he picked it up and saved me the delivery charge. That was huge for me.. I got divorced in spring, could not find a job and had just started one in Jan, only part time at that. This was April. I had only saved up 900 for my emergency fund.. the divorce wiped out any cash I had. He said, I would like to think if you were my sister or mom, alone and my sister is in another state, someone would help her. I have heard that a few times since alone. Sometimes you did get back good deeds ten fold. This was one of those times. I was so grateful.
If you own a house or even rent. Know how to shut off the gas, the water lines. When water is rushing out of something.. not the time to be thinking where is that shut off!
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 22, 2014 19:01:12 GMT -5
Missue....you hit a nail right on the head. I need to know more of these basics. I think I can turn off the breaker box. I keep flashlights all over even in the base.ent. I dont know if I could turn off the water to the house or the gas main.
I can turn off the water to a toilet or a sink. And I am willing to try most anything. I did lookonline for directions on how to fix the seal in my freezer. I discovered it is called a gasket. I thought I'd ask it was part of a nut and bolt set.. Too funny! I did get several tips, and I have tried 1 or 2 of them. And they did not work. I need have to look up the model of my refrigerator and see if I can order a gasket. I could not find where it screws up on. I have to open screwst to loosen it and screw the new 1 in. But I could not find the screws. I will figure this out myself. I will not let the fridge win!!!!
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