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I might be a redneck


Ralphie

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1 hour ago, Further said:

Is it sitting on 3 feet and a brick ?

My daughter’s bed sort of is!  It came from her husband’s house, and his {}#%^ dog had been peeing in it. Being veneered particle board, it turned to sponge, and we discovered this as we were moving it. So I filed the bad stuff off and just glued a block of wood under it to even it up. :D

I should have been a retro engineer. :D  I guess in some ways I am.  :D 

 

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1 hour ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

Because instead of replacing the door switch on our ancient drier, I use a crutch, a footstool, and a block of wood to put enough pressure on it to to run. :D

 

No duct tape? Still have a ways to go in your learning phase.

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1 minute ago, Tizeye said:

No duct tape? Still have a ways to go in your learning phase.

A technician at work turned up his nose at duct tape because it leaves a sticky mess, so I took that as a personal challenge to do duct tape-less redneck engineering whever possible. 

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My old washer, left behind in the home we sold, was a top loading machine.  The lid was on a pivot type of hinge so, 98% of the lid would go up when it was opened.  And the very back of the lid would drop down, and a metal tab (part of the lid) on the back the lid would release a micro switch, when opeing the lid. The switch needed to be closed by the lid (when it was closed) to ‘be safe’ and the washer would work.

Over the 35+ years we owed the machine, the metal tab on the lid mostly rusted away.   I could have taken the washer a part enough to get to the wiring, and just connected the 2 wires, and it would always run.  No… I just told WoBG just jam a screw driver in, right here, and it will work just fine.  :)

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26 minutes ago, Bikeguy said:

My old washer, left behind in the home we sold, was a top loading machine.  The lid was on a pivot type of hinge so, 98% of the lid would go up when it was opened.  And the very back of the lid would drop down, and a metal tab (part of the lid) on the back the lid would release a micro switch, when opeing the lid. The switch needed to be closed by the lid (when it was closed) to ‘be safe’ and the washer would work.

Over the 35+ years we owed the machine, the metal tab on the lid mostly rusted away.   I could have taken the washer a part enough to get to the wiring, and just connected the 2 wires, and it would always run.  No… I just told WoBG just jam a screw driver in, right here, and it will work just fine.  :)

My first attempt was to try to wedge the door tighter but it wouldn’t hold, so I had to resort to the crutch. 

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1 hour ago, maddmaxx said:

Couldn't the switch be adjusted by moving it a boot.

Nope. It requires taking the door apart. I thought aboot maybe putting some aluminum foil over the male part of the switch on the machine, but figured it might just jam up the works. This is a good lesson that any good end user retro-engineer should always have cedar wedges on hand, an even handier tool than duct tape IMNSHO. :D  Gotta restock them.

 https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/158907

Or maybe https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludge :(

 

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6 minutes ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

Mechanical, half inch protrusion  goes into a slot on the door. Thing is 34 years old, so has had a brazillion cycles. 

Could you adhere a "shim" to the top of the protrusion to make it a bit more proud.

 

(Proud means that the feature is raised from the surrounding surface. You have three conditions proud, flush and recessed)

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29 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Could you adhere a "shim" to the top of the protrusion to make it a bit more proud.

 

(Proud means that the feature is raised from the surrounding surface. You have three conditions proud, flush and recessed)

I would think anything I applied would get sucked into the switch, unless I got ambitious and did something drastic like solder onto it.  Looks to be aluminum.

I 'spose a proper repair of switch replacement is not much worse than kludge attempts providing the 34 year old part is still available, but it has to be a very common switch I would think.  I would like to retain the feature of it shutting off automagically when you open the door with it running.

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  • 1 year later...
On 4/5/2020 at 12:33 PM, Randomguy said:

A true red neck would give up at the first sign of malfunction, and go to hang drying.  

I took that advice - the dishwasher has been fallow for aboot a year now.  I am finally getting tarred of doing dishes.  But not yet $700 taared. :D

 

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17 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said:

I took that advice - the dishwasher has been fallow for aboot a year now.  I am finally getting tarred of doing dishes.  But not yet $700 taared. :D

 

That is another safety switch isn’t it? You are hard on safety switches. Just drill out those screws that won’t unscrew, take the switch out and toss it. Didn’t you buy a new switch? Either install the new switch (with larger self tapping screws) or better yet a wire nut. You might have to make a cover for the hole. Use a piece of inner tube to make a gasket. (Just remembered I think you tried drilling and the screws just spun, take a chisel and chisel the heads off the screws).

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2 hours ago, Longjohn said:

That is another safety switch isn’t it? You are hard on safety switches. Just drill out those screws that won’t unscrew, take the switch out and toss it. Didn’t you buy a new switch? Either install the new switch (with larger self tapping screws) or better yet a wire nut. You might have to make a cover for the hole. Use a piece of inner tube to make a gasket. (Just remembered I think you tried drilling and the screws just spun, take a chisel and chisel the heads off the screws).

I am mot sure it is the safety switch.  It could also be a bad control panel.  I have not yet tried drilling oot the screws, I guess that is in order.

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21 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said:

I am mot sure it is the safety switch.  It could also be a bad control panel.  I have not yet tried drilling oot the screws, I guess that is in order.

Invite Further over for dinner and while dinner is cooking show him your appliances. He can fix anything.

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