The house is 4 years old, so it has the drain pan, but wouldn't ya know it. I broke the drain pan moving washers in an out and had to replace that too.
Building codes now require a drain pan under washing machines so any leaks go directly to a drain line and not onto your floor. It's worth the trouble to add such a pan in you can connect to a nearby drain. (You have a drain on the washer, so an added drain might be easier to add than you think.)
Recently a temperature sensor on our high-efficiency washer died, indicated by an error code, something like "E23," on the control-panel LEDs. I had to find this error code and what it meant on the Internet. When the repairman opened the washer cover, lo and behold, there was a maintenance manual taped inside. It includes all of the error messages, diagnostic information, and other helpful information. It might be worth 30 minutes to open your washer and see if it has such a manual. Ours is now in the "Appliance Instructions" folder, not inside the washer. --Jon Titus
Maintenance departments at almost every industrial manufacturing facility frequently work under this guideline; as a result they must make repairs at the most inconvenient time, under pressure, to get the line running again.
They should be working under the guidelines of preventative and predictive maintenance; replacing before something fails. They then get to make this repair/replacement at planned, scheduled down times, without being under the gun of time pressure.
20 years is a nice long run, but one has to be looking over one's shoulder for the transmission or the pump of a washer to die catastrophically exactly when the tub is full of water. Either you won't be able to drain it at all, or it drains all over the floor.
I can't say I disagree with you, naperlou, especially since we are on our third dyer in 3 years. I would love to have the capability/know how to fix these appliances myself when they break. (My husband tries, but usually nothing good will come of it.) Maybe next time I can call on you! =)
Jennifer, there are two answers to your comment. First, it is a challenge. I often find myself fixing something to get it working just for the challenge of it. If that gets me a new capability, so much the better. That seems like part of Bill's motivation. Second, the new device offers new capabilities. Actually, I should add a third. The old device will break (most likely) and it won't be at a convenient time.
Given the history of the Made by Monkeys column, Bill made a big mistake in replacing his old washer/dryer set. I've wanted to replace my old washer for a very long time, but, again, after reading these columns for several years, I just can't pull the trigger. Washers, as well as other appliances, have come a long way, but there is something to be said for the old, reliable machine that doesn't have any bells and whistles. I do admire Bill for his forward-thinking approach - too bad it backfired.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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