Hacking the washer

Well, yesterday did not start out all that smoothly as there was rainwater leaking into our dining room window. We had someone come over to take a look and see where it may be coming from, but he did not see anything obvious. He cleaned out the gutter over the window (it was pretty packed) so we are hoping that was the issue. We'll see today and tomorrow I guess as we are expecting more rain.

Last night we noticed that the washer was washing the clothes just fine, but the tub wasn't spinning. After turning the knob on the washer around and around and around (you get the picture) I decided to lift the lid up and down and up and down and.... Well, I noticed I wasn't hearing the little **click** that I normally hear when opening and closing the lid so I figured out that there was something wrong with the lid switch (the washer will not spin if the lid is open). I went to the web and saw a repair procedure for replacing the switch and it did not look too hard. But I didn't have a switch. Undeterred by my lack of the possession of that part I decided to take the washer apart anyway. With a tub full of water. I didn't get too far into the procedure until I realized that it was a bad idea so I put it all back together. It went back together remarkably well.

Well, I still had a washer tub that would not spin so I decided to see what I could find out about the switch. I had half of it in my hand and noticed that the other half was still in the washer. So I grabbed it and yanked really hard and that is when I found what a was looking for. The innards of the switch were exposed  and I noticed the connection that needed to be made to make the tub spin. Was I really looking at what I thought I was? Only one way to find out. I plugged the washer back in and made the connection by hand. Yeah, I got shocked, but the tub spun!

OK...this is progress. I went out to the garage to get some electrical tape and to make a the connection I just found permanent. I taped and taped and taped...and turned the washer on to finish the cycle. And it worked. And we don't "need" a new washer. And I get to fulfill a childhood dream of mine to watch the washer tub's spin cycle while reenacting the iconic light pole scene from Singing in the Rain. 

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