Notice Anything Missing?

Since way before Christmas I’ve been waiting for a new dishwasher.  On one very memorable day Sadie and I were lounging in my overstuffed easy chair.  My dishwasher was busy washing the most recent load of dirty dishes.  Typically my dishwasher goes about its business mostly in silence.  We chose this particular brand of appliance particularly because it is well-known for how quiet it is.  That is until it breaks.

Oh, Oh!

On one very unfortunate day I was instantly alerted to my dishwashers malfunction because of a very sudden and unusual noise.  Unusual noises are not something you want an appliance to make.  I set Sadie down on the floor and walked over to my dishwasher.  I listened for a bit more to see if the noise would go away.  When it did not I released the locked handle to stop the machine.  After pausing to wait for the interior water to settle I cautiously opened the dishwasher door.

What Was that Sound?

My hope was that perhaps a utensil or some other dish had somehow obstructed one of the rotating wash arms.  I slid open each of the dish racks looking for an obstruction.  Everything seemed to be in order.  Each of the dish racks were slid back in place.  I closed the appliance door and re-engaged the door lock.  I depressed the start button and listened for the machine to begin.  Unfortunately the noise that caused the commotion returned.  My expert diagnosis 🙂 confirmed something was wrong.  (If I’m an expert then we are in serious trouble.)

Call 1-800 Hubby

I released the locked handle once more then reached for my cell phone.  This called for an immediate message to my hubby.  I sent him a text message notifying him of our new issue.  When my hubby returned home at the end of the day he did his own diagnosis.  He was able to determine that the machine was able to pump water out but was unable to spin about the wash arms.  This equipment failure was not something he could repair.  A call was place to a local repair shop.

We Need Your Help!

The first available appointment that fit in our schedule wasn’t until December 27, 2012.  I was so disappointed with the prospect of hand-washing dishes.  Granted there are only two of us living here but I’m amazed at the quantity of dirty dishes we can accumulate in one day.  We seldom use toss-away dishes.  Being conscious of our environment and our resources we have chosen not to use them.  I’ve been so very spoiled with owning a dishwasher that having to wash even a few dishes seems a huge chore.

Please Fix it Mr. Repairman

We waited for the allotted time to pass with much anticipation.  Our hope was for an easy solution.  As the chips would fall the remedy was not a simple one.  The required repairs were very costly.  Rather than invest a substantial amount of money into a seven-year old appliance we opted to replace it.

The Next Step

The very same day we were given the disappointing news we made a visit to an appliance store.  From the available options we made our selection.  Unfortunately the color we desired was not in stock.  The projected delivery date was weeks in advance.  Reluctantly we agreed to the purchase.

Fast Forward

Fast forward the calendar to today.  The new dishwasher has arrived.  Tonight my youngest son-in-law and my husband will install the new dishwasher.  Having the empty spot in my cabinets once again filled with a dishwasher will be so wonderful.

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What Happened to the Old Dishwasher?

Oh, I suppose you are wondering what we did with the old one.  My youngest son-in-law has it.  He’s very handy when it comes to repairing mechanical items.  Perhaps being a mechanical engineer plays a part in that.  Go figure!  Anyway he took it home and fixed it.  He replaced his old dishwasher with ours.  As of today it’s running properly.

Another happy ending to one of life’s frustrating little problems.