anything you(tube) can do

Remember when I said the dryer was "on the fritz" after our flood? What I meant was: "it's totally dead, but I'm determined to fix it." So, I went where all good millennials go when they need to learn a new skill like appliance repair... YouTube.

A couple short videos and a few hours later I had successfully disassembled the entire dryer. Finding nothing obviously wrong after a few simple troubleshooting steps, I began a weeklong debate with myself between buying a new dryer (easy, but so expensive) or attempting to replace the motor myself (challenging and risky, but so much more rewarding). The frugal engineer in me won and I ordered a replacement motor from Amazon. (Mae was a bit skeptical of my decision).

The following Saturday, I removed the old motor (Dan helped with the muscle-y parts), installed the new one, rewired the fuse I had bypassed while troubleshooting, and reassembled the dryer panels. I kept my loose bolts and sockets in an empty Kate Spade jewelry box while I worked. (Engineers can be girly too). Finally, the crisp smell of warm lint filled our basement. Success!

Now, this isn't the first repair I've learned on YouTube. I started out small: how to change the oil in the lawn mower, how to apply a bead of caulk. Then we got a little more advanced: how to replace the lawn mower gas tank, how to replace the guts of a toilet, how to cut crown molding. Before this month, my crowning achievements were replastering the closet wall and disassembling my driver's side car door to replace my side mirror.

I am quite proud that I tackled the broken dryer myself. Plus, I saved us about $500, which helps offset all the other expensive home repairs we've had lately! Lastly, here's a photo of Mae warning me about another impending flood.