My dearest BDH,
I come to this keyboard today to write to you that we are well. It has been 8 days without a working dishwasher. It is but by the grace of the higher power that we are surviving this crisis. Hope alone sustains us through these dark times, hope that a new dishwasher shall arrive today between the hours of 01:00 PM and 05:00 PM from Wilson Appliances.
Forever yours and deep in dishes,
Ilona, Your Loving Author.
The trouble with the dishwasher started as soon as we came back from vacation. After we got home, I marinated some chicken, and ended up with a load of dishes that had a big glass marinading dish in it.
I start the dishwasher. It gets through part of the cycle. I come back to the kitchen.
DRAIN.
Okay. I have done this song and dance before. I open the dishwasher full of nasty chicken water. Ugh. I get gloves, scoop the water out, take out the filter, clean it out – it’s clean, put it back in, hit the rinse and hold cycle.
DRAIN.
Grrr. I opened the dishwasher, scoop the nasty water out for the second time, remove filter, undo the plastic doohicky that protects a little fan. Sometimes stuff gets stuck under there, preventing the fan from rotating. The fan is clear. Nothing is stuck. Rinse and hold.
DRAIN.
*$##$%%^%$%^.
At that point it was late at night and I didn’t want to wrestle with the chicken water again, so I gave up.
Morning found Gordon messing with the dishwasher. He scooped the chicken water out, checked the filter, checked the fan.
DRAIN.
Maybe there was some grease accumulated somewhere and now things are clogged. We boil water, pour it into the dishwasher. The dishwasher drains. YES! Start the rinse and hold.
DRAIN.
More boiling water.
DRAIN.
DRAIN.
We hoped to have the dishwasher repaired, but nobody works on this brand. We did have a plumber out to check is the hose had clogged.
Plumber: It seems like the motor. How old is this dishwasher?
Gordon: 27 years.
Plumber: This might have something to do with your current problem.
So we bought a new dishwasher. In other news, I have finally finished the nobody knows how old bottle of Dawn’s dishwashing liquid that had been living alone in the dark under the sink.
The house is coming up on 30 years, and so far in the last 18 months the range quit, the fridge bit the dust, and now the dishwasher died.
::eyes the dual ovens::
Between you and me, if they die, I wouldn’t mind, because they are old and the temperature control is questionable. I’m pretty sure 375 is no longer 375. But we are keeping them until they die. They have got to hold on till the mid-fall at least. The Inheritance Buys New Ovens royalties should come in then.
Our smart thermostat quit, but we fixed it and Kid 1’s microwave gave up the ghost, so that concludes the trilogy of appliance breaking. These repairs usually come in threes, so let’s hope this cluster is behind us.
Here is hoping your appliances work well and last way past the manufacturer’s suggested lifecycle.
My appliances always break when my mother comes to visit
I second this post because major things only break at my house when I’m hosting a holiday…the air conditioning last 4th of July, garbage disposal at Christmas, the entire fuse box at Thanksgiving culminating in a lot of drunk people because no food could finish cooking. I think people are scared to visit now.
Wishing House Andrews a speedy installation!
My microwave caught fire possibly from sheer exhaustion one Thanksgiving. Previously my oven caught fire due to pumpkin pie attempting to escape. Fire is a theme for Thanksgiving at my house!
My old Kenmore Refrigerator, Kenmore washing machine and Kenmore dryer lasted over 40 years and a move from California to Virginia. Yep, they don’t make them like they used to…
.
Anne in Virginia
I always had Kenmore. The refrigerator in our garage is 25 years old and still running strong which isn’t easy in Florida summers. Our 5 year old Samsung is being temperamental and only cooling when the mood strikes. *Sigh*
Hope to goodness not the double ovens ! Have you priced those? Cost more than my first car!
I’m at the point of replacing my double ovens. Just got a quote from my local appliance guy last weekend. They still work, but…the sparks a month or so ago made me nervous (plus the whole keeping temp thing).
When my brother’s double ovens died he literally could not find replacements at any price. Ugh.
There is snow inside my freezer-tracked it down to one corner doesn’t seal any more. Duct tape is a temporary fix…as long as I don’t open it. Sigh.
Appliances are awful anymore. My mom had to replace her refrigerator after only 2 years.
Refrigerators today are the worst. I am babying my 20 yo Kenmore in hopes it hangs on until the rediscovery of reliable refrigerator manufacturing.
Kenmore, yes! Just replaced a 40 year old Kenmore water heater. It still worked fine but I didn’t want to tempt fate on a cold winter day. I’m too old. Need my hot water. Still have a Kenmore gas range. The oven is a bit wonky but I don’t use it much (except to store the cast iron cookware) so I’ll hold on to it for a little bit more if it is willing.
Not in a hurry to replace my old stove either, despite 2 failing burners. It seems like current appliances can’t last multiple decades anymore; we’re lucky if they make it to 15 year mark. I’ve been in decision paralysis for new washer & dryer, whether to buy more expensive but better reputation or go cheaper and just hope they last the 7-years they are currently averaging. I have to bite the bullet soon before laundry takes over the closet!
We bought maytag a few years ago when our 40 year old dryer died. I can do a whole basket of clothes now in one load. It is glorious, though I find the locking lid to be super annoying. you have to shut down the whole thing if you need to open and adjust the balance. But every one we looked at locked, so… We bought before the whole bluetooth craze too, so my machine doesn’t require a subscription. (that trend can crawl off and die)
🤣🤣🤣🙌🙌🙌
I second the crawl off and die…and why do new appliances play a tune???
Loved the LG W/D at my previous place so much that when I had to replace the old Kenmores at my new place, I went straight to the updated version of the LGs I had before. Love, love, love having no agitator. They never unbalance (granted, I know how to load them properly, but that never helped with the agitator-type Kenmores).
paper plates
I am the dishwasher 😂 We do not have one but man I wish we did.
yes me too!
I have a dishwasher, but I am also the dishwasher. Most of the time, my dishwasher acts as a dish drying rack 😄
I am also the dishwasher. I have always been the dishwasher. I considered getting a dishwasher dishwasher once, priced them out, and decided I could go on being the dishwasher…
Meanwhile, my sister had a dishwasher appliance that started to break down. The first thing that went was the dish racks, which started to fall off the sliding tracks and sag uselessly. Turned out they were just held in place by a few stupid little plastic tabs that broke off. Replacement parts “would” have cost several hundred dollars but on a machine over five years old were “no longer available” — so I fixed it for her with a handful of zip ties.
Eventually the whole machine broke and had to be replaced — after flooding the kitchen.
The whole fiasco made me decide that a dishwasher is still an unnecessary appliance for me…
I just spent time I won’t get back watching a nice family help their son build an off the grid home out of rammed dirt in bags, pounded dirt floors, family applied stucco, cob walls inside, solar panels, trenches hand dug for septic system in either New Mexico or Arizona or West Texas. Heavy labor in the heat. The very last thing that they installed was a dishwasher. A dishwasher for a single male occupant of the off the grid tiny home. A DISHWASHER?
Yes, a dishwasher 🙂.
It is proven that it uses less water than washing manually.
Even if it did not, everyone deserves clean plates to eat from 🙂. We are not always aware of the mental health status of strangers, their available energy at the end of the day, any potential texture aversions or other barriers to performing care or cleaning tasks.
Washing dishes by hand or by dishwasher is morally neutral. There are no trophies or human value points for either. Everyone makes their choice, based on their lifestyle, what they can afford and what they wish to focus on 🙂
Agree 100%
My exact sentiment!
Crossing my fingers for you, especially with potential price hikes taking effect. I enjoyed one summer of replacing the AC, water heater and washer/dryer(both actually did stop working) all within weeks of each other. Since they reside in the same area of the house, I decided some sort of exorcism for that area was in order to get rid of whatever mechanical demons were residing in the house. Luckily that was it for that summer but it was an expensive one.
May your delivery and installation be smooth and easy!
Consider a surge protector in the fuse box. I had a string of appliance issues, put a whole house surge protector in and the problems stopped. Next house put one in as soon as I bought it. Just still have to deal with the water hose to the ice maker freezing, but no electrical or circuitry issues.
+1. Planned obsolescence is horrible. Looking forward to a new electric stove Friday so the gas fumes from the stove the my *new* house will stop giving me headaches.
May your new dishwasher bring you joy…
I feel you. The refrigerator in our Airbnb broke three days before renters. I had to find one that fit and would be delivered in 2 days in the mountains of NC. Not easy. Upon our arrival home to FL, our 5 year old refrigerator decides that it will only cool when it’s in the mood. We have a refrigerator in the garage so that’s what we are using for now until we either can get it working ourselves or call a repair company. Crossing my fingers that everything else holds together for a bit.
“This might have something to do with your current problem.” Bwahahah! I’m using this line for everything from now on. I can only imagine the side-eye from the technician.
If your oven dies after Inheritance royalties come in, I’d highly recommend an induction stove. They’re so fast! If a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pan, it’ll work on the stove. The oven part is electric, easy peasy. And as of now you get a 30% tax credit, including any cost of upgrading electric.
In the meantime, sending you good vibes and strong arms until the dishwasher gets installed!
I’m currently listening to a historical romance so the opening letter was on theme.
Nasty chicken water is no way to end an evening. May your new dishwasher serve you well.
That’s an exceptional life for a dishwasher, I think. =) We just got a new range and like the last one, this one was an induction. The first one we got was a scratch and dent, and we realized it had other issues, the big burner wouldn’t boil water. This new one is amazing, I am totally sold on inductions now, they have all the responsiveness of gas, and make way less heat. Anyone thinking of switching, though, needs to see if they’ll need new pots before taking the plunge. We had to replace most of ours, but I don’t regret any of it. =)
Induction, ugh.
We just bought a house and it came with an induction stove. I have a good selection of pots and pans that are high end that I’ve collected over the years a piece at a time. None of them work with induction.
We are using the cast iron pans and the bbq grill now until I can get a set of cookware. I refuse to buy the $50-$100 sets because they are junk.
I guess I’m old school but I prefer gas.
I would have agreed once about gas, but not anymore. We decided to invest in a higher-end set of pots and pans and take good care of them. We got the GreenPan Valencia set and they’ve been awesome ever since we had the first induction stove.
Love my greenpan, such an easy keeper
Test your pots and pans with a magnet. If the magnet sticks to the bottom of the cookware, it can be used on induction. If not, then no go for induction.
Hunting Guy, Kayeri:
For your pots and pans that are not induction compatible, the nice people at Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen recommend getting an induction interface disk. The one they rate highest is from Max Burton, whoever they are ($48, $115/4). I got one for a single burner thingy in 2020, and it’s worked fine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00213L3PK/?tag=akotrx01292-20
My portable A/C that I use to keep my bedroom a cool 68/69 degrees for optimal sleep cycles is dying. The compressor makes a horrible noise. I am going to order a new one (I’ve been replacing them every 2 years) but my current one keeps putting out frosty air. It just sounds horrible (I use earplugs at night so I don’t hear it). With the tariff drama, I want to make sure I have one in reserve for when mine actually dies. But your appliance woes are why I live in an apartment now. I spend the $$ for the top floor so nobody above me and it’s worth it. PS I’m loving The Inheritance. Can’t wait to read it all at once.
Didn’t your dishwasher break during Magic Breaks?
We bought our house in 2019. We have replaced the furnace (twice!), air conditioner, water heater, dishwasher and fridge. We’re already budgeting for the washer and dryer to go next (so watch, it’ll be the stove).
All the sympathy for the broken dishwasher – it took us like six weeks to replace ours because of the timing (it failed right before a two week vacation).
I *believe* that was the previous House Andrews house (see what I did there 😁), but don’t quote me hehe
I recommend Daiken for furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps.
A Japanese brand with a 10-12 year warranty. Quality tells in the length of the warranty. No difference in price here in Toronto vis a vis the other brands.
Well known in large commercial installations.
It sets up territories for distributors that sell to homeowners so they can control the quality of the installation as well as product quality.
Available in the US.
Carrier and Lennox generally only offer a 1 year warranty these days. A lot of the other US brands sold by independent retail HVAC installers are actually owned by these 2.
In 2016 we used an independent, told him we wanted a mid priced air conditioners, got one of the Carrier brands for independents. The model could not lower the temp below 78 -80. I found the usually hidden website for the independents and found he installed the cheapest one. A waste of money as ripped it out after 2 weeks of research and installed Daiken. No trouble since.
May your dishwasher arrive on time! Fingers crossed for the rest of the appliances to hang on……
When I was little, I tried to do the dishes in the middle of the night on a Friday, to surprise my parents on Saturday morning. We’re a family of 6 at the time, so sometimes dishes were a morning thing. We were out of dishwasher detergent and little me though “oh, dish soap, same thing”. My dad spent the morning cleaning up the suds and water that were all over the kitchen floor when we woke up.
the last time I got a new dishwasher, the repair shop had it more than I did, in fact they had it long enough that when I got my money back they pro-rated it because it was over a year old, it didn’t matter that I only got to use it 8 times in all that time. I swore right then–never again will I have a dishwasher. But I got lucky 20 years ago, and T. likes to do dishes because it makes his hands feel better.
I feel you dishwasher pain! Ours is 26 years old and is on it’s last legs. We have repaired it three times and no one will touch it now. Replacing is going to be difficult. The previous owner installed it 1/2 inch below the floor so the counter top would be level. To replace it we have to take the countertop off to get it out. Last year the washing machine and the dryer died a day apart.
Sending BDH hugs your way!
My sympathies, the previous owner of our house did similarly frustrating, and in some cases dangerous things. The live metal light fittings come to mind as the most dangerous, but the unsupported floor could have been petty bad too.
Sorry about the dishwasher but I think you should name all your book royalties like this.
This Kingdom buys Ilona New Yarn Stash Royalties or Hugh 2 buys House Andrews even cuter computer key caps royalties.
🤣 Love it!
I’m so sorry about your dishwasher’s (un)timely demise. Although, 27 years is much longer than their normal lifespans. I just bought a house that was built in 1960. But the roof, ac, and heat all were replaced in the last 3 years. The gas water heater though is 25 years old and I am currently waiting on a plumber to replace it. I’m going tankless. I hope your install goes well.
We bought a higher volume gas tankless water heater last year. It has electric ignition. It also has a kill switch that will disable the unit if there should be a drop in gas pressure or concentration. After the first three service calls, the spouse agreed to be instructed how to find and activate the reset. It is absolutely Wonderful when working.
Discovering that the delicate safety mechanism wants the spouse to step outside and pat/reassure it again at 11 pm (23:00) in order to take a hot shower and turn on the dishwasher? Not so much. The gas furnace also has a safety/kill switch for the same purpose. It has only required reset twice this year. Things to ponder fore purchase.
Nearly all of the infrastructure in our area was installed during the early 1930’s. The “powers that be” are still of the “apply a patch, get it working quickly” mindset. This means more interruptions if for shorter duration.
Good luck with your new dishwasher. Appliances are not made to last very long. The crazy thing is they’ll die right after the warranty expires.
The way the Horde will buy anything you write, we’ll keep you and the family in appliance money until eternity. 😁
Oooh I feel your dishwasher pain! Flashback to Mothers Day two years ago. All the brunch dishes are meticulously loaded and the Start/Power/Please Work Button….was not working. Nice repair guy says price to repair is same as new one, so we went shopping! Have to say this new Kitchen Aid brand is very nifty and successfully handled the most recent Mother’s day brunch. (It also appreciates regular reassurance on How Much We Love It’s Existence).
May the Delivery AND Install gods be on your side for a quick resolution to dishpan hands. 😊
How’s your air conditioner doing? Summer and hurricane season about to hit. Houses are organic. Also, once a warranty runs out, then the thing breaks. . .
Or you’re due a large tax refund. That usually triggered my car to break down.
my dishwasher died 2 years ago and I got a Bosch one. I loveeeeee it
I’ve been buying Bosch appliances for decades now, and all have long out-lasted the warranties. I like that they guarantee to produce parts for ten years after they stop making a model, but even then they don’t just change the shape of a part for the sake of it, so you can often use a part meant for a newer model. Not that I’ve have to repair most of them. Not that I’ve had to repair often, a new filter or two and a new seal for the washing machine – it was twenty five years old by then.
When I was a kid, our dishwasher was a second pantry. I have no idea when it broke — I must have been too young to understand — and my parents apparently decided not to replace it, so I grew up knowing that if I wanted a can of soup I looked in the top of the dishwasher.
I’m rather surprised my mom agreed to not replace it. There were 6 of us until my two oldest brothers left for college. She was a stay-at-home mom, but still. That’s a lot of dishes. And to think I thought washing dishes was grown-up and couldn’t wait to start doing them. Man, was I young and naive.
I did dishes by hand until I moved out at 18. Then Mom bought a dishwasher. “Why not before I moved out?” I asked slightly miffed. “I had you to do dishes, sweetie.” Me more miffed.
That was us during Covid. Microwave, toaster oven, chest freezer & oven all died within a couple of weeks of each other. And the cost of appliances has gone way up since all those things were last purchased so good bye $4000. Then the day after everything got delivered, the garage fridge died. We decided to honour its origins & replace it with another secondhand fridge.
My dishwasher stopped working, but she’s feeling better. 🙂
lol – may you persevere through any crisis with style and humor:-)
Appliance woes are the worst! We are dealing with HVAC – and I know as soon as we pay and install something else will break down.
While you were on vacation your appliances plotted against you. They do this whenever it looks like you might have a bit of extra money to spend. Tax return, birthday gift, small scratch off ticket win, and nice vacations. They are devious and attention seeking. This attention seeking displays itself if one appliances dies out of turn so another, or two, will start glitching almost immediately. I have found no cure for this. I don’t speak of any positive cash flow in the kitchen nor the laundry room. The HVAC has ears all over the house. Sometimes the vehicles join in but that’s a talk for another day… Why yes, I need a life. Thank you for your wonderful stories and try to hide any extra income in the mattress. It is usually trust worthy.
LOVE the appliance plotting scenario – it explains SO much:) I’d watch out for the mattress though – could be a sleeper agent just waiting for your guard to drop before executing its mission.
i like this theory. Would make a great short story for someone with imagination. 😀
I have actually recently acquired a new washing machine from Wilson’s, they seem like a good company and I go back to them if something else breaks.
In 2020 my husband and I purchased our house knowing that we would be spending the next few years updating it slowly. It was built in 84, and the only thing done to it was an update to the kitchen. We have redone, floors, all three bathrooms, the roof, and have now replaced, the fridge, the microwave, the stove oven, the ac, and now the washing machine.
I have always wanted to replace the dishwasher. I really, really want a Bosch. But, since God laughs at plans, I have never got my dish washer, I have instead replaced nearly every other major appliance in my house.
We joke that the dish washer will be the last thing to die! I only have the hot water heater and my dryer left so maybe soon. 😅
I feel your pain about the dishwasher. Mine is between 25 and 30 yo and it leaks intermittently. The problem is it’s a portable dishwasher. My cabinets are custom so there’s no way to install one under the counter (I wish I could). I priced new portables. Wow!
Good wishes on no more appliance snafus.
Moved back home into my parents house on the farm after my mom died and we had to put my dad in an assisted living facility. Drain field failed almost immediately 12K to replace. Dishwasher also was broken and no local availability to replace. So I’ve been washing dishes by hand for about 9 months 🤦♀️. I feel your pain. Yard work had been neglected and had to get everything trimmed and trees removed that were in danger of falling on the house. Another 7K. But it’s worth it to give my dad peace of mind that the property is taken maintained.
That is a labor of love for sure.
during covid i did the dishes by hand because there are just two of us. you’d better believe when people started moving around again i got a new dishwasher. But i’ve already replaced the dishwasher and fridge. two washers and a dryer in 20 years. i remember when appliances lasted 20 years or more
My condolences on the death of the dishwasher and the various other appliances. A dead dishwasher really brings home just how many dishes must be washed.
It’s 2025. Weren’t we supposed to have Rosie the Robot by now??
May your new dishwasher arrive in a timely fashion, be installed with ease, bring you much joy (and clean dishes), and be long-lived.
They really are prioritising the wrong things with AI, aren’t they? How about you make something that can clean my damn house instead of something that does art and writing – those are the fun, creative things that I want to do myself, damn it!!
WITNESS!!!
Except I’m not sure I want that stuff in the house with me. Talk about the appliances plotting to overthrow!
Washer and dryer?
Jinx! lol
I bought 55 inch flat screen TV in 2007. It is finally in need of retirement. Great TV. Getting a free one from my new internet company. Same size, same brand. Quite the coincidence.
The only thing my internet company gives me are bills. And sometimes excuses when it stops working. Lucky you! 😄
Awww. I’m sorry.
When my former internet company raised my bill by $40.00 per month I said goodbye to them. I was very lucky my cell phone carrier now has internet in my area. The former company used to be the only carrier in town. My now internet (and cell phone ) company gave me some other great perks, too. I was very lucky.
I know the appliance pain… My clothing washer died. The same day my cat developed incontinent diarrhea (antibiotics for a UTI). So I had a lot of VERY stinky laundry. Thank goodness I’m a packrat and still had my portable washer from college that hooks up to a sink! The bigger shock is that it pretty much worked despite sitting in storage for 5 years!
Now I’m scared. Our air conditioning hasn’t been working well on the bedroom floor (only for the kids’ room, but 1 has POTS and heat makes it worse), so they are coming again Thursday.
My dishwasher just did this too, we had to take the drain/filter apart and put it back together multiple times to get it going but its a youngster at only 15 years old 😅 My nemesis is the fridge, with its wimpy drawers & door that always slams shut on my arm, but it will likely last forever just out of spite.
My washing machine keeps crashing! It displays an error code, makes a sad little bleeping noise, and quits working.
I long for the good old days when washers didn’t have computer chips and crashed only when dropped off the back of the delivery truck.
I’m pretty sure setting my oven temperature is just a suggestion at this point.
The BDH pledges to fund your new oven this fall! 🫡
Lol! Good luck and Godspeed on the new dishwasher. After ours was installed last year there was rejoicing heard thru the house. Maybe a happy dance or two thrown in for good measure. I HATE doing dishes by hand. I’d rather mow the dang yard… lol
I’d rather run the mower than the vacuum any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. It might be noisy, but at least it’s outside.
“The Inheritance Buys New Ovens royalties should come in then.” 😆 Once heard Steve Perry, who wrote a bunch of Conan the Barbarian books in the 1990s, say that besides being fun it was good money and dubbed them “Conan the Car Repairs,” “Conan the Mortgage,” and my fave “Conan the College Tuition.”
My refrigerator is 37 years old and dying a slow death that I’m dreading. The ice maker quit working about 6 years ago. Meh, that’s what ice trays are for. Things on the back side of the shelves on the fridge side started freezing about 3 years ago. Meh, turned up the temperature, all good. Now the compressor is periodically making a whining noise. I’m going to hate it when it finally dies. I’ll have to pay way too much to replace it and the new one probably won’t last a quarter as long. There isn’t any such thing as a quality product any longer. Best of luck with your new dishwasher.
I am most terrified of the heat pump going out! 27 years is pretty good for a dishwasher, although I know it’s cold comfort. I hope you love your new dishwasher.
“This might have something to do with the problem you’re having. ” LOL. Mine is ancient and I am handwashing the dishes. The fridge is 17 years old and I am aware I am on borrowed time.
When we got our place 13 years ago, we were first time buyers and as it was a new build and our budget was limited, we got the standard appliances, which were obviously the cheap stuff. The dishwasher croaked after 6 years, the oven is currently dying, and the fridge has been making annoying sounds for years. Had it been up to me, I would’ve replaced everything by now for the good stuff, now that we can afford it, but my partner is of the “it ain’t dead yet so we’re keeping it” school of thought. Sigh.
Mind you, the most fun was had when our washing machine broke the day after we got back from the hospital with a newborn. Our neighbours were on vacation so we used theirs for the week it took to get a new washer in, and I’m still grateful for that 😅
We had the dishwasher conk out on us at the beginning of the pandemic, and then we had to wait for a new one (Bosch “smart” model) for 5 months!
I have an arrangement with husband where I cook and he does the dishes, so for 5 months he was joking that he was “the Bosch of dishes” 🤦♀️
When we bought our house 3 years ago the previous owners did not disclose how many “projects” they fixed. We knew we had to change some electrical outlets and the main from the house to the street. As time passed the water heater went out, turns out it was self installed 🙃 and was too small for the house size. The dishwasher would start then stop, but because the countertops were exactly on top of it, we couldnt pull it to figure it out. Then the power in half of the house went out and I told hubby we need to get the dishwasher checked too.
Him and a buddy redid out countertop to create space.
But once the electrician came we knew it wasnt going to be good…. The whole team had to come out to carefully and painstakingly rewire parts of our house and fuse box. It was not cheap, but it turns out, that was the dishwashers issue. It was dangerously wired in and kept slipping out and eventually took out half the house.
Im praying nothing else breaks for anyone for the rest of the year.
We own a home in St Aug FL. Six feet above sea level and about 200 m from the intercostal. We remodeled in 2014 and bought all new appliances. Matthew hit in 2016, all new appliances except the microwave it was high enough. Irene 2017 all new appliances. In winter of 2018, I realized instead of getting new ones would have to deep clean the current ones. I was happy/slightly annoyed. May the god/goddess of appliance keep yours.
Hope you got a nice quiet dishwasher …. I didn’t know they could be that quiet until I had to buy all the appliances when I moved into this condo …. Thank you Sears … anyway, dishwasher (Kitchen Aid), now 10 years old, is my favorite appliance. So quiet! And cleans decently too.
“Inheritance Pays for New Ovens” made me laugh.
Sadly, my complex dates from the era of plastic piping… thought to be the be-all and end-all of modern plumbing back in the early 2000’s … and have heard stories from neighbors where vendors have refused to install new dishwasher because of are aging plastic piping.
Home ownership … the gift that keeps on giving …
I bought a new dishwasher about 15 months ago. used it for about 5 weeks and the control bar quit giving us information. You could turn the dishwasher on, turn the heat off, and it would tell you it was “Clean” but no idea what cycle, how long it was going to run. Took me 6 weeks to get the store to fix it. that bar lasted 3 months. Took 5 more months to get the electronics in the control bar replaced. Except that’s not the issue. the seal on the bar isn’t installed correctly and that’s letting water get to the electronics. I talked to the owner of the store because now it’s out of warranty and gave him 3 options… Replace the entire control bar, pay for the extended warranty and I’ll have Whirlpool replace it or replace the entire dishwasher. The last option is that I bring my new dishwasher up and dump it in the parking lot with “STORE doesn’t support what they sell” spray painted on it and take them to court. The owner came out and replaced the bar, himself. Hopefully this holds.
Appliances built during Covid just suck.
good luck.
Wow, that sounds nasty. I have a townhouse in AZ which was built in 1977. The original dishwasher is still running. Since I am a single woman I usually hand wash my dishes at the sink, then load them in the DW to dry. Rarely do I actually run the DW but whenI do it still runs! W hen I moved in 10 yrs ago I bought a new stove, microwave and fridge.. the over the stove large microwave lasted the end of last year, so 9 years. Everything else is stil going strong.
LOL on the question about how old your dishwasher was. You know you have to replace when a search online for parts tells you that parts for appliance X are no longer being manufactured. The repair person line “I’ve never seen one like this before” is another harbinger of replacement is nigh:)
Ilona, you are so amusing. The intro letter to the BDH had me laughing out loud. Your (and Gordon’s) writing is a delight to read.
It makes me feel good to know I will be one of those funding your new range. 🙂
I have lived in my house 27 years, in the last year I have replaced all kitchen appliances and my 2nd water heater. I figure I have ten years, to down size…
Our microwave dieda few months ago. While looking at new microwaves we lusted over the ranges as ours was falling apart and decided to bite the bullet. They installed a month ago. Over the weekend we kept smelling gas… turned off the gas and called the installer who came out today and found that they had installed the range incorrectly. That’s fixed, but they were supposed to come at noon and didn’t come until 430, so takeout it is tonight.
Hopefully we’re not awaiting our third failure…
(unhelpful horde comment) I will buy an advance copy of The Inheritance for $100 right now and also all versions of it when it’s officially released, all in support of new appliances. I’m way too obsessed 😆
Appliances are a crap shoot these days. My basic electric oven is ol dependable after 10 years, while my friend’s top-of-the-line chef fridge died after 6 months due to ‘dirty power’ which voided the warranty (we live in a remote island that is supplied by diesel generators).
you should look into a whole house isolation transformer/ surge suppressor setup that can protect against dirty power. I don’t know how easy it would be to get where you live, but will save you grief with appliances and the like,especially if they have computer controls.
I have 5 kids and don’t have a dish washer.Havent in almost 20 years. I was happy as a clam when we got an ice maker about 5 years ago. lol
Oh boy. Things always go bad at the same time. My double oven is also temp-suspect and I’m just looking for a good deal to get a new one.
I had that draining problem with my dishwasher too (I doubt it’s the same issue because mine was comparatively new) and I couldn’t figure it out. Did all the same things you did. Then the plumber came and told me all the big expensive things I needed to pay him to do. I said I’d think about it and had him look at my sink in the meantime and there’s a little doohickey on the far right on the part where the faucet and accessories are. He picked up the plastic thingy which was covering some other thingy made of metal and it was filled with dog hair. The previous owners of the house had yorkies and I’m sure they bathed them in the kitchen sink. Anyway, it’s worked famously ever since the dog hair was removed from the doohickey. And wasn’t that plumber embarrassed and disappointed. hehehe
Old houses are money pits. Our house is 51 years old; we’ve been here 25 years. I think we’ve replaced every appliance twice, including HVAC and water heater.
We still have the original GE refrigerator from 1956 when the house was built by my husband’s parents, and it works great. It’s in the garage is still used as a second refrigerator. There have probably been more than three replacement refrigerators in the kitchen; we just had to purchase a new one last year. We bought a GE.
Wow! I did not know appliances were expected or could live longer than a 3 to 5 years?
Well, yeah! 3-5 years would be completely pathetic. Anyone telling you 3-5 years is definitely trying to sell you something, and probably not a reputable something. Or else they’re the kind of early adopter/fashionista that is always on the lookout for new excuses to prop up the excessive consumption industry.
30 years? How is your roof? (ducks head).
Newly replaced 2 years ago 😝https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/the-roof-the-barking-and-the-failed-quest-for-inner-peace/
My sincerest condolences on your dishwasher.
I have a 20ish year house and have been living in the dark ages with a fridge which no longer makes ice. But I refuse to replace it bc I am old enough to remember the Time Before when there were trays which required 5 minutes of careful tilting under the faucet and a bit of twisty dexterity.
I’m calling it “forced mindfulness” and it’s actually enjoyable to do the twisty crunching thing. I feel like that has been a lost bit of joy after a long day
The horrors persist….
My relationship with my housemate depends on a working dishwasher. Fortunately we found a replacement machine in a week because rage was building to critical levels. The counter doesn’t clean dishes no matter how one might wish.
Fingers crossed for your ovens!
27 years? Damn. You have no room to complain.
I wish you another 27 years with the new one 😉
As for the oven temperature issue, there are a number of low cost WIFI enabled temperature sensors; typically barbecue people use them. Some have ambient, as well as food temperature sensors.
If not WiFi, Blue Tooth
oh man, dishwasher problems freaking suck. We supposedly had a brand new dishwasher when we moved into this house. Somehow though it was already rusting in places. It was full of dirty water and would not drain properly. Turns out the person who installed it ran the line through the garbage disposal and hooked it into the cold water line. Epic fail times two. We had to pay someone 500 dollars to have it done correctly. It cost more than the dishwasher. Feel your pain, sister. I do.
Please make sure Ilona hears this: we had to replace our double ovens. There are only a few double ovens that fit in the specific cabinet dimensions of whichever double ovens you currently own. So if you have to get a new cabinet, you might as well get a whole new kitchen!!! We found a double oven that fit in our space but it is not convection and I know the temperature is off. I hate these new ovens. Can’t wait to redo kitchen!!!
Me side eyeing my almost 33 year old refrigerator every time it makes a funny noise. It stays too cold in the bottom and has for years buts keeps milk fresh way past the best before date.
i hear you on the dishwasher and would love an update on the new one! I also am very familiar with the “disasters come in threes” phenomenon.
my 2 year old loves to help unloading the dishwasher. he helped a little too much and broke one side of the top shelf.
the part replacement was worth more than the dishwasher so my husband ziptied it.
but it hangs a little low and prevents the door from shutting tightly. so we have to duct tape the door shut but it still periodically pops open mid cycle so I can only run it when I can keep an eye on it instead of overnight.
I wish we had replaced it pre-tarrifs. We have a kitchen aid and I’ve looked at buying another from costco but it seems like all the bad reviews are the most recent. I’m using a lot of Dawn in the meantime.
Do you mind sharing the brand you got?
best wishes from one giant dawn bottle to another.
Well…..
Our house was built in 1990. I Don’t remember when the dishwasher broke, but we never replaced it and in its location, I constructed a pull out trashcan.
I prefer just washing the dishes by hand. I feel it’s quicker and uses less water anyway.
As far as our stove, it’s still going, and the baking temperature is also probably questionable.
I think we’re on our third refrigerator. And maybe our fourth washing machine.
Time flies.
I love your plumber’s comment.
Kindest regards for your new dishwasher!!! Love that tea service and the tone of your note.
We are babying our Bosch; it’s been repaired twice (once after the repair tech broke the control panel after fixing the other problem). We are also babying our 1983 Panasonic Convection Microwave Oven; the one that can hold a 19-pound turkey, and has NO digital controls. Recently the ceiling cover protecting the convection innards gave up, so we only use the microwave functions now. After 21 years of programming, I relish my non-digital appliance; knobs and dials preferred!
I live in a rental house that doesn’t have a dishwasher. I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like.
I’m really sorry for your troubles!
It isn’t just broken appliances that come in threes. April just about killed us.
First we had a huge number of storms several days in a row, it flooded our basement AND got into both the water heater AND the brand new furnace. Almost $700 in damages, plus about $200 to buy a new sump pump which had stopped working and was required to drain the water out before we could get things fixed.
Did this count as our three things? Oh, if only!
The worst thing was after that. My husband was laid off from his job. They were super nice and gave him about two weeks of vacation money that he had not earned yet because he was blameless (they restructured their business and got rid of his whole department), but we were really hoping he would retire from that job in about six years.
Then, the last week of April, when I thought all the bad luck was surely gone, a woman crossed four lanes of traffic aiming for a grocery store parking lot, didn’t see me innocently driving home from work minding my own business in my own lane, and crashed right into my very-precious car!
Truthfully, it could have been a lot worse. Thank God no one was hurt (the woman who hit me had her four-year-old daughter in the car, but my baby is in the shop. Hopefully, the other driver’s insurance will be paying for everything, but in the meanwhile my insurance company has started the process and my car is in the dealership’s collision center.
I hope and pray we are completely finished with bad luck for a long, long time! It is someone else’s turn for awhile! 🙂
And here’s hoping you get a fabulously working dishwasher with no nasty chicken water in your future for a long, long time, too!
First, my apologies!
I was — am — laughing so hard right now.
Not because you are having “old house” issues, but because my family and I are going through similar troubles.
It started two-and-a-half years ago after living for 14 years in the new house.
(1.) My “fancy” French door, bottom drawer freezer fridge — which I bought at a super reduced price because it had been damaged during delivery to the store (surface damage, a dent in the side and a big scratch on the front) — suddenly developed a “tick” in the door’s ice dispenser.
(2.) The dryer died.
(3.) The cooktop started leaking natural gas.
I am now babying the dishwasher. Pre-washing has become my thing.
H-E-double-hockey-sticks! What’s next?
Oh, right. The washer and the double ovens.
::Major explicative!::
My parents, on the other hand, bought a new 1968 Frigidaire bottom freezer refrigerator (bronze) that lasted 40+ years before the motor burned out. If it wasn’t for a mouse that got caught in the cooling fan, it might’ve lasted a few more years. (Our cats weren’t that great at their jobs…)
Darn that old saying, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to.”
I certainly hope you get through the crisis and get to enjoy a few years of quiet bliss before the next catastrophic appliance meltdown.
And yes, it seems catastrophe always occur in threes.
I believe it was Caldenia (Innkeeper Chronicles) that said it, and I’m paraphrasing here… sorry it’s not a clip from one of the books…
“People have an amazing capacity for self-delusion.”
Otherwise we’d run screaming into the night when reality knocks on the door to claim its due.
Take care, hope your ovens hold out for a few more years.
Love the books!
Cheers!
I think, we’ll, I hope our dishwasher lasts another 25 years , it only gets used at Christmas and rarely during the year, we never had one during my childhood, sister and I fought over who’d wash and who’d dry, but do feel for you seems to me when one appliance starts failing it’s like a rolling stone , collects others on the way down.
The living of life can be fraught with difficulty. Especially if you’re a home owner. Something is always busted, getting ready to bust, or, at the very least, thinking of staging a dramatic moment. Our sewer line went kablooie this morning 😱. Stinky yuk. Last autumn we had rats in the attic. I plan for a tsunami next week… just in case.
I hope your double ovens last till summer’s come and gone 👋 .
In the last six months, I’ve had to replace two AC units and the kitchen ref/freezer. I hope this means I’m done with the appliance replacement trifecta (ART™) for the foreseeable future. Fingers crossed for your dual ovens.
I’m living in an apartment that was built in the late 1960’s and has never been upgraded since then. There is no place for a dishwasher of any kind, except one that costs a mint, has to filled by hand, and will wash about 6 dishes at the same time. I only had a dishwasher for a little over a year in a previous rental, but have been moaning over its loss for five years now. I’m pathetic…
My deepest condolences. I had exactly the same twenty years ago. Four main appliances died in a span of 12 month. Of course they were really old as well. It happens because we all buy them around the same time eg moving into a bigger house /apartment. But there’s a silver lining : everything hold on for more then twenty years. No idea though for how long new items are built. Keep your cool.
Whenever I hear a repair/ breakdown problem I thank my stars that my husband was born with the talent to fix anything and everything mechanical and I am filled with joy at the amount of cash we’ve saved over our lifetime.
Then again give a little get a little, I’m using 40 year everything so style and definitely 5 star ratings are lacking.
I’m loving the Inheritance, but hate having to wait to get more of the story. If you need oven funds early, feel free to release it 😉
I second that (e)motion.
Thank you for making me laugh out loud whilst fighting brambles in our garden. Not sure yet who’s winning but we fight on . Moved recently and there is lots to do. Sincerely hope your appliance woes are coming to an end xGrrr
Our barely 7 year old Bosch dishwasher gave up the ghost a month ago. The one before it lasted 10 years (Sieman). We don’t like the new one(weird tray layout), but it’s affordable, works and came quick. Good luck with yours.
I pledge to do my part to fund the new ovens once Inheritance comes out.
🤜🤛
All I can say is UGH! However, you did get a great life out of a dishwasher. Unfortunately now nothing last more than about 7-10 years according to our multiple engineer friends at Bosch. That is just sad. Our house is only 18 years old and we have replaced a roof, HVAC and windows (only half so far because they are expensive) since January this year!!!! I feel your pain. My husband and I both turn 62 this year and are taking our social security so we can pay for the windows. LOL
We just had to replace our refrigerator in a huge hurry because it died. I decided I ddin’t want to deal with the same level of “just buy whatever is in stock because we need it RIGHT NOW” for the upright freezer that’s making ominous noises so that one is being replaced this week at a time and manner that is convenient for me to deal with the contents. Then I will sell the old, still-working-but-for-how-long freezer nice and cheap to someone with more patience for appliance nonsense than I have right now.
I’m an avid reader of your blog, but I rarely comment. However, this time I just had to. Only you could make me laugh out loud reading about a dishwasher disaster. “Chicken water”indeed.
I’ve been through three dishwashers two refrigerators and one stove in the 27 years I’ve lived in my home. The planned obsolescence of appliances is an unfortunate fact in our American economy. Growing up, my parents purchased a new stove the year my sister was born. When my mother moved from the house into a condo some 50+ years later, the oven and stove still worked perfectly, and unlike my own, was in pristine like new condition.
the dollar stores – i think – maybe walmart, sells a pool/water tool where you just pull the handle back and it sucks the water up into the tub and then can shoot a jet of water across the whatever…
anyway we have 2 of these for cleaning out the dishwasher or the toilet or…. ect ect ect and you can also use it to force clear a few things too. 2025 is such a crappy year we are replacing all 4 of the toilets in our house… only 2 were planned and when the 3rd one decided to get sus we just decided to go for the full set
Your dishwasher intro. So on-point, so relatable. My husband and I share, out-loud, our gratitude for our dishwasher nearly daily.
Ugh – I went 8 days without a dishwasher last year because the crappy Samsung (their initial ones were HORRIBLE) finally quit (came with the house) and I got the Bosch I wanted. Worth it though, that thing gets everything clean every time (unless it’s loaded wrong). Something I’d never experienced previously (so I HIGHLY recommend them – whichever you can afford, even the 100 – seriously).
I’ve also replaced the Fridge (it was 15) and yep, double oven is on it’s last legs and it WILL SUCK when it goes… fingers crossed one more year…..
if that was a Bosch dishwasher there is a small pump for discharge that goes bad , it is this cheap plastic assembly ,( well cheaply made) that can be replaced pretty easily. generally the Bosch dishwashers are pretty well made, the reason that pump went on our dishwasher was the idiots who did our renovation fed the drain hose via an unheated crawl space that would freeze in winter. dumb bell me didn’t realize until 25 years had passed, thanks to a service tech, I could route it through the base cabinets *duh*.
appliances in general stink, I don’t care the brand or cost. We were looking at refrigerators and were shocked that mod range refrigerators , 3k and up, were so cheaply built, you knew looking at them you would be replacing them in 5 years. flimsy plastic construction, and electronic controls that go and you can’t replace the boards bc they no longer exist. I think we are going to get our good old Sub zero that is 30 years old rebuilt, for the cost of a midrange refrigerator. No computer on it, and it has a heavy duty compressor and other components that don’t die just after the warranty expires.
yes to the threes. My husband lost his job and a week later the 18 year old dishwasher broke. We tried to do without for 2 weeks before we caved. When the old one was removed we discovered it had been slowly leaking and the subfloor was rotten. Sigh, but my husband was home and could do the work for under $1000: we had been quoted $7000 to replace the subfloor and install new flooring. Then the oven died (also 18 yrs old)and it was over 5 WEEKS without one. We were cooking outside on the BBQ and its side burner for all of March: snow and rain. It made us very pleased with our modern appliances and heating as we became very aware of what a pain and how time consuming cooking with wood and outside is. We also are keeping an eye on our fridge as it is also 18 hours old. Fingers are crossed it will hold on until employment can he found.
We bought a dishwasher for our house in 2017, we had to cut out a cabinet because the house is 100+ years old and never had one before. Last year it started glitching; sometimes it won’t turn on and we have to go to the basement and shut it off for a while, then it works again. Other times it will start cycling through the modes while it is running and will ding randomly. In order to replace it we would have to tear out the tile floor in front of it. It is an LG, and the only appliance by them that hasn’t had problems is the microwave (we bought a four piece set at a decent discount). No more LG appliances ever again.
Fingers crossed you don’t have any more problems until you can afford them.
My sympathies. We have fuses. The dishwasher and the microwave cannot be run at the same time. When the 20+ dishwasher dies the space will be filled with a cupboard from the hardware store and I will have more storage! I don’t want to think about my stove. Nope, Nope, Nope.
We had a close call with our 60 year old Gaffer & Sattler oven last week. The frame spreader (a piece of metal) was coming off the floor of the oven. Fortunately, I found a welder to reattach it. He was impressed with the quality of the pieces (compared to a more modern ovens). Phew, new-oven-bullet dodged for now!
AHHH… but how many of your fans remember the good old days when you flooded the kitchen in your old house and had to redo the whole thing with just one glitch after another. our own appliances came with the new house over 10years ago, but like us I think they are looking to retire.
We washed dishes by hand for months because my husband and I couldn’t agree on a dishwasher. The problem was solved when we moved…
RIP dishwasher! May your kind spirits bless House Andrew on all matters appliances!
My prayers outgoing to you and your family; may the dishwasher be delivered timely today AND installed in working order!
Gotcha on the double oven thing — our double oven is over 30 years old, one oven doesn’t work at all and the other has very unreliable temperature — there is a handmade chart correlating “Desired Temperature” with “Dial Temperature” taped on the fridge — result: I don’t use the oven or make food requiring the oven. Win/win? I don’t know. Oh, also, our double oven is smaller than standard and very few options are available 😉
Try having a downdraft oven. NIGHTMARE to replace. The design was in the house when we bought it 20 years ago. To replace it cost a kidney.
Had to laugh, sorry! I hope the new dishwasher is in and working!
My 105yo house didn’t come with a dishwasher. Being single, I barely miss having one. One of my oldest friends, also single, has never had one in her condo of the same vintage. My brother and SIL only use theirs when their adult kids are at home. I shudder to think about not having one if more than two people routinely eat at home, though. And I will have one when I build my own place, because sometimes a few days do go by where the schedule makes it inconvenient to scrub dishes.
My stuff always seems to break when my husband is on a turnaround. One year, I assisted in the breakage by first running the zero turn mower (I’m not good at driving it) into one of the columns that holds our front porch up, followed by running it into the water line off our well pump. Panicked call from me, who by this point is soaking wet from shutting the water off, and an hour later (he has a long drive to work), hubby arrives and fixes the problem with the water in 15 minutes. The porch had to wait a little longer. Usually, the septic lift station pump goes out (now have a temp fix) and the aerator pump trips (ditto), followed by the garbage disposal, clogged drains (not me, I SWEAR), and air conditioning problems. I do have the AC man & plumber on speed dial.
I’m not a “helpless little woman”, just a woman with too many back problems and not enough time to learn how to fix everything. I am, however, good with a hammer, screwdriver, and cordless drill.
I am currently in this garbage dump with you. Have been without a dishwasher for almost a year. Everytime we buy one, there is a problem with delivery, installation, etc. Just replaced the dryer, only to have everyone in my family *itch and moan constantly that it didn’t have a “function.” Oh, you snowflakes. So, I bought another (on sale) and a new washer (the old one, 25 years, ScReAmEd every time it was filling.)Now I have a new dryer, sitting in my living room (it is a lousy coffee table, but maybe I can hide inside it to get away from these people,) while I try to sell it for something on FB marketplace. I swear, I understand your pain. Just know, I’m down in that garbage dump with you.
Ugh, I feel your pain! We’ve been in this house for 24 years, have replaced the HVAC twice, 3 dishwashers, two refrigerators, the water heater and the stove. Not to mention the roof and windows. Would actually love to paint and remove 20 year old wallpaper and carpet, but things just keep breaking. The house came with a downdraft oven, and it never worked properly. We replaced the control board ($400 20 years ago), and it worked for about a week. My daughter’s first grade teacher was concerned that she didn’t know what an oven was. She was relieved when we explained that ours had not worked in our child’s lifetime, and the oven served as storage space! Don’t even get me started on the septic tank and drainfield…
I hope you bought a Kitchen Aide dishwasher. My first KA lasted over 30 years and was still working but was not stainless steel and was rusting inside. Bought a Sears Elite next and less than 2 years, the soap dish broke. So bought another Kitchen Aide and 6 years plus and working great.
Heh we bought our house 8 years ago and it didn’t come with a dishwasher…. imagine that. We’d have to have it built in and we couldn’t afford it so I got one of those countertop ones. Small scale but it worked well for 3 years and shot the craps. Couldn’t afford another so ever since I’ve been hand washing dishes. 🙄 It’s actually not that bad. It’s just my husband and I and I always clean as I go or I’d commit murder if I had to do them all at once. 😂 It works for now. I think dishwashers are nice but when they break down it’s more trouble than it’s worth. You’d think in 2025 they’d be better but people I’ve talked to have had many issues with theirs brand new or old doesn’t matter.
Sadly, the appliance industry EXPECTS your dishwasher to last only five to seven years. Yes, you read that correctly.
Similarly, new fridges, stoves, washers, and so forth, in the constant quest to become more energy-efficient, become increasingly touchy about their internal sensors.
They are not, as a rule, built to be repaired economically.
Maintenance-free really means “Buy a new one, you cheapskate.”
No matter what the sales rep tells you, expect to replace your new dishwasher in five to seven years.
One other tip, learned the hard way: EMPTY EVERY POCKET before loading the washing machine! A stray bobby pin or similar, straight piece of metal will work its way loose and get caught between the inner metal drum and the outer PLASTIC drum of your washer. Over time, it will grind a hole in the outer plastic drum, until it opens a tear going all the way around. This is a catastrophic fail. How much water the washer sheds everywhere depends on how high up the bobby pin was. At the top? Not too much. At the bottom? Flooded basement.
I’d still be using my workhorse Kenmore if that ^%@@$ bobby pin hadn’t slipped through.
27 year!! that is amazing. I can’t say how old mine is it came with the house which still had the original avocado cast iron sink. some things last a long time but when it is time they all go together.
I feel the pain. We finally got a new washer and dryer yesterday after waiting for over a month for Home Depot to stop postponing the delivery. The old set was a GE pair that I had for 30 years. Dryer still worked great, but the washer was rusted out on the bottom and leaked all over the garage floor every time we used it. I splurged on top of the line models and boy what a difference. It’s like going from a 30 YO car to a new one. All electronics and bells and whistles. My son had to download an app to program them from his phone.
Now keeping my fingers crossed that my equally ancient kitchen appliances and A/C system last until this set is paid for.
My dishwasher died a few years ago. Guess who replaced the dishwasher? Yep, me. I never seem to clear the sink of dishes for very long.
I have to hold my oven door closed with my foot until I can reach a chair to wedge against it. The fridge is so noisy we can’t sit in the kitchen and the washing machine drain has a stone stuck in it so when the rinse and spin cycle gets going it’s like a cement mixer full of gravel….
I am not replacing any of them until they finally give up the ghost!!!
LOL definition of “die hard”!
Sigh I would love our appliances to last but our washing machine just died going into our winter 🙁
There are nice internal temp gauges for ovens. Just stick them to the inside and they talk to your phone with Bluetooth magic. Cooks use them alot when we don’t trust the ovens…which is all the freaking time when it comes to breads and desserts.
It’s true, appliances always break in multiples, in the run up to sell the house, the washer, the fridge and then the dishwasher had to be replaced. All were less than ten years old. Argh!
Here’s hoping the new dishwasher works beautifully!
I had issues with my refrigerator – it would get iced up behind the panel in the freezer, and the air channel between the freezer and fridge would fill with ice… meaning no cold air reaching the fridge. Fridge was less than 10 years old. For 2 years, I limped along, removing EVERYTHING from the freezer ( who needs 8 Costco cooler bags?… I did) and used a heat gun to melt the ice every ~6 months. Then it started getting filled in 2-3 weeks, and I had to replace it… finding one to fit in the very narrow space available in my tiny kitchen (28″ wide) was challenging.
My oven is now 9 years old and hasn’t been great at getting to temp for the last couple. I ended up investing in a thermometer for the oven so I can check when it has gotten to temp. It beeps and says it is “done” with pre-heating to 350 only for me to open the oven and the thermometer reads 300. I’ve learned it needs at least 30 minutes to reach 359, anything higher than that needs longer. My first house, I had a gas stove my grandmother bought me as a housewarming gift, a Kenmore, it was still working when I moved 13 years later. I redid the entire kitchen but didn’t have to replace the stove or the fridge, both were still going strong. I’m on my 2nd dishwasher, 2nd fridge, 2nd washer & dryer set since moving into my current house 9 years ago. They REALLY don’t build things like they used to!!
Uuuuggghhhh!!
Sympathies!!
Our old trusty dryer finally bit the dust last summer. It was over 30 years old and Maytag is no longer making motors for it. Our repairman said he could replace the broken part but the motor was next so we bought a new one rather than throwing more money at the old one (just for it to conk out on us – probably in the winter).
No dishwasher- I can totally relate. 2020 saw us waiting 6 months for a new dishwasher. Hope yours arrived between the hours of 1-5 pm. 😊
Just an quick note, it’s really easy to replace the oven temperature sensor. We just had to do this on our ancient wall oven. It’s probably the same age as yours, or close to it. The part was about $50, and I found plenty of videos showing the process. Old gas ovens are narrow, and old gas ovens with a broiler are almost impossible to find. They still make a compatible size replacement, but it’s well over $2K, and that doesn’t count labor. We figured it was worth a shot if it saved us a chunk of money. The hardest part is having to relearn our baking times. We didn’t realize the temperature had been that far off before it quit heating completely.
right back atcha.. WATER HEATER. No hot water, or over heated water. Check fuse box, flip fuse horrible noise and arc flash. Sooo… hum. Water heater temp regulator/core heating rod or other parts or fuse box electric. Either very expensive. Plumber 165 dollars an hour to diagnose. 4 part common repair of heater rod, temp regulator and parts 100 plus labor charged at 15 minute intervals. Total??? Replacing entire tank? 1,400.00 maybe more if labor is higher/time to install being key. Me: Highway robbery and I am soooo broke. I am reminded of cars: Subaru head gasket fail / engine failures early versus VW they say electric fail early, engine go long! Luckily I live in Florida with lots of HOT sunshine.. solar shower water heaters with propane assist? Hum.. might manage to put this repair OFF for a while. After all? Florida is warm in summer…power goes out in hurricanes so having solar back up is probably cheap and not a bad idea…
Blessings for your patience regardless of the language used while dipping nasty water. I have a repair policy that is worth every cent I spend on it. If they can’t fix it they put in a new one. When my washer quit my son bought me a new set of Maytag wash and dry right off the showroom floor. The washer agitated for two hours putting holes in my new flannel sheets and sprayed water everywhere and the automatic dryer timer would not advance to shut off. Two bad timers right out of the box, so not impressed. They lasted about five years. No more Maytag for me.
My microwave works, whether we want it to or not. It randomly started selecting options and reheating nothing at 11pm. Creepy sounds when in the dark alone..
When our dishwasher gave up the ghost we got the lovely surprise of previously having water damaged wood that was now a suggestion of wood and needed replacing. What should have been a quick swap turned into an ordeal… but on the bright side it’s now even with the tile and no longer wobbly…
Lol! I feel your pain. When we bought our house two years ago all the appliances looked good. Not super new but we figured we had time with them. Nope. Second week in the house the washer died. Then a couple of months later oven gives up. Then a couple of months later the dishwasher. The only hold out was the fridge that leaked. The inset door dispenser didn’t work and the previous owners taped it up. Well we lucked out because we made that stretch for a year before the leak got so bad we finally had to replace her. We finally ran out of appliances to replace. 😂
Best of luck with your dishwashahhhhh.
Also, how I say it, as I immediately loved it upon hearing it “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story”. 😀
OOf. Although, 27 years isn’t bad. Our washing machine of 14 years just gave up the ghost a couple weeks ago, just before husband’s business trip. That was the fastest research, buy, and delivery of a major appliance I’ve done in….ever. Got his clothes washed before he had to pack though! Here’s hoping the rest of your appliances hold out!
Ugh! That’s a bummer that it couldn’t hold out for 8 more months!
Good luck with the ovens! -My boss had to nurse hers along for a while but she also liked to cook for relaxation so she spent a very long time with a large thermometer permanently in the oven and would get up to check it every 5 minutes. She managed some amazing food even so but I named her oven Pele after the Hawaiian volcano god because it very much had that irrational god temperament & while it sometimes was benevolent, a lot of times offerings were burned beyond a crisp. Good times
I blame ghosts. It started with the patio door. Fancy, ridiculous lock, super specialized door that the developers put in and costs $$$ to fix. Instead of replacing the entire thing we replaced part of it …for now. Then the fridge decided to quit, no notice… just gone. We have housekeepers that come in occasionaly… they cleaned the stove so much they left an inch of water on the top which went into the electronic parts and then… new stovetop. And then our dishwasher cycle stopped stopping… endless water and cleaning, but we got someone to fix it, again, for now. I dont know any other reasonable explanation for all these happenstances except, Ghosts.
Oh this pain! When our dishwasher died it was grueling. I make sure to tell the replacement how grateful I am for it from time to time. No one wants to feel unappreciated, right? Hoping beyond hope that your replacement is stout and strong and arrives on time!
It’s times like these that ALMOST make you pine for the days before the nestlings fledged and you could simply assign dishwashing chores in exchange for permission to leave their rooms. 😀
Also, a set of married friends has a running joke in which they refer to each other as The Dishwasher and The Lawnmower. Please forgive my audible snort as I read “The trouble with the dishwasher started as soon as we came back from vacation.”
Oh you have my fullest empathy!
During the early pandemic days, with 7 people working and going to school at home, our dishwasher stopped. Repair place couldn’t come out for 6 weeks while the lockdown was in full force. We invested in lots of paper plates, cups, and bowls. But washing the rest of the dishes from three full meals for 7 people was a lot. At one point some older teen/young adult made the following comment (and yes they are luck I don’t remember which one.) “Well washing dishes by hand isn’t such a big deal. I wonder why people complain all the time?”
Child!!! It isn’t bad because you have 7 people taking turns, half the dishes are thrown away, and the non working dishwasher is “drying” the dishes so you don’t have to do that half of the job!
Good luck!
I’m so sorry for your suffering at this dark time. I’m pretty confident that no dishwasher is actually a circle of hell. I’ll pray the oven cooperates.
Holy Cow!! I’m now looking at my life and thinking, “well. I have nothing to complain about.” Except my husband has copd, and has trouble breathing, and Our Kate, living in England has skin cancer. Shit, it’s always something. Huh.
::hug:: That’s why I post silly stuff as a distraction. It is always something. Best wishes for quick recovery to your daughter and husband.
Huh! I think my fridge/freezer is about the same age as your sadly deceased dishwasher. I’ve been eying up the base for a while now, aware it’s showing signs of rust, but am delaying replacing until compelled to because of all the ‘built in obsolescence’ issues that seem to exist in today’s manufactured appliances. Sometimes I think it would be easier to return to the days of iceboxes and daily shopping. Except that would also mean returning to daily cooking, my idea of hell on earth.
omg the title! Dishhhhhwashhhher. that’s how I’ve said it for years. I even have my kids saying it. please, please tell me you picked that up from the movie “the dragon” a Bruce Lee story? Bruce gets a life changing lecture from his boss when he first comes to the country. she says something like “will you make something of yourself or stay just a DISHHHHHWASHEEEER? she says it like 3 times. I have no reason for why I picked that phrase to accompany me throughout my adult life but it did! 🙃
thanks for the fun blog!