Does anyone else ever have a run of spontaneous breakdowns on household machines which cannot be repaired economically locally compared with the price of a new one, or where spare parts are apparently not sold separately?
Last month the cold water supply to our bath reduced itself to a trickle for no apparent reason. This happened during a week we were away - OK before we left, gremlins got in during our holiday. £280 of plumber investigations at last found that it wasn't going properly through the water softener, and once that was taken offline it flowed freely, albeit not softened. Paid plumber, cleaned out as much gunge from the very old softener as possible (job not done for over 10 years, no maintenance instructions in the manual to point out that amazing amount of pipe-blocking filthy sludge would eventually form under the layer of visible clean salt, not possible to remove it all as much was inaccessible.) So ordered new softener, £450, and Tony fitted it, not easy as it was bigger than the previous one and needed surgery on the cupboard under the sink. But it did save more plumbers bills.
Then this weekend, after ten years hard grind, the toaster fused all power in the house and died. This was my fault. I must admit to poking a piece of bread that looked as if it had gone in crooked and might burn, using a knife, which may have touched the element, without switching off first. Still, I suppose it tested the trip switch and saved on funeral expenses. So £48 for a new toaster.
Having nearly slipped and fallen more than once on the paving round the house, - we have lots of it plus a patio and a brick drive, all now filthy with mud and mould - I spent one day pruning back vegetation and shrubs, another day scraping and sweeping up huge barrow-load of mud, moss etc, ready to pressure wash it. Today I got out our lovely powerful Karcher, £450 new in 2016, one year out of guarantee, was working fine in the summer, and found it wouldn't power up. Motor silent. We tried all the usual suspects, fuse etc, power supply, before getting the front off, with much difficulty, and finding the on/off switch just wasn't working, for no apparent reason, after spending the summer resting dry in the shed. Not a bleep out of a very noisy machine, and Tony is one of those wonderful people who can fix anything fixable. So back online, bought a well-reviewed Bosch on offer for £195, job postponed until it arrives. Probably cheaper than taking it to our local garden machinery shop for attempted repair. Better than a broken hip as well.
Off to the recycling centre tomorrow with £973-worth of dead toaster, water softener and its associated plumbing costs, and pressure washer and its perfectly useable attachments that won't fit another make. Christmas is coming early here! But am gnashing my teeth at all the waste, plastic and otherwise, when the only item that was my fault and not a spontaneous failure was the stupid event of the toaster, for which I take full responsibility and am glad it wasn't worse. AARGGHH!!
Last month the cold water supply to our bath reduced itself to a trickle for no apparent reason. This happened during a week we were away - OK before we left, gremlins got in during our holiday. £280 of plumber investigations at last found that it wasn't going properly through the water softener, and once that was taken offline it flowed freely, albeit not softened. Paid plumber, cleaned out as much gunge from the very old softener as possible (job not done for over 10 years, no maintenance instructions in the manual to point out that amazing amount of pipe-blocking filthy sludge would eventually form under the layer of visible clean salt, not possible to remove it all as much was inaccessible.) So ordered new softener, £450, and Tony fitted it, not easy as it was bigger than the previous one and needed surgery on the cupboard under the sink. But it did save more plumbers bills.
Then this weekend, after ten years hard grind, the toaster fused all power in the house and died. This was my fault. I must admit to poking a piece of bread that looked as if it had gone in crooked and might burn, using a knife, which may have touched the element, without switching off first. Still, I suppose it tested the trip switch and saved on funeral expenses. So £48 for a new toaster.
Having nearly slipped and fallen more than once on the paving round the house, - we have lots of it plus a patio and a brick drive, all now filthy with mud and mould - I spent one day pruning back vegetation and shrubs, another day scraping and sweeping up huge barrow-load of mud, moss etc, ready to pressure wash it. Today I got out our lovely powerful Karcher, £450 new in 2016, one year out of guarantee, was working fine in the summer, and found it wouldn't power up. Motor silent. We tried all the usual suspects, fuse etc, power supply, before getting the front off, with much difficulty, and finding the on/off switch just wasn't working, for no apparent reason, after spending the summer resting dry in the shed. Not a bleep out of a very noisy machine, and Tony is one of those wonderful people who can fix anything fixable. So back online, bought a well-reviewed Bosch on offer for £195, job postponed until it arrives. Probably cheaper than taking it to our local garden machinery shop for attempted repair. Better than a broken hip as well.
Off to the recycling centre tomorrow with £973-worth of dead toaster, water softener and its associated plumbing costs, and pressure washer and its perfectly useable attachments that won't fit another make. Christmas is coming early here! But am gnashing my teeth at all the waste, plastic and otherwise, when the only item that was my fault and not a spontaneous failure was the stupid event of the toaster, for which I take full responsibility and am glad it wasn't worse. AARGGHH!!
