Friday, May 20, 2011

Replacement Imp

You may remember I posted about my new washing machine. It’s one of those high efficiency machines. It sings when it starts, and it sings when it’s finished. And when I’m stressed I can watch the clothes spin. Bliss.

However, it has developed a new feature. It leaks. Yes, water on my laundry room floor. Do you know how tired I am of dealing with water issues?! As if the flooding basement issues were not enough. Not to mention backed up pipes, replacement sewer lines, broken water lines...

Of course, it’s not a normal leak issue. The washer doesn’t leak when I’m running it. It leaks when I’m not. Matt said, “Why does this always happen to us?” Yeah, that’s my question too. I considered telling him that it was so we would learn patience. Instead, I told him the imps that run the computers must have talked to the imp that runs the washing machine. And it joined the conspiracy.

So I called LG, the company that makes the washer. They told me to hold up the phone to the washer and push a series of buttons. I did. Then the washing machine imp began talking to the computer imps at the computer service center. It sounded something like this:  Eeeep!  Eooop! Eeeep! Beep! Tweet, twitter! Eeep, eeep!  It was as if the washing machine was channeling R2D2.  Then, I talked to the service tech again. Apparently, the washing machine told the computer that there was nothing wrong with its seals, I hadn’t used too much soap, and all the connections were intact. It may have said some other things like “I’m a rogue washing machine imp who’s trying to drive this woman crazy,” but the tech didn’t share this with me.

Of course, the tech asked me to do a rinse/spin cycle without clothes. I explained again that the washer didn’t leak when I used it, but I humored the tech. And guess what, it didn’t leak. And it didn’t leak when I ran laundry through it yesterday afternoon. But when I got up this morning, a puddle of water surrounded my machine like an infernal halo.

I called the tech again. They wanted the washer to do the R2D2 thing again. Which it did. And, apparently, everything is fine and dandy with my machine. They’re sending out a repair person Friday, which is good. I just hope they bring a replacement imp. Mine has been corrupted.

8 comments:

  1. It's the same with everything being made now just like the copiers we sell. They have weird issues that the older machines never had.

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  2. How annoying! My washer (not a fancy LG, but GE) was leaking when I washed and it turned out an output hose was clogged because I tended to wash with cold water a lot and used a liquid detergent, and both gummed up the hose. Who knew?

    I think washing machines were all built with an extra feature called "Drive Your Owner Crazy Once In A While."

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  3. This isn't a bug. It's a.. er.. *feature.* Yeah.. That's it.. a *feature.* Our latest models for washing machines are installed with a device that will channel it's unused water to clean the floor, keeping everything clean and shiny!!

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  4. Didn't we learn anything about modern technology from Wile E. Coyote?

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  5. Oh, man, that stinks. My new washer/dryer are LGs, too. Love 'em. No leaks so far, but we did spring for the extended service agreement. Good luck with getting a better behaved imp.

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  6. I am rather inclined to think that one of the persons of your household is sleepwalking. Said person fetches themselves a glass of water and while trying to drink it, they bump into the washing machine and spill the drink. Bingo. Crime solved.

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  7. I was using my previous washer one day and noticed it was raining in the dining room, which shares a wall with the laundry area. Turns out the drain was...well, you don't want to know about that imp, but it involved Wayne playing mole halfway under the house to replace bad drain pipes. When the water couldn't go down the drain, it went up through the vent, and managed to get under the shingles and caused the rain in the dining room. I think we may be sharing a family of imps.

    My solution for you...we'll all send you our laundry so you continually run the washer and you'll have no more watery floors. Let me know when you want my load...Love you and your imps, Aunt Judy

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  8. our LG front-loader doesn't like to spin if there is any bedding involved in the load. i sit and fight with it and rearrange clothes/sheets until it decides to let me win. this has happened ever since we had it, and our repair tech also told us there was nothing wrong, because of course when you check by running rinse and spin with nothing in the machine nothing goes wrong. good luck! i like our LG dryer much better.

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