Dryer

(Michael)  Here's another post that I've been meaning to get on the blog.  A couple years ago when Amanda went to go visit her family, I took on a secret project to fix our dryer before she got back.

We found this dryer on Craigslist and even though we made sure to test it before buying it, we missed one important thing....the timer didn't work.  At first, we tried to just pretend that this wasn't going to be a big deal...I mean, you just need to keep track of when you put the clothes in.  However, it turns out that we weren't very good at this, and we are grateful that our clothes can withstand some 3+ hour drying cycles.

I didn't necessarily think it was going to be major surgery since it certainly seems like something that should be replaceable.  My first discovery was that a replacement was going for about $100 (the price of the entire dryer), so I promptly wrote off that option.  My next thought was "surely I can just find a generic timer that I can connect to the wires".  I think I had this idea because it seemed like something someone in my family would say (not because I had any realistic impression that it was possible).

This was one of the many wonderful times when it is such a blessing to be close to home.  Going with dad to Home Depot reminded me of the good ol' science fair / invention convention days in elementary school.

After searching around for a while, we found a few things we thought might do the trick and went to work.  It's all still so vivid in my mind...the sparks, the eventual realization we needed to reset the breaker, taking apart all the thousands of metal covers, losing and recovering screws that had fallen deep inside the "belly of the beast", and most miraculously, hitting the button and actually having it work.  Dad and I just looked at each other and laughed, it was just one of those amazing moments.

So I'm pleased to report that it has been about 17 months, and it still works like a charm.  However I still have to figure out a way to make it look a little more...normal?