For The Record

Here is how it started one evening after dinner ... a note left by the Kitchen Cleaner ... and the knowledge that we would ahve to deal with that broken dishwasher ASAP. Washing dishes for 8 people in a household that actually cooks "real" meals with lots of pots and pans ... well, it is not pretty. So, the next morning before school, Cherub 1 and I started checking out "charges" (by telephone) to have someone come to fix our dishwasher. Turns out, it was cheaper to buy a new one - but ....

From the internet search for phone numbers for repair shops and vendors of dishwashers we found .... a whole host of fix-it-yourself websites .... the photos on these sites made it look so simple ... and the WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH MY DISHWASHER information was so extensive .... Cherub 1 and I decided that we had nothing to lose by trying a Brave Experiment ... in home-appliance-repair (or at least an attempt).

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So, over the course of 2 hours, armed with the laptop, the internet, and a few hand tools, we managed to completely disassembled the inside of the dishwasher workings ... low and behold, it DOES look like the pictures. And so far it was pretty simple ....

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We cleaned out every trap and spot where the "how to's" said debris could gather (the first source of the "likely" trouble, according to the websites) ... and then reassembled the whole unit.

And VOILA .... it worked. Perfectly. For good measure, we ran vinegar through a whole "empty dishwasher" cycle, followed by a CLR-laced cycle, and then finally a clear water cycle to clean out the cleaners. TA DA !! All three cycles went prefectly .... WE FIXED IT !!

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We did not have to call a repairman, and did not have to buy a new dishwasher. "Cha ching" ... money saved !!

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So .... under what school "subject" should I record this , for the records ? Life Skills ? Small Appliance Repair ? Machine Mechanics ?

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I love this unusual homeschooling lessons !

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Now, I wonder what is causing that noise in the dryer ???? Hummmmmmmm .....