3 Lessons Learned From My Broken Washing Machine
Resisting that DIY high.
For the past three months, I’ve been working on a full house renovation. We have done some fun projects like remodeling the bathroom and kitchen. But we've done some not-so-fun projects like patching the roof and toilet plumbing.
The last thing I needed was a broken washing machine. But that’s exactly what happened in the midst of renovation chaos.
It was a Thursday evening and we had just finished dinner. I tackled the dishes and Rachael (aka the Laundry Fairy) went to go throw in a load of wash. We finished our tasks and sat down to watch the season seven finale of Game of Thrones, The Dragon and the Wolf.
Quick aside… This is my first time watching Game of Thrones. It’s the best television show ever created. Okay, let’s continue.
Five minutes into the show, we hear a loud rattling sound coming from the laundry room. I snap up to investigate.
I walk into the room and am smacked in the face with the smell of burning rubber. I turn off the machine and open the washer door. The drum was hanging at 45 degrees downward and was no longer attached to the machine.
Ugh.
I had already spent $20,000+ on the renovation. A new washer would cost around $1,000. I knew it would make sense to buy a new machine, but I was coming off that “DIY high.”
I had already installed a bathtub, high-hat lights, and had completed various other bad-ass-blue-collar projects.
What was a washing machine?
Lesson 1: Diagnose the problem before investing time and money.
I opened Google to diagnose the problem. I learned the issue could be one of two things: the bearings or the spider arm. One video suggested disassembling the machine before purchasing any parts. That way you can figure out exactly what needs fixing before buying a bunch of parts.
After two hours, I disassembled most of the machine but then ran into a problem.
To get to the bearings and the spider arm, you have to separate two large pieces. You need a mallet to do the job, and your boy didn’t have one. #newhomeowner. So I made a quick trip to Lowes to pick up a rubber mallet and WD-40.
$50 and one hour later, I was back at the house. I applied the WD-40, waited a few minutes, and used the rubber mallet to separate the two pieces. It slid right apart.
I inspected the bearings and the spider arm. The bearings were corroded and the spider arm was broken in multiple areas. I needed to make a decision.
Should I fix the machine, knowing it will save me $1,000, but that it was going to be a pain in the ass to reassemble?
Or should I buy a new machine, knowing that it will cost me $1,000, but that it will save me a lot of time and frustration?
I was determined to fix it, but before risking my time and sanity, I consulted Google.
Lesson 2: Consult expertise when making costly decisions.
I found a video on Youtube from a guy who has been repairing washing machines for 20 years. He said replacing the bearings would be manageable. But the spider arm? Forget it.
Spider arm replacements have an 80% success rate; that is if you know what you are doing. Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy that’s been repairing spider arms for 20 years!
My success rate would likely be 5%.
So I swallowed my DIY pride and decided to buy a new machine.
Lesson 3: DIY is not always cheaper.
Let’s put on our problem-solving hats for a second.
Our problem was we couldn’t wash our clothes because our washing machine was broken.
There were two possible solutions:
Fix the existing machine
Buy a new machine
Both solutions would cost time and money. Let's analyze the cost associated with each solution, assuming I value my time at $100 per hour.
Option 1: Fix the machine
If I were to fix the machine, I’d have to pay for the replacement parts ~$100, wait ~7 days for the parts to arrive, replace the parts, and put everything back together.
It would cost me $100 for the parts, ~20 hours of labor (20 hours * $100 per hour = $2,000), the stress of not being able to wash clothes, and the anxiety that comes with living in an area littered with washing machine parts.
The total cost would be ~$2,100 + stress of not washing clothes + anxiety of living in a cluttered space.
Option 2: Buy a new machine
If I were to buy a new machine, I’d have to pay ~$1,000 for a new machine, get rid of the old machine, and install the new machine.
It would cost me $1,000 for a new machine, ~3 hours of labor (3 hours * $100 per hour = $300), and the stress of figuring out how to dispose of the old machine.
The total cost would be ~$1,300 + the stress of disposing of the old machine.
So, fixing the machine would cost me $2,100, and buying a new machine would cost me $1,300. I would save $800 by buying a new machine!
I ended up buying a new washing machine. We have clean clothes again and I learned three important lessons about household projects: diagnose the problem before investing time and money, consult expertise when making costly decisions, and DIY is not always cheaper.
So the next time you have a household problem, instead of immediately opting to DIY, ask yourself:
How much time is this going to take?
How much money is this going to cost me?
And most importantly, how much stress am I willing to bear?!
DIY might feel like the cheaper, smarter option, but that’s not always the case. When you factor in the time spent diagnosing the problem, coming up with a plan, and then actually solving the problem, buying a new product or hiring a contractor might be well worth it.