Machines 1, ToyMan 1

I fixed my washing machine. I finally got tired of the thing taking almost an hour to fill up with enough cold water for a small load and pulled it out and started taking things apart and checking them. The hot water was never an issue, just the cold water. I could pee faster than the cold water came out it was so bad. So I had the thing away from the wall and like a genius I started to unhook the hose before I turned the water off and promptly got squirted in the face. Well at least I knew the pressure at the wall valve was OK and I could look farther downstream. After I turned the water off I took the hose off and took it to the kitchen sink and the water came right through it with no problems. At this point I’m thinking I’m going to have to buy a new washer, but I stuck my finger in the inlet trying to find the filter and I felt something decidedly un-filter like. I pulled it out and I swear it looked like Cypress mulch. There was a wad of that crud in there about the size of two tobacco plugs, and then I finally felt the filter screen. I hooked everything back up and presto! The cold water flows fine now.

While I was in the spirit I went ahead and pulled the dryer out from the wall as well, but it has more serious problems. It keeps over-heating and shutting itself off, and I was hoping the exhaust vent was clogged, but that’s not the case. Sure, there’s a little bit of lint clinging to the tube but not enough to over heat the thing. Besides, when I ran it without the exhaust hooked up I could still smell it overheating, so it looks like I’m buying a new dryer. I can get a cheap one that will dry a queen or king sized comforter at Lowes, though, so it’s no big deal. I should be able to scrape the hundred and fifty or so dollars I need in five or six weeks. The whole paying rent on two places for three months took more out of my budget than I thought it would. Actually it was gas that did it, I had budgeted for it to come back down to around $2.50/gallon and it never did. On the up side it only got up to $3.01/gallon for two or three days, and I had enough in the tank to skip buying it then. I normally buy at a Marathon station, and they are steadily increasing their refining capacity so that’s probably why their prices never got too high.

I’m so sleepy, but I can’t get to sleep. That’s weird.