HELP - My Dryer Squeaks - The Sequel (replacing front bearing)

Readers of this blog know that i've enjoyed a love hate relationship with my dryer.  When it works I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  When things go wrong - not so much!  The upside of my dryer drama is that since i'm a DIY kind of girl all of these fixes have been  quite an education.

Here's a quick recap of my dryer adventures:

August 2012 the dryer ran normally and dried the clothes but there was a VERY loud squeak.  It started out loud enough that I had to close the laundry room door.  Within a month a loud metal on metal sound could be heard thoughout the house even if all doors were closed.  That turned out to be a worn rear bearing.  Here's how I fixed it.  

May 2013 the dryer stopped spinning.  That turned out to be a broken dryer belt.  Trouble shooting and fixing the belt are on this blog.

THE PROBLEM:
When I replaced the belt I noticed that the front bearing was significantly worn.  It seems that one (or more) of the glides had worn out.  (More on glides in a minute).  With the belt replaced, I put the dryer back together so that we could continue to do laundry while waiting for the necessary parts to arrive.

After the belt was replaced the dryer developed a new squeak.  I assumed (correctly) that this new squeak was from the worn front bearing.  I ordered the parts, but continued to use the dryer (with the laundry room door closed) while waiting for them to arrive. 

A QUICK PRIMER ON PARTS AND PIECES:
Disclaimer:  Pretty much everything I know about my dryer i've learned from other blogs, 800 repair lines and the internet, so take the information for what it's worth. 

The first time I the dryer began to squeak and squeal I learned that my dryer has 2 bearings.  (Front and Rear).  The loud metal on metal sound that I heard during my first dryer repair was the rear bearing.  I removed the drum and replaced the bearing at the back of the drum. 

The most recent "squeak" was plastic on metal.  Still loud, still annoying, but not fingernails on chalkboard annoying.  More like "oh god-what is that" annoying.   There are more parts with the front bearing, but it's MUCH easier to replace. 

To replace the front bearing I needed:
* front upper bearing

Front upper bearing

* glide kit (2 white, 2 green)

Glide Kit (2 white, 2 green)

* lower drum felt

Lower drum felt

* heat resistant glue

heat resistant glue

These parts (minus the glue) are available on Amazon.com for about $23.00.  For installation assistance, questions, fast shipping and great customer service check out Appliance Parts Pros.

The front bearing holds the dryer drum in place as it spins around.  The glides keep the drum spinning smoothly and prevent wear to the front bearing.  The lower drum felt offers cushion.

THE FIX:

First UNPLUG THE DRYER FROM ELECTRICITY!!!!

Next you'll need to remove the front/top of the dryer.    Don't remove the dryer drum.


You will be working on the front panel of the dryer including the dryer door.

Dryer Front Panel  (removed from dryer) 

Old top bearing (top)
New top bearing (bottom)

The old bearing is located at the top of the dryer panel.  Lay the door flat and tilt the plastic bearing out toward you.  Be careful of the light bulb.  It fits inside a hole in the top of the bearing.

My bearing was significantly worn.

worn bearing

New bearing

Add the slides to the new bearing

Slides

The slides fit into tabs on top of the bearing.  The GREEN slides go at the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions.  The WHITE slides go at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions.

Replace the top bearing.  Make sure the light bulb fits inside the light bulb hole.

 Next, replace the lower drum felt.

Remove the old felt.  (It may or may not be glued in place.)

Old felt (top)
New felt (bottom)

The felt should fit around the lower half of the dryer door.

Dryer felt around lower half of bearing

Lay the felt in place, make sure it's centered.  Then glue it in place with heat resistant glue.  I used a drop or 2 of glue every few inches.
That's it!

Put the dryer front and top back on and dry your clothes!

Back in Business!!!

 
There are other DIY fixes on this blog.  Check out:

How to reset a washing machine

How to fix a leaky kitchen faucet

How to fix a leaky shower

Dishwasher Reapir - kind of

Troubleshooting the dryer - won't spin

Replacing the dryer belt


These instructions are for my GE dryer.  GE brands include GE, Hotpoint, Kenmore and Sears.

HELP - My Dryer Won't Spin - Part 2 (of 2)

Earlier this week I vented my frustration that my dryer was not working properly AGAIN!  Well, now she's back up and running - YAY!

THE PROBLEM:

 Last weekend I tossed a load of sheets in the dryer and everything seemed fine.  30 minutes later I checked the load and it wasn't quite dry.  I turned the dryer on again and everything seemed OK.  About 5 minutes into the cycle it sounded like there where tennis balls or sneakers inside the dryer.  Since I had not heard this sound during the first dry cycle I went to check. 

I opened the dryer mid cycle and discovered that while the clothes were hot, they were not spinning.  I (correctly) assumed that the belt was broken.  Just to be sure I was on the right track I removed the dryer lid and checked the belt.  The belt was laying on top of the drum and I easily lifted it off the drum with my hand.

Broken dryer belt

With broken belt in hand I logged on to my favorite online parts shop.  There are a lot of places to buy parts online but my favorite is Appliance Parts Pros.  They offer fast, friendly service, great prices and the parts come quickly.  Truth be told, most parts are actually cheaper on Amazon.com but by the time I add in express shipping the prices are all the same.  PLUS, I can call Appliance Parts Pros with questions about the repair.  The people at Amazon know bupkis about fixing things, so I stick with the company that offers me the best service.

It took 2 days for the parts to show up.  They arrived last night so here's what I did.

THE FIX:

First - UNPLUG THE DRYER!!!!!

I removed the screws that hold the dryer lid in place.



There are 2 screws inside the dryer door holding the lid in place.

 Then I lifted the lid from the dryer.  Set the lid aside.



Remove the dryer lid

 Next I removed the front panel from the dryer. The front panel is held in place by 2 tiny screws

Front panel screws (one on each side)

The first time I took my dryer apart it took me FOREVER to find these screws.  With the dryer lid removed, look inside the dryer cabinet.  There are 2 tiny front panel screws.  One on each side near the top.

Once these screws are removed you can tilt the front panel towards you.  Be careful: there are wires that connect to the front panel and it's heavy!  The wires must be unplugged carefully.

Front panel tilted out.  CAREFUL - this panel is heavy!

The wires that connect the front panel to the dryer can be tricky.  They are plugged into a tiny panel that is partially hidden.  Two of the wires can be "unplugged" my giving them a little tug.  There is a 3rd wire that needs to be squeezed to be disconnected.

Front panel wires

Once the wires are disconnected the look like this.

2 wires slide on. The third wire I had to squeeze to disconnect.

Now that the front panel is removed and disconnected it's time to install the belt!  Set the front panel aside.

To be honest, there really aren't any pictures of how to install the belt itself.  The belt goes on top of the dryer drum (tread side down) and around 2 pulley's. 

Dryer drum with belt (tread side down)

I have done this process twice before and each time I needed the pulley diagram.  Looping the belt around the pulley(s) is a blind process.  It's done by feel.  The first time I did it it took me more than an hour of cussing.  This time I did it in about 5 minutes.

Here is the diagram for the GE dryer.

Dryer Belt Diagram

With the belt installed I was all set.  The only thing left to do was put everything back together!

I reinstalled the front panel.  The biggie here it to make sure that everything on the front door assembly is in the right place.  I noticed that my lower dryer felt was worn and that my top bearing and glides are worn.  I've already ordered those parts and will replace the worn pieces when they arrive.

Once the front panel was back in place I plugged in the dryer to test everything out.  Everything looked good!

I reinstalled the top panel and Voila!  Back in business!

FIXED!

The great thing about doing my own repairs is that I have the chance to notice worn parts before they create a bigger problem.  Next time I'll blog about replacing the dryer felt, front gasket and slides.  (Exciting stuff!)

I hope this repair was helpful and inspires you to make some of your own appliance repairs!

Help - My Dryer Won't Spin - Part 1 of 2

Seriously Dryer!?  AGAIN!?

Dryer won't spin

It seems like just yesterday that I was making my first dryer repair.  A quick scan of this blog tells me that it was all the way back in September when I last took thIS baby apart.  So I guess that's not too bad.  We are an active family of 5 so ALL of our appliances get a work out!

Nine months ago this dryer had a TERRIBLE squeak.  Thankfully I was able to make the repair myself!  I blogged about it here.  This time around, she won't spin.  Based on my limited experience of dryer repair I guessed that belt was broken.  

Broken dryer belt

Turns out, I was right!

The good news is that this is a pretty easy repair to make.  I just need to order the parts from my favorite parts place Appliance Parts Pros.  These guys (and gals) are awesome and lightening fast!  The belt cost about $10.  Plus I ordered new screws for the dryer door.  While I had the dryer open I took a look around to see if anything else looked worn or torn.  An important lesson learned from my recent shower repair experience is to replace worn screws ASAP!

Slights worn dryer screws

The heads on the dryer screws are not too bad, but I'd hate to find myself in the position of having to deal with stripped screws.  So, when I ordered the belt, I also ordered 2 new door screws.  At $1.25 each you really can't go wrong!

Finally, I've started a little album of appliance stickers.  Each time I repair an appliance I take a picture of the model number label.

Dryer label

This way I have all of the appliance information in one place.  If I need to order a part or check for a recall, all of the information is stored in one place.  If you decide to keep an appliance label album, don't forget to label the pictures! 

The parts have been ordered, a new picture has been added to my label album.  Now all I need to do is wait for the parts to arrive.  They are due in this evening.  I'll be sure to take lots of pix and blog about it soon!

HELP! My Shower is Leaking!

First it was the kitchen sink, then it was the shower!  That tap, tap, tap from the master bath just about drove me batty!  It was time, once again for a quicky DIY fix!

Fixing a leaky shower is simple in theory.  If you're working with newer parts the job is a breeze.  Unfortunately I had a bit of trouble, but everything worked out ok in the end.

I know from experience that a dripping shower head usually means that you need a new shower cartridge.  Calling a plumber to fix this problem costs about $250 in my area.  Buying a new cartridge from the hardware store costs about $40.  I enjoy saving money as much as I enjoy home repair so I chose to fix my own! 

We have a Delta Single Handle Shower (I don't know how old it is - it came with the house)

Here's what I did:

FIRST, TURN OFF THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE WHOLE HOUSE!  This step is an annoyance to people in the house, but it's necessary when fixing a shower leak.

House Water Supply 

Remove the decorative cover on the shower handle.

Remove decorative plate

Handle with plate removed

Now you'll need to find the screw that holds the shower handle in place.  This is the Delta 1300 series and the handle is held on by a tiny screw on the bottom of the handle.

Tiny screw hold on the back of shower handle

I need a hex key to remove this handle.  I happen to have a bunch.

Hex key (also called an Allen Key)

It took a few minutes to figure out which size I needed, but I finally found the right fit.

I needed this one

I should pause and say that this is where this project went off the rails for me.  Try as I might I COULD NOT get that tiny screw loose. 

I tried WD40, Liquid Wrench, vinegar, cussing and slamming things around and then I took a break from this project.

It was torture to feel like this tiny screw had gotten the best of me.  All the while tap, tap, tap the water was still leaking in the shower.

Cut to 1 week later, i'm back at it again.  I consulted the internet, Home Depot, Lowes and every Fix-It site I could find.  By now the screw was stripped.  The tool guy at Lowes sold me a screw extractor which seemed pretty promising!

Great tool for stripped screw heads

I'm sure i'll use this tool on another project, but sadly it was too big.

In the end I did was I was told not to do.  I broke the handle off!  Apparently breaking the handle off is a risky proposition.  You could just break off the handle or you could break something inside the wall.  I rolled the dice and got lucky.  The handle came off.

I finally just broke it off!

Now the job gets easy again.

Remove the ring that holds the shower cartridge in place.

Remove the metal ring that holds the cartridge in place

Pull out the old cartridge and insert the new one.  Make sure you follow the manufacturer directions on the cartridge.  Youll want to make sure that hot and cold are on the correct side.

New replacement cartridge

Slip in the new cartridge, reinstall the metal ring

Reinstall metal ring 

Reinstall the decorative wall plate and shower handle.

Reinstall decorative plate

I installed a new (easier to remove) handle but I forgot to take a picture.  This is what it looks like:

New shower handle

 

That's it's!  No more tap, tap, tap dripping shower faucet!  Hooray!!!!

HELPFUL HINTS:

This job turned out the be a matter of time vs. money.  Because the handle was stuck this job actually took a week to complete.  About 2 hours the first Ssaturday and about 50 minutes the second Saturday.  If everything had gone smoothly this job should have taken about 20 minutes. 

A good hardware store is worth it's weight in gold!  In my area Home Depot is close and convenient if you know what you're looking for.  Lowes is best if you have questions or need guidance.  KNOW YOUR HARDWARE STORES!

HELP, My Kitchen Faucet Leaks!

You know that sound tap, tap, tap, tap!  It's just this side of maddening!!!!  Recently we have been suffering through leaky faucet syndrome times TWO!  Sheer torture I tell you - it's sheer torture!

Luckily I've learned a few leaky faucet tricks over the years.  I was able to fix both faucets myself.

Here's how:

First this KITCHEN sink:

We have hard water.  Apparently the minerals in the local water are known to corrode plumbing fixtures so the good people at Lowes advised me to ONLY buy fixtures with a Lifetime Warranty.

Thank God for this tip!  Last year I hard a terrible kitchen leak and bought a new faucet.  When the kitchen faucet began to leak exactly one year later I was ready to scream.  Then I remembered the lifetime warranty.  I called up the manufacturer (Price Pfister) who sent a new cartridge.  For the price of shipping I received all the parts I needed.

Cold Water Cartridge

Changing the cartridge is pretty easy ever for the novice plumber.  Plus [mostly] complete instructions are included.

Instructions included

Here are the steps [with a few added tips that the manufacturer left out].


First, TURN OF THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE SINK!!!  There should be a handle under the kitchen sink.

Then remove the decorative cap on the faucet handle.

The decorative cap should flip right off

Next remove the screw that hold the handle in place.

Mine was a phillips head

Remove the handle.

Then remove the piece that holds the cartridge in place.

This piece came off easily.  I used the pliers to get a good grip.

Now it's time to remove the cartridge.

I could have pulled this out with my fingers, but used the pliers to get a good grip.

Put the new cartridge in and press it in place with your finger.

Put the ring that holds the cartridge in place back on.

Don't forget to tighten the ring.

Put the handle and screw back on.

Line the handle up straight.

Replace the decorative top.

That's IT!  All done.

If the other side is leaking repeat these steps for the other handle.  My cold water was leaking and so I only replaced the cartridge for the cold.

The hot was leaking a few months back so that side is all taken care for.

MORE INFORMATION:

First of all, this is a pretty easy fix and things went well for me.  This process was simple because this is a new (1 year old) faucet.  If your faucet is old, removing the handle, ring or cartridge might take more time.

ALSO

Once the new cartridge was installed the faucet gave a very high pitched squeal each time we turned on the cold water.  I have NO IDEA why this happened.  The good news is that the squeal went away after a few days and the faucet functions normally.

Later, I'll detail how I fixed my leaky shower faucet.