Chulla 4,946 Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Yer right Ian. As for the Amazonian pygmies they're all wearing shorts and T-shirts with rock band names on them - or Coca Cola. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 I could use the single phase motor...but not the rest... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,729 Posted May 30, 2016 Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Good luck with the washing machine Chulla, but I fear anything over a couple of years old will only be fodder for the wandering 'tatters' these days. As for washing nostalgia.... We had the gas powered copper in the corner of the kitchen, but I only really recall it being used (after a good scrubbing out) for cooking a 'boiling fowl' one Christmas. My Grandad Jack's somewhat earlier council house on Bulwell Hall Est., had a hexagonal brick construction in the downstairs bathroom, containing a coal fired boiler. Early days (1950s) on Bestwood Est featured the galvanised tub, a copper 'poncher' and a pair of wooden 'tongs' for lifting hot soggy stuff out of the tub. Days of steamed up windows, clothes horses and coal fires. Around this time Mum bought a Servis washing machine. Frankly, by modern standards it was crap. It had a tub, with a little spinning vaned disc at the bottom called a 'Turbulator'. It also had a mangle, powered by a belt from the main motor. I came home from school one lunchtime to find my Mum on the kitchen floor with an expression of sheer agony on her face. There had been a problem with the mangle. Something to do with the drive belt, which ran up the side of the machine under a long narrow cover. The cover was off and Mum's hand was trapped between the belt and a pulley. Somehow I managed to free her hand and after the application of a couple of Elastoplast, she was back to the washing. I know that by the mid 60s we had a twin tub of some sort, because I well remember the ritual of 'conditioning' new pairs of Levi or Lee jeans (Never Wrangler. They were for Mods. I was into the soul etc., but I was never a Mod.) New jeans. Wash them to hell and add a cup or two of bleach. I wasn't into the obvious bleach stains. Just take the 'edge' off of the newness and soften them up a bit... ) Col Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 I ordered a small relay yesterday from RS Components to repair a circuit board on a washing machine (who says Miele products last for 20 years?). The price was £1.62 with free postage. The weight of the component is 7gm. It’s being sent by Parcel Force. I can’t wait to see the size of the box! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,729 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 RS are pretty decent from memory. I'd expect a small jiffy bag. But if it's coming by Parcel Farce, I'd expect it sometime in June.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 It’s already at Nottingham delivery depot. I wait in hope. We do have a spare washing machine so things are not piling up. We did look at new machines yesterday just in case my electronic skills have waned over the years! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 29 minutes ago, DJ360 said: RS are pretty decent from memory. I'd expect a small jiffy bag. But if it's coming by Parcel Farce, I'd expect it sometime in June....  Providing they don't lose it meanwhile ! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,729 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 16 minutes ago, philmayfield said: It’s already at Nottingham delivery depot. I wait in hope. We do have a spare washing machine so things are not piling up. We did look at new machines yesterday just in case my electronic skills have waned over the years!  To be honest, although I've spent many a happy hour cursing and ranting whilst rounding off my knuckles as I changed yet another main bearing in some washing machine.. these days I can only be bothered with the simplest repair.  Washing machines seem to fall into two categories. 1. Cheap and cheerful for under 200 quid not a lot of pointless options but not much to go wrong. Bin 'em if they break. 2. More exotic.. more programmes and options but half of em never used so just more to go wrong. Still often uneconomical to repair. These days most come with an integrated drum/bearing/spider assembly which is only available as a complete unit and hardly economical to replace.  Most of our clothes just get a 30 degree 'refresher' wash and a spin.. with the occasional 'whites' or 'towels' run. No need for anything exotic, not that this has stopped Mrs Col from buying a fancy machine. (Which she cannot figure out how to use!!! ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 The good thing nowadays is you don’t have to try and diagnose a fault on an electrical appliance because some clever bugger has already done it and committed it to Youtube. I’ve still got to desolder the part from the circuit board but I have got all the necessary kit ‘somewhere’.  Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LizzieM 9,507 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 We’ve got an intermittent fault on our 10 year old Miele oven.  I would probably never buy a Miele appliance by choice but we inherited it with the property.  We had a repair man round to fix it and he couldn’t. He asked his office to check on the price of two ‘faulty’ components (circuit boards I imagine). They quoted £700+ !!  We’re tolerating the problem and will buy a new oven when we get around to it, but it won’t be a Miele, I’ve never had such a complicated piece of kit. Too clever for their own good.   Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 Miele are supposed to last for 20 years. Sadly I won’t. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 How did we ever manage before they started sticking electronic circuit boards into everything. Â Seems like when ovens had a thermostat, an element, and possibly a mechanical timer things seemed to last quite well. Â Now every repair is expensive. They just want you to chuck it and buy a new one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 8 minutes ago, loppylugs said: How did we ever manage before they started sticking electronic circuit boards into everything.  Seems like when ovens had a thermostat, an element, and possibly a mechanical timer things seemed to last quite well.  Now every repair is expensive. They just want you to chuck it and buy a new one. I suppose 15 years with only a change of the motor carbons is not bad for a washing machine but I don’t like to be beaten. The last washing machine was just collected from Comet in a trailer and the old one taken up to the tip. Now 15 years on someone else can do the lifting. Those Miele’s have a cast iron weight inside as opposed to concrete in ‘lesser’ machines and I don’t intend to bust a gut heaving one around. I don’t really want a German machine. Ever since Angela Merkel started making threats over Brexit, German goods are banned from our house. I even got rid of my German car! Looks like it will have to be Samsung. At least the Japs didn’t try to bomb me when I was a baby! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,729 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 We bought two NEFF ovens for our recent kitchen refurb. They are so far working fine, but they do seem to have taken complexity to great heights..  Our old oven had two settings. 'On' and 'Off' the thermostat was exceptionally unreliable but you could get round this using a separate oven thermometer and a bit of fiddling. Our two new ovens each have THIRTEEN 'types of heating'. Basically, they all seem to offer you a hole in the wall which is hot inside, but they achieve it by 'top heat', 'bottom heat' 'Grill' ( Which only works with the door shut, so is just another heat source) and add in such joys as 'dough proving', 'pizza setting' etc.. there then seem to be 'Eco' version of mosy 'Types of Heating'. Not sure how that works. Hot is hot in my book. All of the above not counting the 'dry appliance' and 'auto clean' settings.  To be fair.. I'm gradually getting to understand it.. but I do wonder how much is really necessary. 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 Have you seen an internet connected 'smart' 'frig yet?  I saw one in Lowes the other day.  I guess it can keep track of what you are using and re order for you when it gets low.  It can show various recipes and preparation on YouTube.  I bet it can even listen to your conversations and report you to the 'thought police.'  Beam me out, I've had enough!!!  Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 I’ve heard about it but I prefer the KISS philosophy. Keep It Simple, Stupid. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waddo 921 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 Its not only household goods, cars are just as bed. I could work on anything 20 yrs ago, but now you need a degree in thermonuclear science, just to check the basics!! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
loppylugs 8,429 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 My auto insurance sent me a letter recently about a black box I could plug into my car's diagnostics socket.  It would report things like speed, braking etc.. They said they would give me a premium reduction if I'd do it.  I already have all the safe driving deductions.  Do they really think I'm that daft.  I guess they do.  I filed the letter in the round file.  Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DJ360 6,729 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 33 minutes ago, philmayfield said: I suppose 15 years with only a change of the motor carbons is not bad for a washing machine but I don’t like to be beaten.   I used to be like that. I fixed everything.. often more than once. Cars, appliances, tools, toys, etc. It was partly a money thing as we were always broke, but also I suppose a 'Man' thing. I refused to pay others to do what I could do myself.  These days, my time and peace of mind are more important than money. I'd sooner pay somebody and have done with.. or just get a new appliance. The only car maintenance I do is changing the oil and filter once a year whether it needs it or not.  ( Only do a few thousand miles) . Other jobs of which I'm perfectly capable, get done by people who are still working for a living. I'm sewrious about retirement! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Willow wilson 894 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 2 hours ago, philmayfield said: The good thing nowadays is you don’t have to try and diagnose a fault on an electrical appliance because some clever bugger has already done it .  About 20 years ago there was a little shop full of white goods and Hoovers etc on Western Blvd and a very helpful man running it. I called in one day to get a new motor for my washer and he asked me to describe the fault. He said it seems like the tacho was bust, so he gave me a new one and said try this, if it works you can pay me. I took it home, fitted it and problem solved. I paid him next day. That's what I call keeping the customers satisfied. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonab 1,644 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 My Samsung washing machine plays an electronic rendering of Schubert's Trout Quintet after assaulting my ears for two (or more) hours whilst it does its intended job.  I thought that I might try and stop this intensely irritating "refinement" but the electronics inside the machine (when you actually Manage to get inside) look more complex than a desktop computer (which I am familiar with, having built a number of them in my time).   Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LizzieM 9,507 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 Whilst on the subject of parcels being expected, the other week whilst staying in London we met Buddy from Texas.  Buddy is a hairdresser and has embarked on a Networking venture flogging ‘fantastic’ hair products.  I was polite and listened to his spiel, well he bought us a glass of champagne so didn’t want to be rude!  He was in London to get into the British market by recruiting other networkers.  He knew I had no interest in that lark but he said he would send me some samples to try, I gave him our address and asked him to put NIL on the value when he posted the parcel as we had experience a few months ago when we ordered something and the duty costs exceeded the price of the goods.  This morning I received the below in the post.   RIP off HMRC.  I’m going to send our Buddy an email to find out what exactly he’s sent to me and then will decide whether to pay or not. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 The part came. I'd ordered another from e-bay as a backup. It was a real pain in the butt to access the control panel and it was different from the one I expected. The circuits were in a sealed unit and not readily accessible. I checked the replacement price for the sealed unit which was £440. That was not much more than the machine cost! So now a new machine is required. Miele's don't last for 20 years. Don't be fooled. No German products will pass my door so it's off to the orient which probably means Samsung. Looking at reviews there no 'lemons' these days so it's the one with the longest warranty period. I wish I hadn't started the job but I can't resist a challenge! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
catfan 14,793 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 On our second "Beko", first one lasted 14 years ! Buy cheap & replace when broke. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
philmayfield 6,130 Posted March 17, 2018 Report Share Posted March 17, 2018 You’ve been very lucky. Beko are made in Turkey. Is that a civilised country? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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