WideAngle Wednesday: "Mechanical" - Washer Repair

Our trusty several-years-old washing machine failed last week, just before we went away. It limped along for a little while then all movement came to a halt. Happily my Editor remembered that when a previous washer did this, it was because the carbon brushes in the motor had worn away.

So yesterday when we got back I ordered a new pair of brushes for next-day delivery and they arrived promptly this afternoon. Aided and abetted by a "how-to" video on the web I've now replaced them. Of course the design of our washer was different from the one on the web video, the main difference being that you can't remove the back on ours. (I'm convinced that the manufacturers are in cahoots with repair men to make life as difficult as possible for DIYers!) So I had to tip it on its side and work through the hole in the base, but the absence of a removable back meant that spanner access to the motor bolts was tricky. Anyway it's working now :-))

And how fortunate that the WideAngle Wednesday challenge for today, kindly hosted by Bobsblips, is "Mechanical". As you can see I used my fisheye lens. In case you're not familiar with them, the little back rectangles on the end of the little springs on the floor on the photo are the brushes - they're certainly worn down, as the new ones are at least 4 times as long.