Saturday, January 16, 2010

Frig Motor Burns Out

The Frig Freezer motor bearings went out today, just suddenly began screaming in a high pitched whine. I couldn't figure out at first where the noise was coming from. Then I went into the kitchen and opened the freezer door and there was the noise. I called my brother who said "Don't try to fix it this time, it's shot."

Which it is.

The coils were covered in ice again, which should not be. It's the darn motor is the problem and probably always has been. I've had trouble with it since I moved in here.

The oven doesn't heat right either. I finally got an oven thermometer. The thing is at least ten degrees under what I set it at, sometimes more like 20. Oh boy. He says he's going to replace that too very soon. Thank goodness.

I told him, worried about the expense, I didn't need appliances, that I was going "all natural". I said, "I don't really know what I mean by that, I guess I mean I'll just go live in the woods."

He said "You can't do that. It's cold, but you'd probably do fine."

I don't know what I meant by saying that either. It just came out. Just I know appliances are so expensive and I don't want him to have to buy new ones, and I don't know what to do about it. I'm frustrated trying to fix everything without the know how or tools, but I do keep trying because I don't want to be a bother.

I told him how frustrated I am by Sam's pee marking and by my inability to find cats homes and how it's hard not to become very very discouraged living in a county where nobody seems to fix their pets. I told him how people want to adopt them as outside cats where predators will eat them almost immediately, and how frustrating and horribly sad that is. And the people who contact me wanting to adopt who aren't in predator country are people who get cats and then lose them or move and leave them, then get another, and that these are lives I love, and worked so hard to save, and such people treat them like garbage. I told him how frustrated I am that I can't seem to find normal people to adopt these lovely cats.

I told him about the new males coming through, that started up Sam's marking again, and that I have to trap them now, and that it will be close to two dozen cats I've caught right in my own yard or the neighbors yards and that it just is so wrong and how come people around this area are so bad that way.

He said he didn't know, that it's a mentality around here, he thinks, or the drug use or maybe just people who don't value life or responsibility or something. He needed to go to the bathroom, he said, and couldn't talk anymore.

I've struggled with failing appliances since moving in here. The garbage disposal was dead on arrival and so was the dishwasher. I discconnected the latter so water wouldn't drain across the floor and took out the garbage disposal. The oven and frig have been problematic but I have to use those things. I didn't have to use a garbage disposal or a dishwasher.

The water heater is also a problem but I get around it. The problem with it is the highly chlorinated water here dissolves the coating on the elments which then clogs the hot water filters in the bathroom and kitchen sinks with tiny white particles of the coating.

So...I get around that by not using hot water in either of the sinks.

If I do, I have to take apart the faucets to get all the little plastic particles out. I think it's only certain types of water heater built in certain years that have that elment coating that is a problem with chlorination or hard water.

It's just an issue with an older house with original appliances. This house has been used as a rental since the 70's and the appliances are original. Things wear out and that's just the way it is. The house was overpriced for having shit appliances, a roof on the last year of decency, an age old stinky smelly rug, water under the house and a messed up yard. My brother didn't have time or leverage to negotiate. It was the only empty house in his price range available when he bought it, since the housing market was red hot then. We didn't like it, due to the garage out back, no usable yard, due to the garage and carport out back and all its issues, but it was the only house out there empty and for sale, no kidding.

He was going to sell it that summer, but he got busy and didn't. The next year, the market crashed. So he got stuck with it. I've been making improvements as I can, like getting that awful carpet out, but there is a lot needs done. I hope he can unload it soon, is what I hope.

It's be a nice first house for a single person with a dog or two, or cats, or an older couple. Or even for a young couple with a baby. It'd be good for someone who wants to work on cars in the big carport out behind the house, something like that. Know someone wanting to buy?

I suppose I'm frustrated over the frig freezer, not knowing when I'll have a working one again. I'll get a block of ice tomorrow though and it will keep things cold as long as there is ice in it, so it's not that big of deal. It's now just a giant ice chest is all.

3 comments:

  1. Wow, I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch right now. I'm so glad you have a good brother.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jody-there is usually a screw on the back of the knob for the oven temperature that you can use to unscrew and adjust where the numbers are to give a truer temp.

    Judith

    ReplyDelete
  3. Getting to that area of the oven is hell, Judith! I did so when trying to fix the broken off knob, and then gave up on that. I could take it apart again. The only way I regulate it now is I use an oven thermometer, which makes it easy now. I wish I had gotten one a long time ago!

    ReplyDelete

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