I'm made of win
So my dishwasher has been upset with me for a few days, which necessitated me taking it apart all the way down to the pump, giving it a thorough clean, examining all the parts and seals, and putting it back together. Repeat several times, for about four hours total, and the problem was still occurring. I thought I knew what the problem might be though, so when I called a repairperson yesterday, I left him a detailed message explaining what I'd done, what the results had been, and what the problem might be.
The repairman came by today. We started taking it apart (he seemed amused that I was crouching down there with him, obviously fascinated by and educated about the process). Once we got to the discharge assembly I immediately spotted the problem, which had gotten worse since the last time I'd taken it apart yesterday. I scooped up the offending part and said, "This is the problem, I think. The lower plate of the upper discharge assembly is broken, and it falls onto the impeller during draining and creates the grinding noise."
"Perfect!" he beamed, sounding a little surprised. "And you left such a detailed message, guess what I brought with me?" He pulled a new version of the part from his pocket, and we installed it, and all was good. "This may have set a record for the shortest visit ever," he said. "Usually I have to order the part and make a second visit." He pulled out his calculator and did some math. I noticed the number on the calculator: 192. "All right, how about we cut $22 off the price and go with $150. That good?"
Heh. He charged me the absolute minimum for his time ($120) plus the cost of the part ($25-$30). I can only conclude that my interest and capability impressed him enough that he was willing to cut $42 off the price. (He said $22, but I saw the number on the calculator, so I know it was $42.) And the fact that he didn't have to make a second visit meant we didn't get charged his minimum fee a second time. So basically, due to spending four hours of trying to fix my dishwasher, I just saved us $162. I'M MADE OF AWESOME. And I feel immensely satisfied that I correctly diagnosed the problem.
(And here's a photo of my blue-haired self digging around in the dishwasher.)
The repairman came by today. We started taking it apart (he seemed amused that I was crouching down there with him, obviously fascinated by and educated about the process). Once we got to the discharge assembly I immediately spotted the problem, which had gotten worse since the last time I'd taken it apart yesterday. I scooped up the offending part and said, "This is the problem, I think. The lower plate of the upper discharge assembly is broken, and it falls onto the impeller during draining and creates the grinding noise."
"Perfect!" he beamed, sounding a little surprised. "And you left such a detailed message, guess what I brought with me?" He pulled a new version of the part from his pocket, and we installed it, and all was good. "This may have set a record for the shortest visit ever," he said. "Usually I have to order the part and make a second visit." He pulled out his calculator and did some math. I noticed the number on the calculator: 192. "All right, how about we cut $22 off the price and go with $150. That good?"
Heh. He charged me the absolute minimum for his time ($120) plus the cost of the part ($25-$30). I can only conclude that my interest and capability impressed him enough that he was willing to cut $42 off the price. (He said $22, but I saw the number on the calculator, so I know it was $42.) And the fact that he didn't have to make a second visit meant we didn't get charged his minimum fee a second time. So basically, due to spending four hours of trying to fix my dishwasher, I just saved us $162. I'M MADE OF AWESOME. And I feel immensely satisfied that I correctly diagnosed the problem.
(And here's a photo of my blue-haired self digging around in the dishwasher.)