The Line Creek Loudmouth

Best Campaign Sign Reuse Idea Yet

Time for a life hack post before I comment on the hastily rushed (by the Bart Klein led school board) redistricting effort.  Long time readers know that I think campaign signs are one of the top three things to have around the house.  From keeping ice off windshields to bush trimming collection to disposing of lawn refuse to changing oil in the driveway, campaign signs can be used for almost anything your imagination comes up with.  Necessity is the mother of invention led me to my latest reuse.  I thought I had enough sleds stored away but when I broke them out yesterday, two of them were damaged and unusable leaving me with only two functioning sleds and four kids that wanted to go.

Our normal sledding place are the slopes at Northland Baptist Church.  Before I get into the post, let me just tell you how sledding became possible there.  Five plus years ago, the church had a large piece of dirt.  Kansas City needed a bunch of dirt to build the NW 72nd Street extension.  The leadership at Northland Baptist worked out a deal with the City where the City would use the dirt for the new road.  Both parties won because the City saved a bunch of money on not having to haul dirt from far away and the cost to truck it to the site and the Church won because they got their site graded so that they could use it for an open athletic area and for future expansion.  The fact that it is a great place to sled is how I win since it's so close to the house.  It's also a beautiful place to just admire the trees and natural beauty of this area when there's snow on the ground.

Glad we graded that sledding hill @WaldronKC pic.twitter.com/ATnK2eVY97

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) November 27, 2018

Anyways, I pulled out a 4x6 campaign sign from my stash and thought we would see how it would be as a toboggan.  I figured since it was plastic and super smooth, it would work better than anything I could get at the store.  It also didn't cost me a thing.  I was the one to try it because I didn't want to have a kid wipe out right when we got started and let me say it is now the only way I will go sledding.

 

The campaign sign toboggan worked real well at pushing snow down and also keeping it from blowing up in my face on the first few runs.  I ended up being able to fit two kids behind me and eventually the boys started using it without me.

And we've got the first crash and I've been informed this involves a "knee to the balls" pic.twitter.com/l2E9XRMGHE

— Wes Minder (@WesKCMO) November 27, 2018

Campaign Sign Reuse Winter Tip

Long time readers know that campaign signs have many uses (see here and here) but by far I think I've come up with one of the best uses especially in the winter.  Two weeks ago when we all were supposed to die from the worst ice storm ever, I was trying to figure out what to do to keep the ice off my windshield and wiper blades.  I had previously used a pool float but didn't have one anymore.  Luckily I had just changed the oil in the cars and had a large campaign sign in the garage.  I wasn't sure how to keep it on the car until I saw a couple of bungee cords and voila.....

The best windshield ice protector that doesn't cost anything.  The bungee cords punctured the sign but the sign was strong enough to hold and the cords fit perfectly over the mirror.  I'm glad I took three semesters of physics and four semesters of calculus in college to give me the engineer training to figure out stuff like this............

Epic Bike and Sport Is Moving (and it's a great time to buy a Christmas bike)

Warning in advance, I'm not going to proofread this because I've got presents for six kids to start wrapping tonight so......

Long time readers know that I use a cheap GMC Denali road bike.  I love that bike because it's blue and it's still in great shape after three or four thousand miles.   Last year at this time however, the back tire was wobbling on the axle and it was causing me to slide when going around curves.  I kept waiting to see if I could get a new one on clearance but it actually ended up going up in price.  I was stuck with no idea what to do so I took it into our locally owned Epic Bike and Sport last January. 

Ladies and gentlemen, they hooked me up with a new rear wheel with a twist off axle and new tire and inner tube.  I loved the Nimbus bike tires they sold.  I was back in action and back on the bike and it rode great. They had the thing working like it was new.

However later this summer I had a couple of front tire blowouts that left me stranded in not so easy to get to places so I bought another Nimbus tire from Epic and I put it on. 

However, I had a problem with the inner tube not holding air overnight.  I had to return but the didn't fit the tire up so I had another problem.  I was at frustrated but I ended up talking to one of the guys who got me unwound and he told me to bring in the tire the next time I had a problem so he could diagnose it.  I got another tube and I thought I had it fixed the last time but I ended up with a slow flat that I had to hand pump on the middle of the new Fairfax Bridges.  The tube had a slow leak that didn't hold air the first time I used it.

I went in the other day and brought everything in.  Joel was working and he took the tube, couldn't find any leaks, and switched it out with a replacement in less than five minutes.  I can't say how pleased I am with the service they've done to the bike.  I also will be looking forward to some cold weather riding over the next week all thanks to the Epic staff.

Anyways, Epic is moving so now is a great time to stop by their store in the Shops at Burlington Creek.  They are having a moving sale with 15% off anything in stock until 12/24.  Check out their FB page for the details.  Now's a great time to buy a bike because spring will be here before you know it. 

I wanted to say thank you to Epic and the staff for the great service!  I can't wait to put the wheel back on and ride Saturday. 

Maybe I'll see another eagle on the Line Creek Trail.  I saw two today on the Chouteau Bridge.

Campaign Sign Re-Use Tip for the Weekend

One of the casualties of the hope and change economy for us was having someone else change the car oil.  When I first mentioned to Mrs. Loudmouth that I was going to start changing my own oil she wondered if it was worth the time to do so.  I reasoned that when was the last time that we got an oil change at a shop done in under a half hour plus how fun is it sitting with little kids in one of those places while they do it.  Plus at the time I had two high mileage vehicles and the cost to put in the high mileage oil for one of them was more than the supplies to change it myself.

Now I will admit the first couple of times it took me a while but I finally figured out how to do it in 20 minutes.  The first problem I had was the space to get my large American farm kid frame under my Japanese designed vehicles.  I solved that problem by putting a rock under the tire to give enough space to get an oil pan and an arm/hand underneath.

The next issue was the roughness of the ground and keeping oil stains off my driveway and the street.  The answer?  A campaign sign. 

Any oil that drips is easily wiped off with a rag and disposed of properly instead of winding up running into the storm system.   I also achieve some traffic calming as people slow down when someone is hanging out into the street on the ground or they just look and wonder why someone who lives in the city would change their own oil when Lubes R Us or whatever up on Barry Road.

Besides, you never know who might be changing your oil....

 

Clip credit to Mike Judge and Viacom™.

Um Does This Mean I'm Getting Famous

I don't get reddit.  I don't get it because I never looked into it but it appears I've reached the point where I've got trolled.  So in case you were wondering, this isn't me but I am flattered that someone is looking out for my "journalistic credibility."  This was started today and isn't me.

I also wonder with the KCMO Council elections coming up if this is some way to hijack some search engine stuff.  I need one of those smartsy fartsy Crossroads dudes (joke-I love you guys) to explain it to me since I'm just a farm kid who wants to build roads.

 

 

Check Out My Google+ Page

I've been experimenting with Google+. If you use it, check out my page here and add me to your circle so I can follow you back.  It's kind of hard to find people since there are so many users with the exact same name.

I'm going back and linking old posts that are still relevant.  It's kind of a fun way to review stuff that has happened over the past 3 years.  I wish I had set one up earlier but I'm kind of a neanderthal with new computer stuff (as I type this on a WinXP computer) like my hero.......

 

Clip credit to Sony Pictures Television from the Married..... with Children show.

NW 72nd Street Before Video

I've always said this blog is a hobby but also a chance for me to do some playing around with techie stuff to self-teach some professional skill upgrades.  I found this old pre-construction video taken the day or days before NW 72nd Street was closed between Route 9 and I-29.  It gave me an excuse to learn how to add music to a video which I think I succeeded at doing.

Since I didn't really drive it often, I forgot how subpar the old country road was.  I also am still having flashbacks of construction issues.

Anyways, it looks a lot better today although thanks to the music I keep expecting some tall dude with steel teeth to jump out in front of me with a gun or grenade launcher.....

Gabion Style Walls

Ever wondered what those metal baskets with rock in them that line some streets and rivers were called (come on you know you do)?  Gabion Baskets!  What are gabion baskets?  Read about gabion wall systems here. 

The logic behind gabion style retaining walls is that they are good to use in areas where there is a lot of water in the ground.  The leading cause of retaining wall is not the weight of the dirt behind the wall but the extra weight and pressure of water in the soil.  A gabion style wall allows water to freely flow through and it relieves pressure.  Look closely and you will see concrete or stone retaining walls will have small clay tiles or drain holes near the bottom to allow water to flow out.  I don't have a picture but the next time you are driving along Route 9 in Parkville just look for them.

I'm not a fan of gabions except in certain situations.  The installation is very costly.  It takes a lot of labor and machine time to assemble and place the metal baskets.  After being placed, the baskets must be filled with small rocks before another basket can be placed on top.  Over time, tree roots can grow into the baskets and expand and break the metal and ruin the wall.  Also, they kind of look ugly.  They aren't forgiving if one brushes up against them.  They sometimes are the best option when a retaining wall doesn't have a good base to use for installation.   The Turkey Creek Trail used them because other options were not feasible.  The section of Barry Road from the Coves to Platte Purchase has them all over.

That being said, I do like to use them to establish the foundation for stream bank protection but only at the stream level.  I feel they provide the best base and flexibility for unstable soil.  As a creek moves or erodes, the baskets can hang or settle without impacting the entire system.

The Shoal Creek Trail has the best illustration of when they should be used in my opinion.  In this case, the gabions sit in the creek and provide the anchor for the rip-rap which was installed on the eroding slope.  The picture below was taken one year after the trail was completed and vegetation has already started coming back and growing.  The gabions kept the stream bank in place allowing nature to re-create itself.

In this location the stream in the picture is a tributary of Shoal Creek.  I assume the water shooting out of that 48" storm pipe is fast enough to cause the 90 degree bend as shown in the aerial below.

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

In this location, I was concerned that the water would keep eroding that stream bank and would was out the trail.  With the gabions and limestone in place, the bank has re-vegetated which prevents erosion during big rain events.  I could have done that with limestone but it would not have stayed in place as well as the gabion baskets.  Over time tree growth will overtake the gabions and no one will even notice they are there nor will they be needed from an engineering perspective. 

The gabions act as a block for the water in the tributary.  As the water in Shoal Creek rises, the water in the tributary does also and slows down.  As both streams fill up, the gabions aren't needed as the water isn't eroding and the rip rap protects the bank.

Over time I will check this out and see if my design holds up.  If it does, I'll use it elsewhere.  If it doesn't, I'll learn from it and make the next one better.  Due to the cost and issues I outlined however, don't expect to see them around much on projects I design.

Maybe my dislike of gabions stems from too many late childhood nights watching things like this.....

 

Clip credit and one can watch the end of the match here at the official WWE website.

Insider Information or Just Informed Citizen

I had someone ask me the other day how I knew about something and if it was just "insider information" based on my employment.  Want to know a little secret?

I could cover everything I write about even if I wasn't didn't work for KCMO.  How?

Let's take real estate development as an example.  One can go to the City's listbot sign up here and enter an email.  One can then sign up for a bunch of different notifications.

If you are interested in proposed/planned developments, click the list "City Clerk's Public Notice News Releases" from the list shown below.

That is the official notice service for the requirements for public meetings as outlined in the Missouri "Sunshine Law."  While signing up, you will get a litany of committees/boards etc and will learn more about all the different meetings/items that exist in KCMO. 

Under the "City Clerk's Public Notice News Releases" once a week an email notice for a committee called the "Development Review Committee" will be sent out.  This is the committee that is staff led where proposed zoning changes or site plan approvals must first go before going to the City Council.  Here is what a sample notice looks like:

In the Conference Room on the 15th Floor of City Hall, 414 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, the Development Review Committee will hold a meeting on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, commencing at 8:30 a.m. to consider the following matters. 

Subject:          Development Review Committee Meeting - Wed. November 6, 2013

The Development Review Committee meeting will be held in the Conference Room on the 15th Floor of City Hall on the above referenced date to consider the below listed items.

The applicant or developer is requested to wait in the 15th floor lobby.  You will be called into the Conference Room when your project is ready to be heard by the Development Review Committee.

All cases to be heard on this agenda are scheduled to be heard at the City Plan Commission November 19, 2013 unless noted otherwise.
8:30 AM
OA      1.        SD 1464, Preliminary Plat - Urban Oaks - To consider approval of a preliminary plat on about 4.5 acres, in District R-7.5 (Residential dash 7.5), generally located on the east side of North Oak Trafficway, approximately 200 feet north of NE 99th Street, creating 24 single family lots and three (3) tracts.
Agent:  Owen Homes, LLC, Rep., Lutjen, Inc.
8:40 AM
OA      2.        Case No. 8878-SU-10 - 4136 N. Oak Trafficway - A request for a Special Use Permit on about 2.5 acres, in District B3-2 (Community Business 3 dash 2), generally located on the southwest corner of NE Briarcliff Road and N. Oak Trafficway to allow for a gas station and a 4,200 square foot convenient store. 
Agent:  Casey's Marketing, Rep., Phelps Engineering.
8:55 AM
PN      3.        Case No. 12951-P-5 - To consider approval of an amendment to a previously approved development plan under Chapter 80 on approximately 36.4 acres, generally located 500 feet east of N. Ambassador Drive, south of NW Tiffany Springs Road, North of Missouri Highway 152, and on both sides of NW 88th Street, so as to delete a proposed public street connection and revise layout in Phase 3, allowing 272 townhome units.
Agent:  J.C.R.E., LLC, Rep., Lutjen, Inc.

AGENDA ITEMS #4 & 5 ARE FOR DRC APPROVAL.
9:10 AM
PN      4.        SD 0414E - Preliminary Plat Boardwalk Square, 4th Plat - To consider approval of a preliminary plat in District B3-3 (Community Business 3 dash 3), on about 14.3 acres generally located at the southwest corner of N. Boardwalk Avenue and N. Ambassador Drive, creating two (2) commercial lots.
Agent:  Beaton, Inc., Rep., Shafer, Kline & Warren, Inc.
9:20 AM
JE        5.        Case No. 5857-MPD-51-AA-1 - Final MPD Plan Culver's Restaurant - 5901 NW 64th Street - A request for a final plan on about 5 acres, in District MPD (Master Planned District), generally located on the south side of NW 64th Street, approximately 500 feet west of N. Cosby Avenue to allow for a new 4,200 square foot restaurant with drive through. 
Agent:  Culver's of Kansas City, Rep., BRR Architecture

You may contact City Planning and Development at (816) 513-2846 for further information.

"Any person with a disability desiring reasonable accommodation to participate in this meeting may contact the 311 Action Center at 311 or (816) 513-1313 or TTY 513-1889 or by email at [email protected]."

I pulled the notice above because that's where I first knew the Platte County Culvers™ was happening for sure even though I knew about it long before but it wasn't public record and about the new subdivision being built right now across from Northland Cathedral on North Oak.  After you sign up, if you see a case that interests you here is some information about the group that handles this type of effort.

Also, check out the KCMO FAQ page or watch Channel 2 when you see an ordinance that interests you.

The internet has made it much easier to be an informed citizen.  It's a lot easier than it was in the 20th Century when people had to use the phone...

 

Clip credit to Sony Pictures Television from the Married with Children TV show.

 

Google Fiber Status in the Line Creek Area

I was looking at signing up for fiber service but haven't pulled the trigger.  The data mining and general creepiness of the privacy terms of the provider have me hesitating.  After I work through my paranoia issues, I will eventually sign up for free internet.  Thinking long-term, I will save some cash over the next 7 years and having the service helps the resale value of the house.  Potential buyers will want the full blown TV experience and the cost to hook up in the future will be a lot more than $300. 

I noticed other areas still haven't met their quota.  It may be general procrastination so if you live in one of the areas in yellow that hasn't met the sign up quota, head over to the website and check it out. You've got a week to sign up.

Having full coverage is part of the whole package of amenities the Line Creek Valley area can offer new residents who are looking to move.  Also, if the Hawthorne Hills area signs up, that means both Lakeview Middle and English Landing Elementary Schools will get service so strap on your tinfoil hat, close the shades to block the black helicopter's view, and get ready for the creepiness of targeted ads selling stuff you searched for just 5 minutes ago.

 

Happy 10th Birthday Missouri 152

Did you realize that 2014 is the 10 year anniversary of 152 being fully complete as a four lane highway from I-29 to I-35 north of the river?  I realized that the other day when I was walking around the construction on the Route 152 Trail and watched the volume of cars going underneath me on Green Hills Road and remembered how it used to stink using 152 because the "temporary" span wire traffic signal used to back cars up single file for the mile from Green Hills to I-29?

The last phases of the project were under construction in 2003/2004 and included building the Green Hills Road interchange, Ambassador Drive interchange (which was 100% paid for by the KCI Corridor TIF), and other two lanes over to Platte Purchase Drive.

Today this stretch of highway carries now over 48,088 cars per day which is more than US 169 carries south of NW 68th Street and surprisingly more than the Broadway Extension carriers in front of the downtown airport.  The numbers shown below are 2012 daily traffic counts provided by the state.

That is more than double the traffic (19,502 vpd) at that stop light in 2004.  You can compare  2004 traffic counts all over the Northland below.

While I was looking at 2012 traffic counts, one other interesting thing stuck out while I was looking at the downtown map.  Take a look at the numbers in the green boxes. 

As I assumed, I-29 and I-35 before the split is the heaviest traffic volume in the Northland (80,806 vpd).  What surprised me as the close second was the stretch of I-29 between I-635 and US 169 (80,493 vpd).

I also thought it was pretty amazing that I-29 at the Platte County line handles more cars per day than US 71 entering downtown (68,820 vpd) and I-29/35 at the location of the former Paseo Bridge (71,334 vpd).  That's a lot of people going to/from Platte County.  Wonder if the kick butt trail system and best school district in Kansas City have something to do with that?

When Buying a Car In Dallas-Fort Worth, Call 'The Auto Critic'

I've been looking at vans all over the country (mostly south of here) and found what I thought was a good deal on a Toyota Sienna in the Dallas Metroplex.  However, I needed someone to take a look at it before I made an offer.

Turns out there are nationwide companies that sell used car inspections.  However, how do you know that they aren't just pocketing the money and sending you a bogus inspection?

I did an internet search and stumbled across The Auto Critic in Dallas.  The website looked like it was built by a owner-operator or friend of the owner (which was the case).  This isn't to knock it.  It just gave a certain confidence that I was dealing with someone who cared about providing quality inspections for their clients and not some national fly by night website.

Texas is a great market for used cars.  There are a ton of them there.  Cars don't get coated with salt and snow melt.  It's only 10 or so hours away so it's easy to drive it back.

I got The Auto Critic to take a look at the van.  Before paying for a full blown inspection, I asked if he could check the exterior and interior and if there was a smell or body issues, don't bother inspecting the motor.

As soon as he got to the car, he called me and told me his first impression.  The interior had a smell and the paint was not touched up well.  He asked if the car had been in a coastal area.  According to the CARFAX™, it had been titled in Florida.  I told him to not bother inspecting the motor and transmission.  He charged me a destination fee and we both went on down the road happy.

Long story short, these guys at The Auto Critic know what they are doing and they saved me future headaches with a used car that was not worth buying.

If you need a used car inspected in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, I strongly recommend you check out The Auto Critic.  These guys are the real deal and are truly passionate about car inspections and not just making a buck.

 

Toyota™ Doesn't Care About Safety?

I learned something today. With the minivan out of commission we are having to drive our Toyota Highlander™ everywhere. Not a bad deal but one of the rear seat-belt buckles isn't working. It's in the very back seat and doesn't get used often which is why it's so surprising it failed.

I called Jay Wolfe Toyota™ this morning and left a message. No one bothered to call me back so I stopped by this afternoon to ask the service shop about the buckle. I had a buckle in my Nissan™ go bad a fear years ago and Nissan replaced it at no cost because they warranty seat belts for life.

The guy at the dealer told me they don't warranty seat-belts. I called the national Toyota hot-line and spoke to a very nice service rep. He looked up my data and told me Toyota only covers seat belts under the power-train warranty which expires at 60,000 miles so essentially I am on my own to find a buckle and replace it.

Before you jump to any conclusions about foreign vs American cars, I bought them both used so it really didn't matter who built them. The Nissan was built by Ford™ in America. No idea where the Toyota was built.

Bottom line? If you walk into Jay Wolfe Toyota or another Toyota dealer to buy a Toyota, just remember after 60,000 miles, your family's safety is on your own. Your car manufacturer makes that very clear.

I guess I won't be buying that Toyota Sienna™ and for sure will be buying the Honda Odyssey™.  Based upon the seat belt issue, the Honda Odyssey is a better mini-van than the Toyota Sienna.

Buying a Car or Hernia Surgery? Which is Less Painful?

Well it finally happened.  Right near the 10 year anniversary of buying it used, our 2002 mini-van transmission decided that after 150k+ miles it was done.  I was just telling someone the other day I'd like to get an 8 seat Honda Odyessy™ or Toyota Sienna™.  I need an extra seat and more trunk room but I couldn't justify getting rid of my van because it worked just fine.  I still can't justify it after I get it fixed.  Buying new cars is a great way to live life poor. 

Cars get you from point A to B.  That's it.  My first vehicle was a 1988 Chevy S10™ pickup that we bought in 1991 when I got my license.  The truck had no options.  No power steering, no air conditioning, no power brakes, and a 5 speed stick.  Options are just expensive toys that create expensive repairs later.  I loved that truck and drove that thing till it literally set itself on fire. 

How?  Back in 2002 or 2003 I did a huge favor.  Someone (ahem TM) asked me to do 6 hours worth of basketball refereeing in Hardin Missouri which  is about an hour east of here in the Missouri River floodplain.  The games were in February and just happened to be on the coldest day of the year with a high of 4 degrees.  The truck had a leaky radiator and I just kept filling it up with water.  It was a mild winter and never had any problems with it and never thought to check the anti-freeze level.

Like most small towns, the school in Hardin was on the edge of town.  The poor truck sat in the cold with a 20+ mph wind blowing on it all day.  I finished up the games and headed back to town in the dark.  About halfway to Orrick, the truck started shaking.  I had no idea what was wrong but noticed the temperature gauge.  I pulled onto the shoulder and pulled the trigger for the hood latch.  I went to open it and almost burnt my hand.  I realized the radiator was frozen and the engine had no water to cool it.  I sat for a while and let the steam/smoke die down.  I made it another couple of miles, at 10 mph, to Orrick.

I had called Mrs. Loudmouth and she was on her way to pick me up.  I pulled into a bank in Orrick that was right along Route 210.  Luckily I had my heavy duty black ski mask.  I was freezing and wanted to be somewhere warm.  I thought to myself if I started banging on the windows and acting like I was breaking in while wearing a ski mask that the alarm would trigger and the PD would show up and let me sit in a warm squad car.  I guess the bank didn't have anything in it because nothing happened.

If it couldn't get any more convoluded, a state highway patrolman was driving along Route 210 and made the turn into Orrick.  I positioned myself so it looked like I was using a crow bar to open the door.  I don't know if he saw me or not but he kept driving by.  Mrs. Loudmouth eventually got there.  Luckily it was 40+ degrees the next day so the radiator thawed and I was able to drive it home.

After that, it was never the same.  For about 3 months, I would have to park it on an incline, push in the clutch, let the baby roll downhill, and pop the clutch to jumpstart it.  Even then, I still didn't want to have to go buy another one.  The thing still worked.  It wasn't ideal but it worked.  Moral of the S10 story?  If you want to rob a bank, I know an easy one to target.

I then proceeded to buy a very late model purple Chevy Lumina™.  The Luminas had a great V6 engine that would last forever but the thing looked like a floating turd.  I would refer to it as the "purple turd."  The turdiness of it is why I paid very little cash for it but still got a lot of usage out of it until a minor fender bender economically totalled the thing.  Even after the accident with the driver front side smashed up and the windshield cracked to pieces, I drove the thing for another 6 months before getting another truck.

The whole car buying experience is just so asinine (definition here for you Indiana University grads).  If you have an older Honda or Toyota mini-van that seats 8 and are thinking of getting something else, let me know.  Otherwise, I might have to deal with this guy....

 Clip credit to MGM from the Cadillac Man movie.

 

Fixing an LG™ WM2050C Front Load Washer (or Any LG™ Front Loader)

If you own an LG™ front load washing machine, I would bet that at some time you will have some water leaking on the floor.  I bought one over 2 years ago from the Sears™ Outlet (aka scratch and dent) on Front Street.  I bought the LG™ because the motor to turn the drum is attached to the drum directly which means there are no belts to maintain or break.  My previous Kenmore™ washer had a belt that broke and sliced a couple of supply lines and it was 5 years old so I made the choice to buy new vs. pay the repair.

One of the great things about the internet is all the do-it-yourself repair forums.  When my Kenmore™ had an issue, I typed the model number in a search engine along with the brand and came up with a bunch of sites that mentioned a common issue with the door lock hardware failing.  I was a little intimidated by tearing into the machine and made the service call.  Guess what happened?

The service guy said it was the door lock.  I got the price for him to do the repair and decided to order the part on-line and do it myself which saved over $150.  Since then, I've been able to repair appliance stuff myself using these DIY forums and videos.

Two weeks ago, my LG™ started leaking water.  I thought the drain was clogged but it wasn't.  I thought it was a pump issue since I had an extension hose that made the dirty water go from the bottom of the washer and then up 5' to the drain.  I ran the extension hose directly to the nearby toilet to see if the pump had enough strength to drain the washer and it did so that meant my pump was okay.

Eventually, I came across the problem.  Turns out the rubber hose Mousetrap™ contraption that connects the tub to the pump tends to break.  I moved the washer around and used vice-grips on the pipe clamps to get the contraption lose.  I strongly recommend the vice-grips because the clamps are extremly tight and hard to squeeze while stuck in a corner with hands and arms fumbling around in the dark, tight space.

I took the contraption out and sure enough, it had a break right where the internet said it would be.

I found the part here and ordered 2 of the replacement parts so that I have one handy when this happens again.  Since I had to wait 5 days to get it and we do a lot of laundry, I used some old black sewer pipe compound to try and plug the leak (didn't work).

Once I got the part, it was a pretty easy fix by laying the washing machine on its side so I could replace the pipe from the exposed bottom.  I hooked everything up and bleached the floor and sides of the machine to get the leaked water smell out and everything is working great. It took less than 5 minutes to fix it.

Line Creek Loudmouth now on Twitter

You can now get updates from this site by following it on Twitter @LCLoudmouth or using the link on on the upper right hand side of the page.  Typepad assures me that it works.  I've adopted the strategy that most computer software companies seemed to have adopted.  The end user (you) are my quality control to tell me if it works or not!