Appliance Agony

The dryer died last night. Mid-cycle, just stopped. There was no warning.

Well, that's not true.

It's been starting automatically when you shut the door, apparently it deciding that the "on" switch had became obsolete. This worked for me though so I ignored it. Right up until the dryer stopped completely.

From past experience, I knew it wasn't the belt because I've heard the death sounds of that. It's not pretty.

Kevin poked around at it a little last night but as he's first to admit: household appliances befuddle him. He finally shrugged at it and said "I'll look at it tomorrow." Which is code for "I'm calling someone else."

He had to work today, poor buddy, so I called in reinforcements. My father-in-law, brother-in-law and father figure neighbor were conveniently located chatting in the driveway. I called my father-in-law and they were over in a few minutes.

My brother-in-law works on electrical engines all day long (he's a journeyman electrician & millwright) and he was momentarily thwarted. The cause was not immediately apparent. He had tools and gauges and nothing was to be done.

The internet told me it was probably a fuse. It, however, refused to disclose it's location.

So, my f-i-l held the dryer at a precarious angle, hoping to scare it into coughing up the location but to no avail.

Finally, after five different Google searchs, the location was secured.

There was removal of the offending fuse and discussion regarding it's replacement.

My b-i-l is a pretty soft-spoken guy. "Well, I can wire around it" he offered.

"You can?" I asked, hopefully, as we hadn't figured out if we could get a new fuse yet and I really was not looking forward to a prostrate dryer in my laundry room.

"Yes, but it's a fuse. That's a safety so there's no safety if I wire around it."

"That's not good" I say wisely, "It could burn the house down and that would, well, suck."

"Not for me, it's not my house." he replies.

"Yes but..." I countered "We would be living with you so there you go. Your life would suck as well."

"I'm not wiring around it."

Kevin comes home with the fuse in hand about an hour later.

I tell him "James said he can wire around it..."

Kevin looked at him questioningly & a little hopefully.
James cuts him off at the pass "It's the SAFETY. I'm not wiring it."
"And we'd be living with them when the house burnt down." I offered, helpfully.

"F&*k that." Kevin says. "We're fixing it."

Ten minutes later...the dryer is humming happily, as am I.

And thirty minutes later, it occurs to me that they've left it running With Nothing In It.