Before I Bought a House I Went to the Laundromat...

Arbobogg Imagery. Getty Images.

Before we bought a house my wife and I made weekly trips to the laundromat. It wasn't horrible, but it was a whole lot better when we had a house of our own and there was a washer and dryer in the basement…

In January, we will have lived in this 40' x 24' split entry ranch for 35 years. I've done a lot of work to this house but it's never-ending…

Over the last three months, I've done plenty of home improvements. After painting the sheds for the creation of my Black Friday/Cyber Monday Barstool Store, I began binge-painting. I painted the bathroom door (11 years in waiting) and painted the unfinished window trim in the kitchen (20 years in waiting). After I put the brushes away I  replaced two original mercury switch thermostats (Honeywell T-87 round) with digital ones, re-caulked the seam in the two-piece tub/shower unit that had become moldy and looked pretty gross, and caulked the gap in the tile floor by the front door. But there was one more thing I needed to do before Christmas, replace the old gas dryer…

Advertisement

We've had three dryers up to this point. The first one came with the house (electric) and soon after moving in, I purchased a new, very inexpensive gas dryer from Pete Baroni (Brockton), who had new appliances in the parking lot of his warehouse which was in an old bordered-up gas station. He stood outside pitching his goods at a busy intersection that was on my way home from work, and in all kinds of weather too. He earned my business and I bought no fewer than five appliances from him. Pete was a very colorful guy in his late 40s, just over six foot tall with dark curly hair hanging out of his multi-colored patchwork newsboy cap; a good-natured huckster who sold inexpensive appliances, perfect for a new homeowner like myself at the time. The dryer was cheap, but it was better than the electric one and I could easily afford it. It lasted 7 years but at that point, it owed us nothing. 

The next one we bought was from Sears and the first one they delivered was defective and after a few failed attempts at fixing it, they upgraded us to a better one at no additional cost. We've had Bob, from Bob's Appliance (Norton) fix it a bunch of times. Belts, motors, switches; he kept it alive for better than 20 years…

Recently, it began taking forever to dry towels and it could only be on medium heat, high no longer worked. My wife was concerned that if it died suddenly we'd have to wait months for a new one because of the supply problems. Some of her friends waited months for their new appliances, so I gave her the green light to purchase a new gas dryer.

Here's the old dryer, disconnected and ready to leave…

My wife found an LG she wanted at Best Buy where we've had good luck in the past, and we set up a delivery for Monday, December 6th. The night before, after applying the second coat of paint to the kitchen window trim, I disconnected the old dryer, capped the gas line, and had it by the bulkhead door ready to be taken away.

The next morning the delivery truck arrived at around 9:30 and two guys, using a sling, made removing the old one look easy. I was standing out at the truck when they took the new dryer off and out of the box… There was a small indent on the left top front corner where the side and front panels meet. My big concern wasn't aesthetics, it was vibration. The dent was disappointing, but paying $1,000 for a noisy dryer is totally unacceptable…

Advertisement

Here's a pic of the dent by the seam where the side and front panels meet

The driver was quick to point out the dent and he asked me if I wanted him to toss it back on the truck and set up the delivery of a new one. I called my wife and we were both concerned that we'd have to wait 3-4 weeks to get another and I didn't really want to put the old one back in because who knew if it would even work after being disconnected and carried to the truck.

After speaking to a customer service rep, she said we had 15 days to return the dryer for a new one… Okay, we decided to keep it and if after I installed it, it was noisy we'd get another one delivered, but at least we'd have one to use so we didn't have to go to a Laundromat in the middle of winter.

I waited for my wife to come home to get a good look at it and we both agreed that although the dent didn't look great, it wasn't enough to be a deal-breaker. The next morning I started the installation.

After reading the manual in three languages (haha!), I realized she bought one with a "steamer". She later said she told me about it, but I think agreeing to it was a "yes dear" moment for me and I have absolutely no recollection of it.

This dryer came with a cold water inlet on the bottom, a dedicated hose, and a splitter… WTF! I'm putting in a gas clothes dryer and I need to make a water connection? It wasn't what I expected…

Underneath the cover, the washing machine valve was even worse than I thought…

Thirty years ago I installed a Symmons built-in washing machine box and I framed for bi-fold doors so I could close off the laundry, but I never did it. It would've been tight and there was no need for it. The laundry is part of the unfinished basement where aesthetics really don't matter. 

Back in the day, a majority of washers and dryers were in basements where there was easy access to the connections, but in newer houses, builders put them in vented laundry closets that are tight, some up on the second floor, and I never looked forward to installing them. They were always a bitch to install. 

The first thing I did before beginning was to cut out the 2" x 3" framing, which opened up the area and made the installation much easier. Next, I turned the washing machine valve off, but it didn't shut down. For a while, the handle had become difficult to move and didn't open all the way so I kind of expected that at one point I'd have to replace it. The steamer forced my hand. The braided hose connections looked horrible too and I knew I had to run out to get parts…

Fortunately, Plumber's Supply in Easton is only eight minutes away and Dave, a good friend I graduated high school with is the manager and it's always great to see him and the rest of the guys too. 

Advertisement

The new Symmons washing machine valve with the cover trimmed out and the splitter installed

When I returned home I shut the water main and drained everything down. After removing the old valve and installing the new one, easy-peasy, two screws, I remembered the replacement valves come with a standard lever, not the long straight one needed for the built-in box. The standard handle is bent and with the cover on the box it only sticks out a 1/4" making it almost impossible to move.

I could've left the cover off completely but instead, I decided to carve it up with my jigsaw and make it work. I think it looks fine and it actually makes the connections much more accessible.

I slid the dryer into place and using a 2' spirit level, I adjusted the four legs, which took a few attempts before I got it right. You can't level a dryer correctly once it's installed, so it's best to level it before making any connections.

After installing the supplied splitter, I attached the two new 4' hoses to the washing machine and then I attached the provided long hose to the male hose fitting on the bottom of the machine for the optional steamer, which I easily could've lived without. Maybe after we use it I'll change my mind…

There's the water connection on the right, the 4" vent is in the middle, and the 3/8" threaded gas connection is on the bottom left, hiding under the yellow plastic cap

I prepared the gas inlet by installing a 3/8" x 1/2" black malleable coupling, a short nipple, a 90-degree elbow, and a 1/2" x 42" pre-threaded piece of pipe that wasn't cheap ($35). I really didn't want to drag my Ridgid pipe threader out of the shed for one piece of pipe so I bit the bullet and bought a piece that was threaded and ready to go. 

Advertisement

Next, I slightly crimped a 4" galvy smoke 90-degree elbow to tighten it up and attached it to 3' of galvy pipe, taped the seams, and pushed it onto the vent outlet at the bottom of the dryer. I pushed the dryer into place and connected the gas piping using an 18" flexible connector to make my final connection. I turned the gas on and did a bubble check on the gas fittings and there were no leaks. I finished by connecting the rigid smoke pipe to a flexible section of metal dryer vent that was already connected to the wall outlet.

With the framing removed, the new LG dryer looks right at home next to the LG washing machine

I was ready to start cleaning up when my wife came home. She had no idea how hard I worked to get the new dryer in, but she was very happy with the way it came out. (Happy wife-Happy life)

There are two options for opening the doors. Either to the side, for removing clothes. Or…

Advertisement

Down. It only opens partially & it was designed so when you're loading clean clothes they don't drop on the floor. Brilliant!

We did a load this morning and the new dryer worked flawlessly with no crazy noises from the dent. It's a keeper!

I spent many years avoiding the laundry area in my own home, leaving that chore to my wife. Hey, I mow the lawn, rake the leaves, and shovel the snow, all without any help. Why would I do laundry too? When my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, I started doing some of the domestic chores I had avoided for 30 years. And so I have done my fair share of laundry over the last nine years and although I don't like doing laundry, I help out any way I can, and if that means I have to wash, dry, and fold laundry, so be it. It took her a while, but after 43 years of being married my wife has finally domesticated me. Sadly, I do dishes now too… 

We haven't used the steam feature yet, but the new dryer kicks ass!