Do we have any dishwasher experts in the house?

Ok, an update. Thanks to suggestions from several of you, I think I'm going to be able to postpone buying a new dishwasher from now. I took apart the filter at the back, and the area around where it drains. I cleaned out some debris there that I think was part of the problem. I also ran an empty cycle. Then with the first couple of loads we've washed we've added some vinegar in with the dish soap (just a few drops). We also refilled the JetDry stuff. So far no repeat of the problem.

 

So the dishwasher is still working fine after the bit of maintenance I did. But now the heating element has gone out in my dryer. At least that's what I'm assuming it has to be since everything works fine on it except it's not giving out any heat. If it's not one thing it's another.

 

We got a basic dryer from Costco a couple years ago for a reasonable price. Nothin' fancy. It does the job.

 

I'm going to price the element later today, I think it's something I could change out myself. If not, I'll be stopping by the Sears Outlet. About two years ago our washer went out and I got a $1700 Kenmore Elite Washer for under $900. It was marked down for "cosmetic defects". I went over it for 15 minutes and couldn't find one scratch, ding, or dent, and it works great. But I'm hoping I can just fix it, which should be less than $100.

 

Good luck with that. We've never had any luck repairing appliances. Even the ones that were fairly recent in my old house had to be chucked. The manufacturer (Kenmore, btw) insisted they didn't make that part anymore, or the cost of repairing it and running it outweighed the cost of just buying a new one.

Out of the two components in a washer/dryer setup, the washer is the more important of the two, simply because you want the best extraction possible from the spin cycle. A washer can also be energy efficient. By its very nature, a clothes dryer cannot, but you can help it be so with a good washer. It sounds like you have that part.

 

We replaced the heating element in the last dryer we owned years ago, I think it only cost like $42. I've also changed the belt out on this one a couple years ago. We'll see what happens. But you are dead on about the washer, and we fortunately got a pretty good one. The clothes come out practically dry if I use the extra spin cycle.

 

Some decent news on the dryer front. Through online research I narrowed it down to one of three parts causing the problem, and tore it apart to get to them. Once I'd located them I called the local appliance repair/supply store to get pricing. I figured if I could go get them today it would beat ordering them online and waiting until at least Monday for delivery. Since the total for all three was only about $110, I was just going to buy all three, replace them, and be done with it. I don't have the equipment nor the expertise to test them independantly to be sure which was the problem. The guy at the store gave me a few tips as to what to check to narrow it down, but the results were inconclusive. He then asked where I live, and said he'd be in the area anyway this afternoon. He said he'd stop in for a free service call to tell me which part I needed, and that he usually carried all three with him anyway. (Yay to local small businesses that value customer service!) So it looks like I'll have that back up and running for a minimal cost by tonight. Might have to throw him a few extra bucks on top of the part cost for his troubles if all goes as planned.

 

I live on the far, far SW outskirts of the Chicago suburbs. He came fairly late, but he helped me figure out what part I needed (it was one of the three I guessed, and he agreed when testing it that the test he told me to do wouldn't have narrowed it down because it wasn't acting exactly as it usually does when it's broken), and he sold it to me for $7 cheaper than I found it for online. Though he was only here 15 mins, I gave him an extra $20 for going out of his way to be helpful.