I have now officially entered a new phase in the home buying/owning experience. Discovery! This is where I discover things that were not obvious during the inspection or any of the walk-throughs before purchase. You know... The light switch to nowhere; The hidden door behind the toilet. The hole in the subfloor that was never patched up before they placed the laminate flooring over the top of it.... and Now it is a "Soft Spot"...
Forget the "Ghosts of owner's past". Those do not frighten me as much as the black painted windows in the basement... What was that little "torture room" for??!? The resident Vampire?
I could go on. And probably will as I discover old issues that are new to me. But I will try to keep this post light and focused.
Today I tested out the Laundry! I was impressed that it had a washer and dryer. And even though they were kind of dirty, I figured beggars can't be choosers! I will take an operational washer and dryer over the laundromat any day.
That is.. as long as it works.
Otherwise, they are heavy pieces of junk that is rather difficult to deal with. But if it works! Then I can deal with most of the other issues.
That being said, I fired it up with the laundry of the week and discovered a few things: The hoses were new and shiney, and had been torqued on the faucet fairly hard! But... when you turned the faucet on, it began to leak. ( the faucet, not the washer.) I'm standing there watching a small river of water snake its way across the floor to the drain.... Wondering where the water is coming from.
I then discover the the "Wash Bin" ( that utility sink next to the washer and dryer) has no hose to the drain set up. it simply has a hole in the bottom that dumps any water on the floor!
Ok! Have to get a hose for the sink and direct it over to the drain... Note taken.
Then the washer starts... but sounds terrible! I peek inside. NO WATER! After a few minutes of trouble shooting, I realize that the drain hose is piped directly to the drain! (on the floor!) So all the water that was going in, went down the drain instead of filling the washer.
I pick up the hose and elevate it so it is slumped it over the Utility Sink. ( the same one that drains directly on the floor.) and create an equalized pressure so the washer will fill up properly. Who would said teaching Physics was useless?
So now the washer is filling with water... again. But now I have to deal with all of the water that is going to go into the utility sink ( and onto the floor!) I quickly grab a plastic bin to act as a bucket. It works!
Eventually the washer finishes and my clothes are clean. And the plastic bin is now too heavy to move since it is now filled with water. Time to dust off another physics trick!
I grab the garden hose from the garage and use it as a syphon to drain the water out of the bin. the water goes directly into the drain and there is no ( additional) mess or water on the floor! Hurray!
Then there comes the dryer! I discover that it works just fine.... But the door will not stay closed. in fact, it never really actually closes! It just closes enough to push the "Kill Button" that stops the machine whenever the door is opened mid-use. I brain storm a band-aid plan and wedge it shut with a bucket of kitty litter.
That works for a few minutes, but eventually vibrates away. Time for a new plan.
I eventually find one of my strength bands and wrap it around the entire machine. It works! My clothes are now clean AND dry!
And now I have to go to Menhards again to find a washing machine hose. ( or any hose that I can fit to the Utility Sink.) And a better latch for the dryer door. Honestly, I think the band worked so well and the door to the dryer is so damaged that I may just leave it that way. And now that I know how the "system" works.... I can do my laundry again in half the time with minimal mess!
I did other things today. Like: move in several of the large furniture pieces. I solo moved "THE BEAST" dresser and got it to its forever location. It will now act as an entertainment center. Until it becomes firewood. By the way, it almost became firewood as I tried to move it. Any piece of furniture that is too heavy for it's legs to support it is a Poorly Designed piece of junk! ( in my opinion) As I attempted to tip it upright,
I could hear the legs begin to crack! Luckily, they held on long enough to get it in place. Had any one of them broke, I would have taken it out back and "murdered it" with an Axe!
I also got the Sofa in! Which was surprisingly easier than the dresser. Even though it was bulky, it did fit through the door and is now set up so the cat has her favorite perch back.
The Tall Boy is still in the garage, but I will leave it for now. I also finished mowing the lawn and putting up the leaves over the bar area. In all.... A fairly productive day.
I still have a few other "projects" that I want to accomplish this week, provided nothing else pops up that will require my attention. ( Like the laundry!) I'll see if I can begin putting my tools away now that most things are installed and I hopefully will not need them this week. That will clear up some areas and hopefully make it looks less cluttered.
Overall, I think it is beginning to look like a home now. At least the fist floor. I have not touched the second floor yet, now the basement. In fact, I may turn my attention to the garage and see if I can set up the automatic garage door so I can start parking the Subie inside at night. I should have a full weekend next weekend to tackle some of those larger projects.
Until then... I shall continue to embrace the discover of the unknown..... And make every second count.
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