Perhaps you know of the phrase Reuse, Reuse, Recycle and also the logo image style associated with this phrase.
This post is about the 4th R, Repair. In summary, I think that the information wealth easily found with Google combined with a willingness to take something apart that is already broken, makes it easier to repair things yourself compared to a few years ago.
So, the latch on my dishwasher broke.
This did not make it completely dysfunctional, just rather awkward. If you pulled firmly enough, it would open. But I got tired of that after a few weeks, so I opened it up to see what I could see. (Hey, its broken anyway.) It needed a "special" driver bit (T-15) visible in this photo, but many driver bit assortments now include this torx bit style. (If you try this at home, be sure to unplug your dishwasher first. Yes, it has a plug, usually under the kitchen sink.)
Looking inside, I see a latch assembly with the broken latch component.
A web search using Google and the shopping tab on Google (a.k.a froogle.com) yielded some good information which helped when I called local appliance parts suppliers. I have a preference to use local suppliers but no local supplier had it in stock. (I also learned that local appliance parts supply is a shrinking industry.) Returning to Google shopping I selected a supplier and ordered the part, about $30 delivered. It arrived in one week, and replacing the part was very easy. Since Maytag designed this unit for easy assembly, it also made it easy to repair in this case.
Also, the old part broke at a plastic pivot point.
The new assembly uses a metal component at this pivot point, and this suggests that the manufacturer repaired the design, which I appreciate.
So, repair it yourself is the 4th option, but I don't know how to repair the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" logo.
Rick
I prefer discrimination in this case, and want hummingbirds only. So, using a 2 liter soda bottle and a hot glue gun, I modified the feeder. Since it looked like the larger bird was barely able to balance and tuck their head down to reach the feeder, the basic idea was to slightly obstruct access and make it impossible to balance and reach the feeding hole at the same time.
It appears to work since the the non-hummingbirds have been absent for a week and the food now lasts several days.
