A Continuing Saga

We've been in the house just over a month now, and things are going very well. Our 30 day inspection included a few sticky doors, minor leak with the garbage disposal, and some floor squeaks. All were repaired quickly to our satisfaction. Still on the list is the repair of some erosion in the backyard which will be done in the spring.

A major problem has been the Washer/Dryer. This comes in many flavors, and will take a bit of time to fully explain. The machines are installed upstairs in a laundry closet, and each have a base with storage drawers for laundry supplies. They were initially installed in early November. Home Depot sub-contracts installation to another company which failed to do the job properly. The dryer hose was left much too long which would cause a lint trap problem (and potentially a fire hazard). The washer crushed the emergency drain pan which was left underneath causing a balance problem during the spin cycle.

I called Home Depot and had the dryer reinstalled properly. The installer did not bring a new pan, so that forced another trip to Depot. I picked up a new pan (no charge) and had the installer try again. This time the washer was installed properly on the pan, and we found that the drawer would not open due to interference with the pan. Back to Home Depot.

Depot said that they had run into this problem before, apologized and asked us if the problem could be solved by giving us a refund for the base extension. That seemed fair. We are pleased with the way Home Depot has handled this, but feel they could have made us aware of the issue before the purchase.

When we returned home that night, we found water on the floor and the spin cycle failed to wring out the clothes properly. I thought that after three installations, something must have been broken. (Additional worry now that the stair lift is installed, a replacement would be a real problem.) Home Depot recommended we call GE directly, and I made an appointment for today.

The technician (more then a repairman these days, the diagnostics are more like what they do with your car) found that the drain hose was installed too deep in the drain. This didn't allow water to drain properly and told the washer to stop spinning. He also found that a button was 'stuck'. We won't know until the Executive Laundry Administrator exercises the system completely, but I believe these problems are now resolved.

The saga doesn't end there. The laundry room is on the second level and is an option for this house. It is not 'over sized'. We found that with the bi fold doors installed, the base drawer for the dryer can't be opened. (Summary, the washer drawer won't open due to the pan, the dryer drawer won't open to to the bi fold doors.) You can't shift positions of the machines too much because the washer pan fixes that machine in place. This one needs some attention by the builder.

I'll let you know...