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nhgeek , to Do It Yourself in Anyone else have trouble with these GE dishwashing machines?
@nhgeek@beehaw.org avatar

Yeah, they aren’t great machines. I switched to Bosch.

CrimeDad OP ,

I’m hoping to hold off on buying any new kitchen appliances until we renovate the kitchen, but who knows when we’ll get to that. The racks in this dishwasher definitely aren’t going to make it.

nhgeek ,
@nhgeek@beehaw.org avatar

It’s a good idea to try to wait for the full renovation. Have a look at this, it might inspire a stopgap measure.

_TK , to Do It Yourself in Anyone else have trouble with these GE dishwashing machines?

It’s not necessarily an issue with the brand, but rather the tier of the appliance. Builder’s grade appliances are just made way cheaper. Bottom tier options from all brands are bad. They’re bad enough that you can’t even buy them at most places. Only contractors can get them by ordering directly from the manufacturer.

CrimeDad OP ,

Any idea if the term “contract grade” is related?

Seathru ,

Builder grade and contractor grade are interchangeable.

One thing to check is that the machine is leveled properly. If it’s not, the frame will flex and cause leaks.

I have a GE Quiet Power 2 dishwasher that I bought second hand 5+ years ago and that thing has been rock solid. All I’ve had to do is replace the plastic strainer on the bottom with a stainless steel one after it warped from being close to the heating element, and replace a rubber hose going to the pump after a mouse ate a hole in it.

BilboBallbins , to Do It Yourself in Anyone else have trouble with these GE dishwashing machines?

Dishwashers (and most appliances) are now made to break after a few years. If you want to fix it and learn a lot in the process, I have had good experiences with Appliance Parts Pros. There are exploded views of every appliance, and when you click on the part you need there is usually an installation video.

At my old apartment there was a really crappy dishwasher that always had standing water at the end of the cycle, which then turned moldy. I asked a neighbor and they had the same issue. I took it apart and attempted to fix the problem, to no avail. After doing that watching a lot of repair videos I’m pretty sure standing water was an intentional feature, probably because it was cheaper than making an actually useful appliance.

CrimeDad OP ,

Yes, I think I used them the first time I replaced the gaskets, and to fix my washer and dryer.

Fourth , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?
@Fourth@mander.xyz avatar

For me it was tail light seals/gaskets!

Seathru , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?

Pull out as much carpeting as your comfortable taking apart and get some air moving through. The more moving air the better.

Millie , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?

Took me a second to realize this isn’t about elephants.

vinniep , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?

For drying it out, nothing special - clean out as much as you can with towels/vac/etc, and then get as much air circulating as you can.

For the leak itself, if it’s the sunroof, the water is more likely to come from the sunroof itself and you’d see it raining on you along with wet seats. I’d wager it’s more likely the trunk itself or a light assembly that’s leaking.

Simplest thing to check is the trunk seal. Open the trunk and check around the seal for tears or areas where the seal is no longer attached. If there is any debris built up, clear that out too. Pour water around the outside of that seal and see if anything is coming through. Some weatherstrip adhesive fix up any cracks or breaks in the seal.

The other place you could be getting water in is the lights. Check around the housings to see if their seals are still intact and you can test by pouring water to see if any moisture is coming through. The “correct” fix here is to have the light housing removed and the gasket replaced. That can get spendy if you’re not doing it yourself, though, so some clear silicon can be employed to seal up the gaps.

Now, I doubt it’s the sunroof leaking, but just to be thorough: The sunroof has drains that can get clogged over time (usually see it with older cars or those that park outside under trees). Open the sunroof and check around the opening for debris. You should also be able to find the drain holes. They’re small and run through the frame and out the bottom of the car. You can test to see if it’s clogged by pouring a small amount of water into the gap and seeing if it drains or not. Some compressed air into the drain holes is usually enough to blow any loose debris out the bottom and clear the clog if there is one.

m_talon , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?

When I had a leak like this, it was the back window seal that was compromised. I had tested the trunk seal to no effect, but it still got wet when it rained or car wash. Took it to a shop and they figured out it was the window…I would have never guessed that.

Leon , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?
@Leon@beehaw.org avatar

you can pull out one of those round black plugs to drain the water then towel dry or leave it in sunlight for a little while

CrimeDad OP ,

I’ll check again, but I don’t think those are removable plugs.

Leon ,
@Leon@beehaw.org avatar

they should be, they’re put there to drain out spills.

here’s a video of someone pulling a trunk drain plug out of a car:

youtu.be/cTI4DTOAePc?t=80

not a volkswagen but it’s a very common feature for cars to have

CrimeDad OP ,

You are correct, they are plugs, but two of them are glued in place. The other two, the ones closer to the rear, are removable. They’re not at the lowest point so in order to drain the trunk completely, you have to park on an incline apparently.

Sharpiemarker , to Do It Yourself in Who else's got a wet trunk?

Bit of a personal question don’t you think?

PorradaVFR , to Home Improvement in These just go out with the other recycling, right?

I’m not clear if this is a legitimate question but….if so, it depends. In our city you can take them to Home Depot/Lowes for disposal. They should not be thrown out with garbage.

this_1_is_mine ,

They contain mercury. This should not be taken lightly. Please dispose of the correctly.

CrimeDad OP ,

Kind of wild that they were ever on the market in the first place.

TDCN ,
@TDCN@feddit.dk avatar

The amounts is absolutely minimal and mostly “harmles” even if accidents were to happen. To my knowledge they don’t contain actual liquid mercury but only the vapours. If you break them by accident just ventilate the room well and you’ll be fine. Not to say it’s healthy, mercury is a serious matter and should be disposed of correctly. But no reason to be overly concerned if you break one by accident.

CrimeDad OP ,

I’m sure the risk presented by a couple of CFLs to just me is pretty small, but all together it seems like a significant problem for everyone.

intensely_human , to Home Improvement in These just go out with the other recycling, right?

It depends. Are these heavy bulbs?

CrimeDad OP ,

Not especially, why?

protist , to Home Improvement in The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work.

Call your county’s master gardener helpline to ask this. Trust me, they live for questions like this. njaes.rutgers.edu/master-gardeners/helplines.php

I’d give you advice, but I live in Texas and know nothing about what would work in NJ.

byrona ,

Wow this is great I had no idea about this! I’m in NJ

evasive_chimpanzee ,

Every county in the US ( and some are actually combined jurisdictions) has a county extension office. Their job is basically to provide you with the latest plant growing information from the USDA and whatever your local land grant university is.

Unless you live on a reservation, in which case you might not have an office you can direct questions to, because reservations are sovereign nations and not part of “counties”. Some have extension services through another govt program, but not all.

walden , to Home Improvement in The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work.

Lavender likes sun. It also likes well-drained soil and a neutral to high pH, so add lime to the soil and sprinkle more lime every year.

Source - we have Lavender in front of our house, and it didn’t die yet. It’s less than a year old, though.

protist ,

In my experience, lavender either suddenly dies within 3 months of planting, or thrives exceptionally for one or two seasons then suddenly dies. I’ve given up on it

fhein ,

Soil not draining enough perhaps? Only way we’ve managed to kill lavender is by pruning it too much.

walden ,

Yeah it seems pretty fickle, but it sure is nice. There are different varieties, too, which makes it even more compelling.

MrsDoyle ,

English lavender is a bit sturdier than French lavender, I’ve found. It does better at surviving a harsh winter. Mine did so well my neighbours complained about it encroaching on their footpath and I had to hack it back.

rtfm_modular , to Home Improvement in The flowerbeds in front of my house could use some work.

I live just outside Philadelphia, so close enough climate wise. Given that your house is raised, I think it would look good anchor the house with something full with some height. I recommend a Laurel, which is evergreen for year round color and does well in full sun. Also consider large sedge grasses flanking the stairs.

You could stop there or you can make your garden beds as deep as you want for smaller shrubs and annuals. My only design suggestion is to place plants considering it’s full grown size and not what looks best today.

There are so many choices, the best thing to do is find a locally owned garden center and talk to the staff. The one near me is staffed with landscapers and, big surprise, they love talking about plants. They will know what works best for your region and will give you tips on planting and caring.

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