YouTube can save you a lot

My dryer quit working last week. Crap.
So Monday Im on some box store sites looking at the costs of a new dryer, in case mine is badly messed up.

Well I google things to check for - it's just not starting up at all.
Find a few sites talking about checking this and checking that - wires, fuses etc
Nothing, everything looks good.

Google again with model number and 'not turning on'
Near the top is a youtube video so I thought, "hell, why not watch it and see what it says"


Well that YouTube video saved me a lot of time and, possibly, money.
It was a the knob to select the drying cycle. That's it.
Problem on these GE models, the knob cracks and doesnt grip the 'post' for the dial, so it stays stuck in an 'off' position, no matter how much you turn the knob.

While watching I pull my knob off and look - yep, hairline crack. Take my leatherman out, use the pliers to turn the dial some and hit the start button - fires right up.

Order a new one from Amazon, 4.50, and it works just fine.


Youtube has helped me with replacing belts on my mower, oil changes on bikes etc
It really is awesome folks can put 'educational'/helpful things in one place and save others a lot of time and money.

YouTube is exactly how I was able to replace the camshaft on my mower, with never having torn down a small engine before.
Subsequently watched videos on rebuilding the carburetor, setting valve lash and replacing the magneto- yes, had to do all of those but it runs like a champ now.

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Here's a website I use for appliance repair... I like them a lot.

www.repairclinic.com

They have staff that will guide you along with helpful videos.

I use YouTube a lot too.

Me and YouTube (or similar sites like repair clinic or 1aauto) have repaired many an appliance or vehicle around here.

Yup! YouTube can be your friend. Our dryer is about 30 years old and I have replaced motor, timer, rollers and other things and still have not even come close to what it would cost to replace with a new one. Dryers are normally an easy repair. Even the heating element is fairly simple.

Have replaced the heating element and pulley on my dryer and lid switch on my washer. Total cost was less then $85 for parts and about 3 hours of my unskilled time. I imagine it would have cost at least 500 if I had to have a service tech come out.

Sandman_NC said:

Here's a website I use for appliance repair... I like them a lot.

www.repairclinic.com

They have staff that will guide you along with helpful videos.

I use YouTube a lot too.

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I did check it, but the problem was it never mentioned, at least for my model, that it could be as simple as a knob!

Yep, I call it "Tube U" as in university.

ECNC said:

Yup! YouTube can be your friend. Our dryer is about 30 years old and I have replaced motor, timer, rollers and other things and still have not even come close to what it would cost to replace with a new one. Dryers are normally an easy repair. Even the heating element is fairly simple.

Click to expand...

I've replaced the heating element in our dryer twice. It really is very simple.

Yup utube has saved me thousands by helping me fix issues by myself.

My three year old Samsung LED tv went black last year. I was already checking online prices. I happened to check google, which gave me a youtube link for the problem. The youtube character told me to get off my a$$, go up to the screen, tap the back of the screen and voila, instant picture. But Ive had to do the tap fix about 15 times since the first fix.

Meckmeister said:

My three year old Samsung LED tv went black last year. I was already checking online prices. I happened to check google, which gave me a youtube link for the problem. The youtube character told me to get off my a$$, go up to the screen, tap the back of the screen and voila, instant picture. But Ive had to do the tap fix about 15 times since the first fix.

Click to expand...

I watched the ones about diagnosing and repairing TV's It made it seem simple and cheap but it didn't work on mine.

A YouTuber taught me how to “jank” the agitator out of my 25+ year old GE washing machine using a long strap to replace the worn out plastic spline gear. Fixed ‘er right up. Thanks YouTube!

Helped find a lost radio security code

Even better ... same issue with our washer last weekend but I had to work so my wife found some YouTube videos to help her diagnose the problem. She took the washer completely apart, diagnosed it, ordered the parts and had it all put back together when I got home from work last night. And she has absolutely no mechanical ability or knowledge.

Best DIY repair I’ve ever done [emoji23]


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thbassin said:

Even better ... same issue with our washer last weekend but I had to work so my wife found some YouTube videos to help her diagnose the problem. She took the washer completely apart, diagnosed it, ordered the parts and had it all put back together when I got home from work last night. And she has absolutely no mechanical ability or knowledge.

Best DIY repair I’ve ever done [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

knob?

YouTube was how I learned to clean a couple of guns early on.

Fixed my icemaker in the fridge with ole youtubes!

I couldn’t figure out how to connect to the internet. A YT video solved that for me.

YouTube has helped me with vehicles, dryers, computers, ipods...I probably have saved a grand in DIY with help of YouTube...

I had a dryer and washer that I have replaced a lot of small parts. I go to YouTube if I can't get my buddy that is a service guy for GE.

I just learned how to use speed loaders for my revolver on you tube....yay!

It's an amazing resource. The crowd sourced information tends to percolate the most common issues to the top of the search results so you find similar problems quickly - usually.

Can you imagine trying to troubleshoot the broken knob issue 25 years ago? The internet as we know it was still in it's infancy, so your only options would be to call someone, or head to the library for a "appliance repair" book that, at best, gave a 10,000 ft view of appliance repair.

When ever some one bring over a gun to clean that I have never taken apart before, YouTube goes to work.
When I was looking at annealing , YouTube went to work.
When taking apart a laptop computer, YouTube went to work.
When there is something that I need to know how to do something, YouTube goes to work.

YouTube might be as smart as Google!

I have always said that if you had to perform brain surgery on yourself, there would be a YouTube video showing you exactly how to do it.

Here at the shop..

Customer , Why so much labor cost? What do you mean it takes a couple hours. I watched an 8 minute video not a 2 hr video. I just dont have the tools.

Me,