Teleidoscope

Sun, Jul 15, 2007

Projects and Appliances

Posted at 11:17 am MDT to Technology

Now that the septic system project is done, the next really big project around this house needs to be the electrical service and driveway. The truck is doing its best to eat the money that I was expecting to use for that, but I shouldn't put it off too long put it off too long.

After the house electrical system upgrade -- or during it -- I may replace some of my appliances.

My washer and dryer are 20 years old, and the dryer has developed a funny rattle. I will have someone take a look at it, but it may not be worth repairing. If I replace one, I will probably replace both: the modern appliances are supposed to use water and power more efficiently.

The first built-in dishwasher I installed in this kitchen was an upper-mid-range Kenmore. It worked well for years, then began to leak slightly and short out. I replaced it during one of my brief periods home with another upper-mid-range Kenmore, but this one is either badly designed or a lemon. It doesn't clean well: after a few months of use, tea mugs are showing stains that were never left by the old machine, and my Corelle and Corningware are showing stains, which should not happen, even to 30 year-old Correlle. I think the sprays are feeble, or not aimed properly or both. The Salvation Army has been advertising that they will take working appliances... It would be nice to have a dishwasher that actually works again.

My refrigerator is even newer than the dishwasher. It is another case of a hasty replacement of an old, reliable, machine at the end of its life: the old one started making strange noises and cycling oddly last year when I was only home on weekends, and I replaced it because I worried about coming home to a refrigerator that had been dead for a week. It is moderately annoying. It is loud when it cycles. And the vegetable crispers are deceptively tiny and useless --I think there is a motor behind them taking up most of their space. The new freezer-on-the-bottom refrigerators are very tempting, but the current one is usable, so it will probably be the last my current appliances to be replaced.

The stove and range hood are about fifteen years old, I think. The large front burner has gotten very erratic, and the problem is not the coil. And I'm not sure I trust the oven thermostat any more. If I get Leo's Appliance Repair to check the dryer, I may have him take a look at the stove as well. My problem with replacing the stove is that I want one designed for serious cooking. The new electric models with high-end oven features all seem to have those stupid smooth cooktops which cannot be used with cast iron skillets ... or canning kettles ... or enameled stockpots ... instead of proper burner coils.

I have had piped natural gas in the house since my second to latest furnace was installed. The original furnace used propane. One winter the delivery company delayed a delivery because of the holidays and a blizzard, and I ran out of fuel. And one summer, the delivery truck set my yard on fire. The newest furnace installation, besides adding the central air-conditioning, included a new water heater that is gas rather than electric.

I should probably investigate the cost-benefit ratio of getting the house plumbed for a gas stove (and dryer, while I am at it). I know that the electrical circuits for the stove and dryer use aluminum wires instead of copper, which is marginal according to code, and something of a safety hazard. Those aluminum wires are supposed to be replaced as part of the big electrical project, anyway, and it might not be a lot more expensive to switch to gas.

A gas stove would be an adventure. I have never cooked on a gas stove except a few times when I was visiting Nonna (my paternal grandmother). My Mother and Aunts always had electric stoves. And I have had electric stoves everywhere I have lived.

Grandma (my maternal grandmother) always had electric stoves because her sense of smell was destroyed by an illness when she was young. You have not known boring food until you have eaten traditional New England cuisine (boiled everything) cooked by someone with no sense of smell. We used to visit Nonna for Sunday dinner, then Grandma and Grandpa for supper: Grandpa had been a cook in a logging camp when he was young in Canada, and he made great pancakes.

I think, between the appliances and the fact that I am thinking of replacing the truck next year, that I should probably invest in a subscription to "Consumer Reports". "Cooks Illustrated", which I read occasionally, only does kitchen gadgets and small appliances.

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