Our RV Adventures

About noon I drove into Columbus to pick up some parts to extend my washer drain hose at the hardware store. I could have just bought a conventional drain hose for $12, but then I would have just had to cut it down from 5 feet to 18 inches, a big waste, and I’m cheap.

So I bought a 24” piece of vinyl tubing for $1.20 and a 1/2” x 2” threaded nipple for $.87, and it fit perfectly, screwing right in to the tubing,

Then the other end screwed right into the original drain hose making a nice, tight fit.

And now I was ready to go. But since it was now after 3pm and we going to be going out in a while, I decided to wait on the actual install until after we got back, so the path to the bathroom wouldn’t be blocked.

About 4:15 we headed into Columbus to meet up with Jim and Peri Dean for dinner at Los Cabos Mexican Restaurant. And as usually seems to happen with RV’ers, between the good food and conversation, it ended up being another 3 hour meal.

In fact, it was all so good that we decided to do it again tomorrow night. But this time at Sealand Seafood up in La Grange. Really looking forward to it.

After we got back to the rig, I started in on re-installing the washer back into the cabinet. But first  there’s the prep work getting everything hooked up.

First up, I inserted the drain hose into the drain pipe and used a big gob of plumber’s putty around the opening to seal it in place. Then I inserted a long rod into the dryer vent hose and out thru the outside vent.

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Then I hooked up the water hoses to the washer. At this point, be sure you don’t forget to turn the water valves back before you put the washer back in the cabinet. (don’t ask why I know this).

The string is tied to  the drain hose and keeps it up and out of the way so it doesn’t get crimped as I pushed the washer in the cabinet.

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Now I fasten the vent hose to the washer. The only way to do this is to use Gorilla Tape since the hose goes inside the connector and not outside where I could use a clamp.

Note that the rod still extends outside so that the hose can be pulled through.

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Then it’s just a matter of getting the washer started in the opening and then slide it in, inch by inch, back and forth.

Once I got it flush in the cabinet, I first ran an empty load to be sure it was all working OK, and then started a small load for real.

So far it’s working great with no problems. In fact a couple of other problems seem to be fixed as well.

The dryer was making a funny noise, and it’s not any more. And the clothes are now drier at the end on the final spin cycle, so they dry faster. I think this is because the new pump is removing more water during the spin/drain cycle than the old dying pump was.

Tomorrow I’ll finish up by putting the cabinet doors back on, and connecting up the outside dryer vent deflector. Then it will be finally done.

And now it’s on to my oil leak problem.

I’m supposed to respect my elders, but now it is getting harder and harder for me to find one.

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