Noisy washer / laundry washing machine during spin cycle - it's the drain pump

Tools Required :

Screwdriver x Phillips/star 

Locking pliers  x 2 (vise grip style

Silicone oil

Rags / Towel

Prevention / Maintenance :

Vinegar / Citric acid as descale or remove lime

Drain cleaner ( alkaline to dissolve oils and grease )

Problem: washer is very noisy during spin cycle.

Objects on or around the washer

My washer was making a rumble sound during the spin cycle. The troubleshooting process brought me to first think it was something on, or around the washer. I removed any objects, and checked that it was properly level. No change.

Bearings ?

Next I thought it could have been the bearings either in the motor or in the tumbler, after removing the paneling and turning it by hand, I couldn't feel or hear any resistance.

Drain Pump

Last, and the most easily accessible, was the drain pump. The front panel at the foot of the washer. Two screws needed to be removed.

As per this image, the bolts are at number 19.

With the washer disconnected from AC/shore power, I removed the plug to the pump motor, unscrewed two screws at the base, use locking pliers to open the pipe clamps on both inlet and outlet.

Install new pump.

When installing the new pump, put some silicone oil on the inlet and outlet to make it easier for the rubber hoses to slip on - don't get any on your hand or tools. It's rather lubricious.

Assembly of a washer drain pump :

All the parts  - laminated core, AC coil, cover, rotor cover.
permanent magnet rotor core, impeller, impeller housing with inlet and outlet

Put the coil over the laminate core

Insert the housing in the laminate core

Be careful - the magnet will draw the core
into the housing very quickly
The problem was here with water getting past the black seal of the shaft.

Instead of replacing the whole unit,
 the pump rotor housing with rotor inside and impeller could have been replaced.

Just replace this as a whole. Coil, laminate core and pump housing were fine.

Gardening - Large Rock Removal in 3 Easy Steps

Tools required:

PPE -  Safety glasses, gloves, shin guards

Shovel

Sledge Hammer 5kg or heavier

Wheel Barrow

Step 1 : Dig around rock. It may be possible to remove and roll out. If not proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Find Fault line or weakness and smash to bits. On sedimentary rocks, this will be rather evident, however igneous and metamorphic rocks, it will take more effort to determine where to hit. The golden rule about minerals : strong in compression, not so much in tension. Like glass, a small cut on one side with an impact can create a clean break.

If available, use a chisel, SDS hammer drill, etc to drill holes at a certain distance and use plug and feather.

Step 3 : Remove broken rock as you go. The less loose rock is a better absorption of impact by the large rock.

Stumped - Using a 3d printer

When I got my Fused Deposition Modeling 3D printer in late 2017, I was quite excited. The hype had passed, the technology matured, but it was a toy nonetheless.  The excitement faded for the following reasons :

• if you want anything to last, it should be made of stone, wood, fabric, metal or ceramic;
• if it isn't mass produced, you most probably don't need it - pierogie/dumpling maker, custom pasta die, game controller to fit adult hands... all nice to have, but not needed;
• making a die and counter die could be good for casting plaster, aluminum or brass where a the lost foam or PLA casting could be possible. A foundry would thus be necessary;
• Prototyping is certainly cheaper when sketched on a computer and printed, however it's often faster to make a prototype from cardboard, wood, metal, wax, clay, sheets of plastic etc.
  

So where should I go from here? Simple and inexpensive re-purposing of the plastic pumping machine could include :

• PCB milling
• Paper Laser cutting
  
• Plasma cutter attached to carriage
  

If you have any ideas what a consumer 3D printer can really be used for, let me know.

Amazon Prime - Municipalities and Tax Payers Shouldn't Pay to Dispose of Packaging - Send It Back

I do purchase things online. It's often cheaper and more convenient that going out to the shop.

What makes me somewhat upset of Amazon is the lack of a circular packaging system. It could be like beer bottles, where the packaging is cleaned and reused. Unfortunately the cardboard boxes and plastic bubble or insulated envelopes are single use - the cardboard may get recycled if there's a market for used fiber, but the plastic envelopes most certainly won't.

Through customer support, I asked Amazon what to do with the envelopes as my municipality does not accept/recycle them. I was given no response.

Given the nature of Amazon's operations, they must have the means to manage waste from the products that arrive at their warehouses.

Packing Envelopes to send back an item to Amazon

Solution : Send the packaging back to Amazon.

I had an item to return because it was sent to me by mistake, so I am using the envelopes from Amazon to send the item back.

They will have to deal with the waste, but if everyone started sending the packaging back to Amazon, or whichever retailer or origin, it will force change.