Home Appliance Repair II

Loyal followers of G&S have clamored for an update on the drama introduced by our post titled "Home Appliance Repair."

When last we looked in on the basement laundry room of the Farmer and his Wife, the washing machine had been partially disassembled (despite the lack of a proper screwdriver), and a replacement "water inlet valve assembly" had been ordered to be rushed to the site from a remote parts depot.

The part duly arrived, and the Farmer’s Wife easily installed it in its appointed place. It fit perfectly, the electrical connections were reestablished, and but a single task remained: attachment of the hose leading OUT of the assembly, by which water (now of appropriate temperature) was to make its way into the washing tub.

Now, the Farmer’s Wife is a clever woman. And certainly more intelligent than her spouse. She is no less dextrous. As relevant to the task at hand, she lacks neither adequate strength nor sufficient eye-hand coordination. What she does lack, however, is experience. And the mysterious workings of THIS device had her stumped:

Having successfully avoided the excitement inherent in any intersection of water and electricity, having eschewed bloody knuckles and torn palms, she had been brought low by this: an auger or screw clamp, so-called because of its mode of operation. Placed around a rubber hose, which has in turn been placed around a fitting, the clamp is made tighter by rotating the screw clockwise. The screw draws the metal strap through the fitting, until the desired level of tightness has been achieved.

But if one has never seen such a thing before, then one might understandably be left helpless, mouth agape. All males are early introduced to this particular device when first they confronted a steaming automobile radiator.

Somehow, the Farmer’s telephonic explanation, "You turn the screw to tighten it" was insufficient.

Eventually, however, by chance, by dint of trial and error, or by application of mechanical first principles, this obstacle was overcome.

And, in the end, so will this one be: