For a long time (maybe months, definitely weeks), we knew that our dryer belt was slipping. There just was never a time where I thought, “hmmm, today would be a great day to learn how to change a dryer belt.” So, instead, when it would stop turning, which happened when I put a large load in it from the washer, I would split the load and dry half at a time. It was a bit of an inconvenience, but it was classic Haldeman avoidance. Since Travis rarely does laundry, he was unconcerned. I lectured the kids because they seem to think that they can wash every article of clothing they own at one time, so their loads were larger and heavier than mine tended to be. I usually only had problems with towels. And there were other dryer issues too. It seemed to be taking too long to dry, and the laundry room would get more humid than it used to when the dryer was running. I had popped the duct apart from the basement drop ceiling and it looked clear. Also, the duct got hot when the dryer was running, so I surmised that hot air was, in fact, running through the duct. So, I left it and changed my setting to “More Dry.”

When Travis and I were out of town, it finally blew out the belt. One of the kids walked away from the jumbo load and forgot to make sure it was spinning. Truth is, I wanted a new dryer… I still do… but I can’t justify the purchase if I have one that is still working. I could have used this as an excuse, and I almost did, but I knew I had to at least try to change the belt first. So, when Travis and I came home, there was laundry drying around the house (have my kids never heard of a laundromat) , and a dead dryer. I found a local place that sold the belts (pro-tip: call first) after driving to a couple places that didn’t. So, Tessa, Taryn, and I embarked on the belt change adventure. 

Apparently, every dryer ever made in the history of the world has a hinged control panel on top, except mine. Oh, I tried to make it flip up and bent something that shouldn’t have been bent. I looked at twenty YouTube videos and everyone had a hinge. For my dryer, I had to remove all 40 screws from the back panel just to change the belt. And some of the screws had different heads, probably from a previous owner changing the belt and losing a screw and just finding one in their bin of screws that fit. It’s always good to discover that when you are jammed in behind the dryer, already pissed because I bent some metal bracket on the control panel that definitely did not hinge. The girls ran every which way to get me different screwdrivers and socket wrenches. 

After WAY too much time, we finally wrestled the back off so we could slide the top off and remove more screws from the front to take that off too. The inside of our dryer looked like a blanket had taken up residence in it. Everything was covered with an inch of lint. Hmmmm, fire hazard anyone. The reason the dryer duct in the basement ceiling was clear was because the blockage was inside the machine itself. There must have been just enough air getting through to make the duct hot. I didn’t even think to take pictures until we had started cleaning it up, so you will never get the full effect. And as fun as cleaning it was, getting the belt in and around the levers was even more fun. The videos make it sound so easy, but really, you have to get it around a series of bends and tightening levers that you can’t see. Truthfully, I had no idea that the belt went around the entire drum. I always pictured it as a vacuum belt. 

And in true Haldeman style, we had something to go to that night and ran out of time, despite giving ourselves most of the day, so we had to leave the dryer dismantled, with parts running down our main floor hallway. Eventually, Travis helped me put it all back together. He kept ordering me around though and that didn’t go well, since he was the one that told me to change the darn belt with the girls. “How hard could a dryer belt be to change? The three of you could do it.” It turns out he was right. But then you don’t get to be the foreman when we are putting it back together. And I would never attempt this without help, because some things in a dryer are bulky and it’s nice to have extra hands to move or remove them. And it’s good to have people to get you tools when you are trapped behind the dryer in a tight space. 

That’s my PSA for today. Have a nice day everyone. Oh, and I bought attachments for my vacuum that are supposed to clean the dryer. Might I recommend purchasing those? Much cheaper than a house fire.