<p dir="ltr">As much trouble as it is to DIY, "pros" like this sure make it seem attractive.</p>
<p dir="ltr">On Apr 30, 2013 8:14 PM, "Ross Bernheim" <<a href="mailto:rossbernheim@speakeasy.net">rossbernheim@speakeasy.net</a>> wrote:<br>
><br>
> Proof that Murphy was an optimist!<br>
><br>
> Goof-ups seem to be the norm for appliance installations. My new washer and dryer were not as<br>
> bad as your adventures.<br>
><br>
> I am dreading the future replacement of both refrigerator and dishwasher in the future. The fridge<br>
> has a small space to fit into and a narrow doorway to get into the kitchen.<br>
><br>
><br>
> Ross<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Apr 30, 2013, at 12:20 AM, Rick Moen <<a href="mailto:rick@linuxmafia.com">rick@linuxmafia.com</a>> wrote:<br>
><br>
> ><br>
> > o Lawyers are afraid of water.<br>
> > o Deliverymen are afraid of copper.<br>
> > o A work order is merely an opening to negotiation.<br>
> > o Mothers-in-law cannot count.<br>
> > o Mobile telephone numbers are invisible.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > The evening of Saturday, April 13th, I notice that some items in my<br>
> > refrigerator's freezer compartment didn't seem to be very frozen. I<br>
> > make a figurative note to self to investigate and maybe adjust the<br>
> > controls some time soon after I caught up on sleep.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > I. Failure, Part Un.<br>
> ><br>
> > Adequate sleep was not to be, because mother-in-law Cheryl, who<br>
> > lives with us, cannot count: At 7 AM Monday morning, Cheryl wakes me up<br>
> > two hours early, by bellowing into the master bedroom 'Rick, the freezer<br>
> > isn't working. We need to do something about it.' I stagger out,<br>
> > and it soon transpires that 'we' means just Rick, Cheryl's role being<br>
> > limited to standing in the way and asking poorly thought out questions.<br>
> > Based on a dumb (but plausible when not really awake) hypothesis that<br>
> > freezer overstuffing had blocked airflow, I swap out some contents,<br>
> > clean, adjust the controls, and set an ice cube tray to reveal later<br>
> > whether the freezer is doing its thing.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > II. Failure, Part Deux.<br>
> ><br>
> > By Tuesday evening, it emerges that the freezer's thing no longer includes<br>
> > freezing anything. Control-twiddling does not avail. I correct some<br>
> > yoyo's prior 'help' in pushing the appliance almost to the back wall<br>
> > (which thereafter impaired airflow). I vacuum-clean the condensor<br>
> > coils, etc. No go. I write a second figurative memo to prevent further<br>
> > 'help' using wooden blocks.<br>
> ><br>
> > Wednesday the 17th: Cheryl has been more helpful, and finds a<br>
> > well-regarded local appliance vendor, Pacific Sales of Redwood City.<br>
> > Over lunch, I go there. We require a side-by-side because Deirdre and<br>
> > Cheryl cannot reach down to a bottom freezer drawer. Also, ideally we<br>
> > need a 'counter depth' model that doesn't project so deep into the<br>
> > kitchen. All the desirable models have both icemaker and water<br>
> > dispenser, which like electric car windows seems like just something<br>
> > more to break but we are reasonably happy with a Whirlpool GSC25C4EYY<br>
> > for $1499 + tax, so we buy it even though they're backordered on this<br>
> > popular model and cannot promise delivery for two weeks. What the heck,<br>
> > we still have a functional refigerator: It's just the freezer portion<br>
> > that's wonky. I shell out for the Whirlpool. I waffle on whether we<br>
> > want to pay for water hookup, because I don't know if my 1956 house has<br>
> > the water line. Our rep Brett says, if we install a water line, be sure<br>
> > to have the plumber include a shutoff valve behind the refrigerator.<br>
> ><br>
> > That evening, the non-freezer compartment also shows signs of failure,<br>
> > and the refrigerator is running continuously, trying to compensate.<br>
> > Thursday, our Pacific Sales contact calls back: Hey, we can deliver<br>
> > Friday or Saturday! I've checked: There's no existing water line. So,<br>
> > I arrange for Guy Plumbing to install the water line Friday. Delivery<br>
> > will be Saturday.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > III. Hydrophobia.<br>
> ><br>
> > Over the telephone, Guy Plumbing's dispatcher asks 'Do you have hardwood<br>
> > floors?' I didn't quite hear the question, she thinks I said yes, and<br>
> > she firmly tells me their insurance won't let them do plumbing with<br>
> > hardwood floors. (People with hardwood floors have to just use<br>
> > outhouses, I guess.)<br>
> ><br>
> > I don't entirely get this, but clarify that we have tile flooring in the<br>
> > kitchen. Oh, that's all right, then.<br>
> ><br>
> > Friday, I drive home over lunch to make sure things aren't going<br>
> > sideways with the plumber. I repeat the bit about a shutoff valve<br>
> > behind the fridge. He says 'Appliance installers are a bit peculiar and<br>
> > inflexible about what they think they need. If they have a problem,<br>
> > have them call me.' There's a very obvious needle valve under the<br>
> > kitchen sink. Fine.<br>
> ><br>
> > I arrange with Pacific Sales for the delivery people to do the line<br>
> > hookup. It's now part of the work order.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > IV. Scheduled Doesn't Mean Scheduled.<br>
> ><br>
> > Saturday the 20th, a week into this decreasingly chilly saga, we're<br>
> > sitting around waiting for the delivery. I've moved spoilables into an<br>
> > icechest and am now buying two 10lb bags of ice daily. Just before 5pm,<br>
> > smelling a screwup, we call Brett at Pacific Sales. He says: That's<br>
> > funny. We sent the paperwork but somehow it wasn't added to the<br>
> > delivery schedule. He says he has to call us back and is trying to line<br>
> > something up for Sunday. Fifteen minutes later, he calls to say he's<br>
> > arranging for Best Buy to do the delivery on Monday, as Pacific Sales<br>
> > will be closed Sunday and Monday. Grr, OK, best that can be done.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > V. Gosh, We Knew We Were Forgetting Something.<br>
> ><br>
> > Monday late afternoon, nobody is showing up. More calls. The Best Buy<br>
> > people say: 'Oh, we had your delivery order, but it didn't include your<br>
> > _address_.' WTF? How can it be considered a delivery order without an<br>
> > address? In what universe does that make even the tiniest amount of<br>
> > sense? And wouldn't you, y'know, call one of the two mobile numbers<br>
> > written on the order?<br>
> ><br>
> > They promise they'll furnish a $75 Best Buy coupon for being such total<br>
> > prats -- which they never provide -- and say we're this-time-for-sure<br>
> > the very first delivery for Tuesday morning.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > VI. Copper is the Colour of Death.<br>
> ><br>
> > Tuesday 8:30am, an unfamiliar number rings my mobile and there's nobody<br>
> > there. I call back, it rings through, and there's nobody talking. I<br>
> > hang up and call back a second time, and it's a Best Buy deliverman<br>
> > speaking monosyllables (the most he can manage), who says they're just<br>
> > finishing up their _first_ delivery of the morning and will arrive in 10<br>
> > minutes.<br>
> ><br>
> > 20 minutes later, they finally show. The gorillas remove the old<br>
> > refrigerator, splashing dirty water from the spill tray onto my kitchen<br>
> > floor. They ask me how to do their jobs and ask to borrow an Allen<br>
> > wrench. (Because, y'now, if you're working with tools, it would never<br>
> > do to have them.) I say, imperial or metric set? Metric. I fetch.<br>
> ><br>
> > The gorilla ignores the fact that all the parts of the refrigerator are<br>
> > covered by plastic protective wrapping that must be removed, and fastens<br>
> > the handles. That's what he wanted my Allen wrenches for. (Later, I<br>
> > have to detach the handles to remove the plastic, then reattach the<br>
> > handles. Thanks, guy!)<br>
> ><br>
> > The gorilla takes a peek into the refrigerator nook, then says the<br>
> > Amazing Words of the Day: 'Oh, that's copper. I'm not allowed to touch<br>
> > copper. I'll be fired if I do.' Quote unquote.<br>
> ><br>
> > I'm having another WTF moment about company policy. Having the shutoff<br>
> > valve under the kitchen sink is no obstacle, but Element 29 is a total<br>
> > deal-breaker. Their having been _paid_ to do hookup does not avail.<br>
> ><br>
> > I don't understand this, but I see a simple task and a delivery gorilla<br>
> > holding a wrench. I say 'So, no problem if I touch the copper, right?'<br>
> > No problem. He also has no problem fumbling along the back of the<br>
> > Whirlpool to find the attachment nib, unscrews its cap, and fumbles the<br>
> > cap into the innards of the refrigerator. (Thanks, guy!) I pull the<br>
> > water line over without immediately fatal effects, screw its fitting<br>
> > onto the nib, and use the gorilla's wrench to fasten it tight. He beams<br>
> > in the reflected glory of someone actually doing something useful, then<br>
> > leaves. I spend the next hour removing packing materials, and getting<br>
> > the refrigerator going arriving at work 1/2 hour late.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > VII. The Mystery of Water and Copper Solved.<br>
> ><br>
> > The gorilla's absolute prohibition against touching copper having been<br>
> > very particular, I am able to quote his odd utterance verbatim to my<br>
> > coworkers. My hillbilly colleague Colin explains:<br>
> ><br>
> > o The whole thing's driven by corporate fear of liability lawsuits.<br>
> ><br>
> > o The plumbing company fears legal liability for leak damage to hardwood floors.<br>
> ><br>
> > o The appliance company assumes that delivery people are idiots.<br>
> ><br>
> > o Hookups for water to refrigerator can be either plastic pipe or<br>
> > flexible copper coils. If the gorilla breaks the plastic pipe, that<br>
> > break will be obvious instantly and ended using the shutoff valve.<br>
> > By contrast, the gorilla kinking a coil of copper tubing could cause<br>
> > a really slow water leak that could cause immense damage to flooring and<br>
> > subflooring before being noticed.<br>
> ><br>
> > o So, delivery people are simply forbidden to ever touch copper. If<br>
> > they don't touch it, they can't break it.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > VIII. Denouement.<br>
> ><br>
> > The refrigerator works great, and easy access to filtered water and<br>
> > automatically generated ice is corroding my crypto-Protestant<br>
> > asceticism.<br>
> ><br>
> > However, if I ever have to buy another refrigerator, I'm frakking well<br>
> > going to rent a pickup and appliance dolly, and do it myself.<br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> ><br>
> > _______________________________________________<br>
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> ><br>
><br>
><br>
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</p>