Story time!
I bought a washer and dryer set that I found on Craigslist or maybe Facebook Marketplace. I drove out to the place and found out it was a warehouse in an industrial park. The guy selling it was a Russian with a whole warehouse full of used appliances and while I was following him to show me my set he had others come up and pay him -- business was good. He demonstrated that the appliances worked and gave a "one week guarantee" if something went wrong. I thought it was weird that the ad looked like a personal ad compared to this big business but it was a great brand (Speed Queen) at a great price and I went home happy.
After getting the set home I noticed that one of the feet was bent and couldn't be adjusted. Red flag but the other foot was still adjustable so I just leveled it with that one. After using the dryer for a few weeks I noticed the arrow on the knob did not line up with the cycle that was running. Another red flag but not a big deal and I took the opportunity to 3D print a replacement knob as a project. I could have bought a replacement for $6.
Last week, the heat quit working. I open the front panel to most likely replace the heating element and instead I found one of the wires was charred and burned out of the connector. Looking closer at the heating element (and watching a few videos) I found out that all the wires were backwards. This was a dangerous problem that could have caused a house fire and I am telling this story because I think it wouldn't happen with a normal homeowner selling their appliances but since it was a warehouse they probably grabbed parts they had and slapped it together good enough to sell. So the moral of the story is to be cautious when buying appliances and if the place or guy seems a little sketchy he probably is.
So anyway, that's how a Russian almost burned down my house. Thanks for reading! Like™, Subscribe™, and hit that bell for Notifications™!
