Laundry Emergency

The dryer decided to quit producing heat a few days ago. It's not like you can just call the appliance repairman here, or that we would pay the $80/hour he'd probably charge if he did exist. So armed with the internet, leatherman and patience I set about figuring out how to fix it myself. Here's a picture of the back of the dryer opened up and the offending broken coil in the heating element:


But this isn't just a one-time deal. I had virtually no handyman skills until I became a home owner. Since then I've learned all kinds of things. I've fixed the tumbler in the washing machine, installed laminate flooring, sinks, toilets, sump pumps and garbage disposals, fixed a leaky stovepipe, built a shed and a deck, replaced roof shingles, adjusted the clutch in the truck and change the oil and the tires regularly, just to name a few things. It's amazing what you can figure out if it means saving a lot of money or when the dirty diapers are stacking up fast.