Yesterday, my wife notified me that our Samsung washing machine displayed a UE error message, which meant unbalanced load. I powered it off and tried to spin it. It spinned for a bit and then added more water. Of course I looked up YouTube and came across this video. I didn’t do the second part. I only opened up the bottom and tightened up the screw, which was already tightened. In the process, I cleaned up all the nasty gunks that had been collected over the years. I hope this will fix the issue. I didn’t run the machine because I broke the cap when I pried it open with a flat-head screwdriver.

I can’t recall if we had replaced the battery for our 2018 Toyota Sienna or not. This must be the first time since we bought the vehicle. The battery lasted 5 years, which was not bad. It was dead this morning when my wife took the kids to school. She picked up a new battery from Costco and I replaced it.

• Battery: $120.
• A can of CRC Battery Cleaner: $9

While Mr. Điệp fixing our HVAC unit, I sought out his advice on setting the thermostat before leaving for vacation. He recommended setting the temperature to about 67 degrees. Then he also gave me some tips on preventing a water disaster.

Steps to Shut Off the Water

1. Turn off the the water heater power
2. Shut off the main water valve
3. Turn on the furthest sink faucets (both hot and cold until all the water drained out then turn them off

Steps to Turn the Water Back On

1. Turn on the furthest faucets (both hot and cold pipes)
2. Flush all the toilets
3. Turn on the main valve half way slowly
4. Turn the water heater valve and power back on

If the HVAC unit broke down while we were away, we wouldn’t come back to a swimming pool. When return, we can prevent the disaster even if the pipes busted by shutting off the main valve again. I’ll definitely take his advice whenever we go out of town.

Since we came back from New York City on Sunday, the temperatures had plummeted. Then we noticed that our heating system struggled to reach 67°F even with the auxiliary heat kicked in. The thermostat could only get up to 64°F. With my mother-in-law and the kids in the house, I worried and couldn’t sleep for the past two nights.

Today we reached out to a friend who is in the construction business and asked for a recommendation on an HVAC service. He referred us to T&J Service. Mr. Điệp Trần and his protégé Việt arrived around 6 pm to diagnose the system. It turned out that the outside unit stopped working. They worked in the cold to replace the fuse, tested the compressor, and made sure the system worked properly.

Knowing that we have proper heating again, I can go to sleep peacefully. Now I know who to call if we run into HVAC issue again. I am thinking of contracting them to replace the whole system in the summer since it is almost 15 years old.

Paid: $100

Yesterday I took our 2018 Toyota Sienna to Firestone to get a lifetime wheel alignment as well. Firestone seemed to do a good job with our 2011 Sienna. As the winter approaching, I need to make sure our 2018 Sienna in good condition so we can travel to Stowe in peace. I hope it will be a good season. I am ready to ski and snowboard.

A few weeks ago, I replaced 4 brand new tires for our 2011 Toyota Sienna at Costco. They recommended wheel alignment. I was told about the lifetime wheel alignment service at Firestone.

Basically you get free wheel alignment until the end of the vehicle’s lifetime. You just have to pay $200. The deal sounded too good to be true. They must try to sell you other services as well.

I went for it today. I had never done any business at Firestone before. I didn’t make an appointment; therefore, it took about 3 hours. I was fine with that since I could do my work in the waiting area. There was no Wi-Fi, but I could hotspot through my iPhone.

They gave me a list of recommendations, but they did not try to sell me on them. I am cool with that. If this is truly a good deal, I will take my other car for the lifetime wheel alignment as well.

At this time, you can get $20 off for the lifetime wheel alignment. I am not affiliated with Firestone. I just think this is a good deal. So do your research.

The right (passenger) rear tired had 4 punctures. It was irrepairable. Since the tread reading for the tires was at 5/32, I went ahead and replace all four. The last time I replaced them was in December 2019. Thanks to this blog, I could pull up the information immediately. The tires were over 3 years; therefore, they needed to be replaced anyway. I ordered 4 new all-season Michelin Defenders at Costco. I needed new tires so I can go to the ski resorts this coming winter.

Tires, tax, and installation cost $880. I am going to need to an alignment as well. The cost of having a car.

The largest heating surface element on our Whirlpool’s stove burnt out. I followed this YouTube video to replace a new one. The process took about five minutes. The cleanup took almost an hour to get all the grease out of the entire exterior of the stove. The new heating element cost $110. The entire stove looks new again. The wife is happy; therefore, the life is also happy.

I wen to back Ravensworth Service for an inspection. The inspection took 10 minutes. My brake light burned out. The inspection cost $20 and the brake-light replacement cost $15. It was a fair deal.

I used Ravensworth Service years ago. It looks like the shop has gone through several management. From last year to this year, there are only two older Vietnamese technicians. They both are very nice, but their shop isn’t as busy as it used to be. I actually prefer that over Aalan’s Service. I was thrown off by Khang’s cockiness; therefore, I am going back to Ravensworth from now on.

Neither shop wanted to fix the AC issue. Driving in the heat without AC has been excruciating. Pumping refrigerant is no longer fixing the issue. There has a be a leak somewhere. I am not sure what to do with it. I am just going to drive it in the winter and decide next year what I want to do with it. Since I am now commuting using the Mason’s shuttle, I don’t need a car anymore. We still have the 2018 Sienna as our main vehicle for traveling.

I don’t want to spend any more money on car. It is such a waste, especially with all the maintenances and fixes. I don’t want to have to rely on a car anymore.

No, I didn’t have swollen nuts, but my minivan had. I took my 2011 Toyota Sienna to Costco for rotation and I received a call notifying me that the nuts were very swollen and they needed to be replaced. All 20 nuts were replaced at $1.80 a piece. The total was almost $40.