The old washing machine died. It made clunking sounds, then blew the house fuse and had a strange smell, that I would guess is oil. I bought it in about 2002 so it was 7 years old. I suspect we had not thought to put the transport clamp bolts back in it when it was moved, so maybe that caused the failure. The rear metal work that holds the motor and washing tub collapsed. The repair man, who was supposed to come at between 2 and 4 PM, but actually came at 8:45 PM, thus meaning I wasted a day of annual leave, said that it would cost over $300 to repair. As the machine probably only had a few years left of life, I decided to get a new one and take advantage of the $150 that the government is giving for the purchase of water efficient washing machines. I replaced the old LG with a new one. It is still a front loader. But with many more controls. It is the WD11020D model.
The old machine broke last Sunday. I purchased the new one from Bing Lee in Marrickville on Thursday evening, and this morning the delivery man delivered it, as they said, at 11AM. I was impressed by the punctuality. They also installed it and took away the old machine. He was not happy with my circular stair. Removalists never are. It is now in and working. So I am happy. It is much quieter. The only down side is that the door opens the other way. I never thought to look and only realised it when it was in and working. Unfortunately this is not good with the layout of the laundry, but it is not an impossible situation.