My beautiful new washing machine

I'd really looked after it, but after twelve years my Hotpoint washing machine, hitherto trouble-free, had started to malfunction. It would get so far into a wash and then stop dead with an error code showing in the display - one that suggested either a pump or drainage problem. But there had been no funny noises hitherto, nor any reluctance to gush water into the drainage pipe. Something of a mystery then. 

I couldn't proceed with any kind of wash cycle. So I called in the local man. He had a good look at my machine. He couldn't find anything amiss mechanically, and suspected a circuit board issue. If it was that, then my machine was probably beyond economic repair. Well, it had been a good washing machine; I had no complaints at all; but I wasn't sentimental about it (not how I would be with my car, or my camera) and the notion of a new machine was appealing, despite having to fork out another £500+. What did he recommend? Oh, any mid-range Bosch. Fair enough.

I moved fast. My 36-night Scottish holiday was only two weeks away. I had to have a functioning washing machine installed several days before I departed, to give myself ample time for The Last Wash and The Final Ironing. I bought a Bosch machine online from John Lewis, for delivery today. The cost was £479. Delivery was free, but I paid extra to have the old Hotpoint machine taken away for recycling, and to have the new Bosch machine installed for me. So £524 in the end. About what I thought it would be.

Here's a last look at my kitchen before the Hotpoint was taken away:

And the same scene a few hours later, with the Bosch slotted in, connected up, and running:

The Hotpoint's control panel had been part of the door, and I suppose that over the years the small shock it got every time the door was closed might well have stressed the electronics. The Bosch's control panel was not part of the door; it was at the top of the machine, static, well away from the door, and the electronics ought therefore to live a quieter life. 

Both machines had similar capabilities, including a 9 kg load capacity if needed, and a range of spin speeds. I could have had a fancier Bosch machine, but saw no need. Certainly not one that can be controlled remotely - that might be a boon for the super-busy working woman, but that's not me. 

The control panel buttons are touch-operated, and the figures and symbols are actually redder than the picture shows. The Bosch has had two cycles under its belt already: the initial very hot wash, set in motion by the John Lewis man, to flush out the system; and then an ordinary economy wash of my own, with some clothes and towels I had ready. That second wash went without a hitch, and the washing is presently drying, pending any ironing needed. I am well satisfied.

I've now switched my new washing machine off, leaving the door wide open for the time being:

I've set up a new task on my phone, to run a hot 'maintenance wash' every two months, starting 3rd January. That sounds a long way ahead, but it's almost the end of August, and I'm not at home during September, nor the very start of October, nor the end, nor the start of November. The Bosch won't have had two months' proper regular usage until the beginning of January.

If you're wondering why it's not pushed fully under the worktop, that's because the stopcock for my domestic water supply is in the way. It sticks out from the wall:

It needs to be repositioned by 90 degrees, to face sideways. That done, there would then be space to push the machine closer to the wall. I'm guessing the job isn't as straightforward as it looks. The water supply would have to be first cut off at the roadside. And no doubt the plumber would need mighty spanners, and a lot of penetrating oil, to shift those nuts!