IF a close investigation is made the politics seems obvious to me and the administration’s promise to mandate the increase to 15% ethanol recently seemed to confirm that.
IfI
I agree that the extra 5% is all politics all the time.
Drill, baby, drill…
For ethanol?
Producing ethanol to reduce oil consumption actually doesn’t work. From what I can find out, it takes between 0.75 to 1.5 gallons of oil to make a gallon of ethanol. A losing proposition. This is supported by an ethanol producers statement during the last ethanol boom that high oil/gas/diesel prices really hurt their ability to make money producing ethanol.
Well I think it gained traction way back when we were dealing with fuel shortages for one reason or another. Then the solution to dilute gas with corn found much support among the farm community who gained another market for falling commodity prices. Now they do quite well selling corn to the plants and also investing in the plants. Can’t really blame them for it. So now pretty well ingrained whether we need to boost supplies or not. Well intentioned but no longer relevant but hard to stop as with many federal programs. Some years ago I remember one of our farmer relatives who had invested in a local plant, was very pleased and was planning on investing another $20,000.
and so it goes- another massive fiefdom built on a previously worthwhile solution to a problem that no longer exists.
Do you recall what kind of counterweight the Whirlpool machine had?
Counterweights are pretty standard in washing machines. Concrete can be popular because it’s dense, durable, and low cost.
Its counterweight was apparently the motor and the rest of its running gear.
And when vibrated it can crumble into pieces. Concrete used as a counterweight in something like a washing machine isn’t practical.
And yet, it is fairly common. Because it is cheap. It’s not a brick of concrete in the traditional sense and “concrete” is not all created equal. Formulations vary. That’s not to say it can’t eventually fail from repetitive shock but they typically last a lifetime of the machine-
I’ve had the unfortunate task over the past few decades to repair several washing machines (mine and my tenants) and I’ve never seen concrete used. From GE to Maytag and everything in between.
Back (sort of) to the original topic…
I’m headed out to do some yard work, I’ll be firing up the 2-cycle weedeater and the gas pressure washer, both of which have been sitting in the shed since last fall as-is. I’ll report back later with how well they start and run.
Yardwork season starts a little later for us up in the Pacific Northwest.
Insist on brass counterweights for the tub, like inside the grandfather clock. 
But seriously, I don’t need decorative weights inside a disposable product. If a machine is to only last 14 years, I don’t expect it to have valuable weights. In the tire industry, some wheel weights are made of plastic, zinc or composite materials.
Be sure to remove the copper parts (and brass weights) before selling the machine as scrap metal. It is better to recycle the copper separately; whole machines go to the shredder as steel/tin scrap.
Have you ever timed yourself in removing the motor, gutting it, and removing all the copper from the motor… I have seen numerous YT Videos of it being done in third world countries where they have presses, jigs, and torches to quickly strip the copper out, but I image most folks can do it but would never earn a living wage… But then, in 2015, when we replaced our furnace/AC unit and the copper pipe (because we were also upgrading the Freon and it lubricants, I told the service workers that I was going to depose of the units, they were very disappointed… The Copper sold for about $30 and the rest of the units were really chump change…
A YouTube video for the uninitiated…
I just bought a cheap BandD sawzall because i have about ten batteries and wanted to not have to take the generator to dig out th3 roots on a couple bushes at the cemetery. I have a corded Milwaukee on the shelf. No power or water at the cemetery. We will see how it goes. Cheap enough to throw away if it doesn’t work. Supplements my gas chain saws.
No, and I have never timed my Car Talk forum sessions. Is anyone earning money here?
The metal recycler was paying 29 cents/Lb. for electric motors last year. Copper should be recycled, not shredded along with sheet metal.
Either one or the other
The fact remains, concrete is apparently used as a counterweight although not a crude brick like construction. From what I could gather, it is a fairly common practice in front loader machines. I’ve only owned one front loader- my current machine and I hope to never find out if there is such a contraption in it…
I’m not disagreeing with you. I’ve just never seen it.
I absolutely agree with recycling copper. Is that 29-cents a pound for the whole motor (with all the case included) or just for the copper that was stripped out of the motor? I imagine you would find that price is much higher now…
Here in Virginia, Recyclers are paying between $1.00 per pound to $5.20 per pound for copper wire, heavily depending on whether the wire is stripped (bare bright), unstripped (insulated), or the type of gauge.
The average washing machine motor contains between 1 and 2 pounds of copper, so what I am getting at is that’s a lot of work for $3 to $6 of copper… Remember, the motor has to be first removed from the case, then the motor has to be disassembled, and then the copper has to be stripped from the stator (the case windings…) and the rotor (the part that spins…). Then you still have to dispose of the rest of the washer and that includes that 50-pounds of counter weighs (cement or scrap steel…).
A lot of work…
…for electric motors/complete. One motor isn’t worth much but if you are the handyman in the family, electric motors and scrap copper can add up.
Last October after cleaning my garage, along with automotive cores I sold copper wire;
$1.50/lb. for insulated copper wire.
$1.05/lb. for vehicle wiring harness.
For many years, wiring harness went into the trash. Now they have machines to shred the wiring and separate the plastic from the copper.
You will be disposing of the machine anyway. In my city, appliances can be left at the curb for “bulk pickup” service. Our waste collection service performs bulk pickup every two weeks. Scrap metal collectors drive through the neighborhoods at 4 am and take appliances before the bulk trash trucks arrive.
Tip the machine over, remove two bolts and disconnect two hoses. Less work than performing a tire rotation on a customer’s vehicle, and people expect that for free.