Page 16 - MSN_346_AugustSeptember

PAGE 16 MONTANA SENIOR NEWS • AUGUST // SEPTEMBER 2018
Modern Senior

TECHNOLOGY•SCIENCE•KNOWLEDGE•COMPUTERS•MOBILE

Even a Technophobe Can Feel Empowered

make loud banging noise when washer fills,”
BY GAIL JOKERST or some variation on that theme.
Not only did we find a solution, we learned
My friend, Patti, has always encouraged the phenomenon even had a name. IIt’s called
me to persevere and figure out how to solve “water hammering,” a form of hydraulic
whatever malfunction happens to be plaguing shock that occurs when the shut-off valve on
my iPhone or computer. a high-pressure water line suddenly closes.
“You will feel so empowered when you get We read that installing a “water hammer
this to work” she has often said, prompting arrestor,” stocked by plumbing suppliers,
me to neither give up or give in to the inner would eliminate the noise—and it did.
voice that whispers, “You can’t do this.” A few years later, the locking mechanism
Although not a card-carrying techno- © Pixinoo, Bigstock.com on that washer’s door ceased functioning,
phobe, I’m admittedly close to qualifying, and we couldn’t open the door. Since no
despite owning a cell phone and laptop. I until communication with the outside world information about this dilemma appeared in
know I’ve only mastered an iceberg-tip of becomes no longer possible. the troubleshooting section of our owner’s
their full potential, but that’s fine with me. That said, I can’t help but boast of the few manual, I tried Googling again.
Many of my friends Tweet and Instagram times when I’ve Googled for—and discov- This time I typed something resembling,
and can’t wait to download the latest app, ered—advice on fixing household problems. “door lock won’t release on front-loading
but I’m content to continue emailing and Additionally, I’ve also learned what caused the washer.” Presto chango, up popped our answer.
limp along with my current operating system problem in the first place. Since I’m no more This one was called, “How to open a
a plumber than a Bill Gates, resolving these locked washing machine.” To be honest, I
issues by surfing the internet has definitely don’t recall how we fixed that difficulty. All I
made me feel empowered. know is we did it without calling a repairman
The first challenge cropped up after our or getting a divorce in the process, and that
front-loading washer was installed. As water made me and my husband very happy.
filled the washer, my husband and I heard Most recently, we drained all the water
BEHIND EVERY GREAT
ADVE NTUR E loud banging noises. Since we live an expen- pipes in our house before leaving for the winter.
IS A GREAT NIGHT'S SLEEP sive distance away from a plumber to make Upon returning home, we refilled the pressure
a house-call, we wanted to fix the problem and hot water tanks then opened all the faucets
ourselves if possible. as well as the water valves to our commodes.
• Group packages for family & friends We called friends who we thought might Alas, one toilet refilled at a speed slow
• 100% Non-smoking & pet friendly rooms be more knowledgeable than we were on the enough to lose a race with a snail. My hus-
• Indoor Heated Pool subject. They were equally clueless, I tried band removed the tank cover and pulled out
• Continental breakfast Googling as a last resort. I typed, “water pipes the part he was pretty sure qualified as the
• Two restaurants on premises

Your Base Camp for Exploration near
downtown Livingston with easy access to
Yellowstone National Park
102 Rogers Lane, Livingston
406-222-6320

Listen to...

Aaniih Nakoda College
Public Radio • KGVA 88.1 FM

Aaniiih Nakoda College
is an accredited tribal college with an open door policy,
located inside the northern border of Fort Belknap
Indian Reservation, situated in the beautiful Milk River SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Valley. ANC was chartered November 1983 and received Send $15 to: 1985 McMannamy Draw, Kalispell, MT 59901
full accreditation in June 1993 through the Northwest
Commission on Colleges and Universities. ANC serves OR Subscribe Online at:
the communities along the northern corridor of MontanaSeniorNews.com/subscribe-to-our-paper
Montana with quality educational programs, provides
college level courses for the local high schools in the
form of dual-credit or dual-enrollment, offers access
to professional development, furnishes a public/tribal
library, and trains students in vocational skills for
immediate employment.

The KGVA 88.1 FM public radio station is housed on
the ANC campus. This public radio station is one of a
kind in Montana and offers NPR news, announces
live local sporting events, and keeps the
communities entertained with local news, music and
daily Native language “words of the day.” KGVA 88.1
FM can also be accessed at kgvafm.com or
kgvafm.org. To make a contribution to KGVA please
visit the ANC website or for more information
regarding fantastic opportunities to attend ANC. Visit
our website: ancollege.edu or call 406-353-2607 .
4010 Montana Sapphire Dr, Billings | 406-894-2511