My brother's Baratza Encore seized up after maybe two years of light use, no cleaning. Cost almost as much to fix as a new one. Old gear was built different, plastic parts wear out now. Calling it just bad luck lets companies sell stuff that barely lasts.

My cousin in Denver had that happen last month.

Wait, tile spacers don't leave a tiny gap for wood movement, right? I've always used a couple of finish nails as a spacer, then pull them out after nailing. Ever try that?

My buddy in Portland had the exact same problem. He was convinced his starter was just lazy, even gave it a name and everything. After three weeks of flat, sad pancakes, he finally caved and used some filtered water from his fridge. The thing doubled in size overnight, like it was making up for lost time. He felt so dumb for not trying it sooner.

Honestly, that freezer thing is exactly why I switched. I tried bokashi in my old place and it was a nightmare. I had a bag of that fermented stuff leak a little juice next to my ice cream, and the whole freezer smelled like pickles and death for a week. It totally put me off. I ended up getting a small worm bin and it was way less hassle once it was set up.