When to Repair or Replace Appliances

One of the most frequently asked questions we get at our appliance repair company is one that pretty much every company is asked: “Should I repair this appliance, or replace it instead?” This is such a good question that we are going to answer it in full.

It’s happened to everyone: you’re minding your own business, carrying on with your day, when all of a sudden something goes wrong: your refrigerator stops cooling your food, or you discover there’s too much water in the washing machine, or your oven won’t heat up at all.

Any of these problems can ruin one’s day! It’s stressful enough to not be able to use your major household appliances, but to wonder if it’s on the verge of replacement can add to that sense of anxiety. That’s why when it comes to your home’s appliances, we’re here to help. Here are some tips on when to determine if you get your appliances fixed or when you should go ahead and replace it.

 

Tip 1: Look at the Life Expectancy

Nothing lasts forever, and this rings especially true with our home appliances. Thankfully, with proper maintenance and care, you can enjoy the convenience and speed that they offer for many years even past their official warranty date.

If you’re interested, you can examine your appliance for this date. A warranty is standard practice for all new and old home appliances that are installed. You can usually find this information inside of the owner’s manual, or listed on a slip that’s been glued to your appliance. The position of this information varies depending on the year and brand when and where the appliance in question was manufactured.

According to several manufacturers, these are the standard life expectancy dates (provided that they are properly maintained and cared for):

For dishwashers: 10 years

For stoves: 15 years

For ovens: between 13-15 years

For refrigerators: between 10-18 years

For garburators (garbage disposal units): 15 years 

For washing machines and dryers: between 8-12 years

If the warranty has long since expired and you’re experiencing problem after problem past the life expectancy, then replacing the appliance will need to take priority over repairs.

 

Tip 2: Determine the Appliance’s Age

How old an appliance is will determine replacement versus repair as well. Most brand new appliances should work the moment it is installed in your home. However, if a repair is needed shortly after it was installed, there may be a problem with how it was installed in the first place which will need to be addressed first.

In the case of older appliances, as mentioned before these can usually last longer than their life expectancy provided you properly care and maintain them. However, too old of an appliance is a lot more difficult to repair, especially if the next part of our article applies.

 

Tip 3: The Parts & their Availability

We’ve seen some appliances last since the year 2000 and they’re still doing great! That being said, if it looks, sounds, or smells like your older appliance is in need or repair, odds are high that that brand or support for it online no longer exists. It’s because the parts for these older models are usually discontinued by the manufacturer. This makes the parts both difficult to find and very expensive to purchase on your part.

 

Tip 4: Count the Number of Repairs

An easy way to determine if you need to repair or replace your appliances is to look at its past history. Have you already made several repairs to it? And did these repairs all take place almost at the same time? 

For example, let’s say you needed the refrigerator looked at. You thought repairing the compressor would fix your problem, but then even more issues take place: the basin of excess water keeps filling up, or there’s never enough coolant to go round, or maybe you still keep hearing a strange noise even after the compressor was fixed. Plus, all of these repairs took place within the past three weeks.

If this sounds like your current situation, then repairs are no longer a good idea. It’s time to replace your appliance and prevent further financial loss on your part.

 

Tip 5: Determine the Cost

Did you know it can actually cost you more money by repairing your appliances so frequently? Though repairs are necessary in terms of the most common problems that you can read about throughout our website, all of the above information really applies to expense and how much more you’re willing to spend on repairs. If the above example of the refrigerator we mentioned applies then it really will cost you less money to replace an appliance. It will save you a major headache and financial strain down the road.