Repair or Replace House Appliances

If your 15-year-old fridge doesn’t show any signs of life, the obvious thing to do is to replace it with a new one. The decision is easy to make when an appliance is that old. However, appliances can break before their time, and that’s when it gets tricky, because it may feel like and expensive guess. There’s a lot of factors to consider, such as repair cost, age, energy efficiency, and price of a new unit. We’re here to help you decide how to resolve the dilemma about whether to make a new purchase or extend the life of your current appliance.

“Is It Really…?”

Some of the questions you should ask yourself are – is it really broken and is it really the end of its life? An appliance may stop working from different reasons. Are the filters and vents clogged with dust? Has the flooring become uneven? Some appliances can’t turn because of that. Did the circuit breakers trip? Try resetting them to see if it’ll start working. Make sure to check if it’s still under warranty, as warranties on major house appliances cover parts and labor for a year or two. There’s an average useful life for every appliance. After that period expires, the appliance runs on borrowed time, thus it’s wiser to replace than to repair the closer it gets to its past due date.

Here is some advice on major appliances and whether you should fix it or replace it with a new one.

Refrigerator

If your refrigerator isn’t cold like it used to be, check the temperature adjustment controls first. Next, see if the gasket is sealing properly (if not, then that’s where to cool air is escaping). Clean it with warm, soapy water, rinse and dry. If the gasket is deformed, warm and reform it with a hair dryer. Next, clean the coils (they are usually behind or below the machine), because the fridge can’t cool if they’re clogged with pet hair or dust. Unplug the machine, take off the grate, and clean it with your vacuum (use a long-handle coil brush or crevice attachment). You can read more about potential fridge malfunctions in this article.

If none of your DIY fixes don’t work, it’s time to call a technician to assess the problem. When is the time to get a new one? If the repair will cost half of more of the price of a new refrigerator, the best advice is to give it up.

Dryer

If the dryer needs more time than usual to dry your clothes, unplug it, and clean out the vent with your vacuum cleaner, because it could be a lint problem. Also, call an expert if you suspect on electrical or mechanical issues, if the control panel went out, or the heat isn’t working. A problem with the electrical panel may also be causing voltage fluctuations, which in turn may be taking longer for the dryer to dry. A situation such as this might necessitate the help of an electric panel repair expert who you can locate by searching for ‘Electrician Brighton‘ (if that is the location of your residence) or ‘electrical panel repair near me’ on the internet. That said, having your dryer maintained every year by a pro is the best thing to do, because it will reduce risk of dryer fire and make drying more efficient. The typical life expectancy of this type of appliance is 11-18 years, so again check if it is going to be worth repairing.

Washer

These appliances are the ones that break most often. These are complex machines that require an expert to look for the problem, because the malfunctions can be both due to mechanized and computerized parts. You can Google the problem, if the washer shows you an error code on its control panel, just know what’s wrong and if you can somehow reset or fix the appliance yourself. Major breakdowns include leaks and bad transmissions, and that’s when your washer is beyond any help. The typical life expectancy is 8-16 years. Even if the repair will cost you less than half of the price of a new washer, you should consider upgrading to a newer model that’s more efficient from your older machine.

Gas or Electric Range

The thermostat can be recalibrated easily if the temperature seems off, with the oven running too hot or ‘cold’. However, these appliances are made of some sensitive components that require a professional to assess the problem. Their typical life expectancy if 15-23 years (gas range) and 13-20 years (electric range).

If you want to save money on repairs, choose to have it fixed by an independent repair shop, because it will cost you less and the service will probably be better than the factory service. Before anything, try to fix the problem yourself, if you’re at least a bit skillful with electric appliances (there’s a lot of YouTube videos and DIY tutorials online, so search the ones that cover your type of machine). As for the cost of repair, never spend more than 50% of the cost of a new appliance on repairing an old one. If that’s not the first time it broke down and it’s going to cost you more, than replacing it makes much more sense.