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My mother's house still has a functioning furnace that is now over 40 years old. And she only recently replaced her washer and dryer, each were 25 years old.
We just learned that our washer and dryer are over 30 years old. They work great (knock on wood) and no plans to replace with cheap crap that breaks. Our ac units are from 1987. We are on borrowed time and say a little prayer the first time we turn them on. We will keep those going as long as possible as well! I am
In my late 30s so they are almost as old as me!
I have a Sears Kenmore chest freezer that is 35 years old and still works perfectly. They don't make them like that anymore.
They don't seriously. I am so mad at this 2 year old Kenmore fridge. It doesn't cool right. Someone said because I bought a basic model. I was like yeah, keeping the food at the right temp is basic, right? ugh.
On the other hand is my over 30 year old Kenmore stove. Odd the contrast of the same brands in the same kitchen.
Our cooktop is original to the house, which was built in 1997-8. We bought our refrigerator in 2005 when we bought the house. Bought the ovens about a year later. I actually wish some of our appliances would start dying because I really want new ones. But I can't justify replacing them when they work just fine.
I still have several appliances that were given to us as wedding gifts. All these years later, the wok, the blender, the mixer, the rice cooker, and the waffle iron still work. And I use most of those things a lot. (But not the waffle iron, LOL. I hate to give it away but I probably will one of these days because waffles aren't on my diet anymore.)
Our cooktop is original to the house, which was built in 1997-8. We bought our refrigerator in 2005 when we bought the house. Bought the ovens about a year later. I actually wish some of our appliances would start dying because I really want new ones. But I can't justify replacing them when they work just fine.
That is me mostly, but if they are energy guzzlers, the math often works to replace them. The new a/c paid for itself quickly in Texas summers! Dryers use a lot too. I am glad I have an energy star one now, despite the old one working 'just fine', it was costing a lot.
1948 GM / Frigidaire refrigerator going strong in my shop.
And when it quits - you can recycle it as a welding rod storage cabinet by just leaving a small 10 watt bulb running in it to keep humidity down. I've got welding rods that date back to Moses welding on his hull and they still weld fine.
Seriously; the electrical usage figures they publish are misleading in the extreme, especially for fridges. Smaller compressor units use less watts per hour but run LONGER! They only factor the wattage used over a small time frame without thinking the thing is running 23 out of 24 hours.
Super high efficiency front loading washers with aluminum web drum support framing that rots from the accumulation of that sticky "He" detergent. They require you to run the self clean feature often to avoid that build up and erosion thereby wiping out any potential electrical cost savings by the self cleaning feature demanding you run the thing empty and using super high temps, even a steam cycle on some of them.
They no longer build to last as there's no profit in that model to keep paying shareholder dividends. It's now all about the 'planned obsolescence' and how they can just keep the thing running until it's warranty expires to then leak all over your floor and have the guy who shows up to repair it give you the news the parts and labour will cost more than a cheap replacement made in Mexico.
All part of today's routine business model.
We just replaced a 40 year old Bosch dishwasher and bought another top-line Bosch. The electronics alone on the new one make me cringe to think what that board will cost if it pooches. We now have more appliances that run from smart phone apps and connect wirelessly to the internet than we had computer devices a scant ten years ago.
Who in the world needs to talk remotely to their washer, refrigerator or dishwasher????? The fact they can troubleshoot these things over the internet is small comfort when I think of some guy in Bangladesh calling me up and telling me my washing machine is over loaded. The dishwasher even has a clock that projects onto the floor in front of it....of what possible use is that feature??
We are buying the longer warranty packages though.
Water heater I got with the house. It's 35+ years old and still works great.
There used to be a custom PINK Sears stowe, bought in 1949/50 (paperwork from all appliances was kept in a folder) when the house was built and equipped. It was still in fantastic, almost mint condition when I bought the house in 2000. I cooked on it for the next 7 years then sold for great $$$ when I remodeled the kitchen. Just like this:
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