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My 90-something father has replaced all of the electric appliances in his house exactly once. House bought in 1970, with appliances from a 1960s remodel present. All appliances are used with moderate frequency.
1. The 1960s dishwasher stopped functioning in the 1980s. Replaced with a GE 2500 -- still going. Regular filter cleaning and light maintenance required. Cycles are quick, unlike modern dishwashers. It definitely uses a lot of water, but the dishes are clean.
2. The 1960s washing machine failed around 2010. Replaced with a top loader, Maytag -- remarkably efficient. Does not clean whites as spotlessly as my European front loader, but can hold much more and cycles are also not 3 hours long.
3. The former owners had no dryer (old school), so a gas dryer was installed in 1970. Still running fine.
4. The original refrigerator was a large, late 1960s, side-by-side. Replaced with a GE in the early 1990s. The winter electric bill dropped by half. The old fridge was shockingly inefficient, but it worked for 30 years.
In her home, my mother also had an old 1970-era fridge from a later marriage, and her HOA (they pay the electricity) recently replaced it for her as a "gratis improvement." I can only guess how much the electricity usage dropped subsequently.
My Dad's gas range and oven are still operable, from the 1960s. These are steel and aluminum, professional kitchen goods. No reason they won't operate forever. One fix in 50 years: a thermometer was replaced on the oven in the 1980s, I remember this because it was Christmas day and the bird couldn't get roasted until the gas company repairman arrived around Noon.
With some minor maintenance, these appliances can last a long time.
So we bought the house in January and it was owned by the same guy for 27 years. I googled the model off the fridge and it was almost 20 years old! So I think all the appliances are the same age.
However, the microwave is now taking longer to heat things up and the dishwasher isn't fully cleaning things. So it may be time to do a full new appliance purchase.
New diswashers and clothes washers cost more and last shorter
In the name of saving the planet new washers are more complex to save water and energy. In exchange for the higher cost of these machines we get a shorter life due to their complexity. Good thing we all have enough as one told us, so we can afford to pay more for less and less useful life too.
My new clothes washer, a lowest cost recommended model by CR, cost over $700. It also has longer cycle times so my maid can not do all the clothes washing as cycle times are ridiculously high. So I get to do the washing lol. What a deal. ... its killing me but saving the planet? It better be for the downsides..
In the name of saving the planet new washers are more complex to save water and energy. In exchange for the higher cost of these machines we get a shorter life due to their complexity. Good thing we all have enough as one told us, so we can afford to pay more for less and less useful life too.
My new clothes washer, a lowest cost recommended model by CR, cost over $700. It also has longer cycle times so my maid can not do all the clothes washing as cycle times are ridiculously high. So I get to do the washing lol. What a deal. ... its killing me but saving the planet? It better be for the downsides..
The clothes washer is the worst. It just goes on and on. And on and on and on. Clothes are something people commonly need done quickly to get into the dryer!
Speed Queen sells one that on a certain cycle, it disregards regs and washes clothes the old fashioned way.
In the name of saving the planet new washers are more complex to save water and energy. In exchange for the higher cost of these machines we get a shorter life due to their complexity. Good thing we all have enough as one told us, so we can afford to pay more for less and less useful life too.
My new clothes washer, a lowest cost recommended model by CR, cost over $700. It also has longer cycle times so my maid can not do all the clothes washing as cycle times are ridiculously high. So I get to do the washing lol. What a deal. ... its killing me but saving the planet? It better be for the downsides..
And, ironically, many major brands such as Maytag, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, Amana, Consul and Jenn-Air are all made by the Whirlpool Corp. Most all of the parts are manufactured in China and much of Whirlpools assembly is done in the US and in Mexico.
We once bought a "top-of-the-line" Kitchen Aid DW 5 years ago and it didn't last 1 year....smh. But DW was adamant on replacing it with the same one (to match the other kitchen appliances) and it is still going strong today thank God.
The clothes washer is the worst. It just goes on and on. And on and on and on. Clothes are something people commonly need done quickly to get into the dryer!
Speed Queen sells one that on a certain cycle, it disregards regs and washes clothes the old fashioned way.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s, we had a Whirlpool washer that lasted almost 25 years! That thing was a work horse! We also had a Montgomery Ward Brand microwave we got when they first became popular (1981) that lasted about 25 years also.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s, we had a Whirlpool washer that lasted almost 25 years! That thing was a work horse! We also had a Montgomery Ward Brand microwave we got when they first became popular (1981) that lasted about 25 years also.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers are doing all that’s possible to lower the cost of their appliances (or not raising them as costs increase) in order to gain market share and increase volume sales. It greatly benefits their bottom line.
This along with the high price of service labor and replace parts, they benefit from selling “throw away appliances” and find that statistically, consumers would rather purchase a new appliance then pay approximately 40% of the cost of a new one to repair their existing one.
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New diswashers and clothes washers cost more and last shorter
