Applied Appliances, post Energy Star (house, water, good, oil)

[jetgraphics]

I am becoming more and more disgusted with government meddling in consumer appliances and fixtures, especially with setting performance standards that compel manufacturers to effectively make ephemeral crap - at high prices!

What's worse, is that prepping for nasty conditions is hampered by reliance on such products.

The worst culprits are the "computerized" appliances, that have electronic circuit boards that are prohibitively expensive, or become obsolete, and irreplaceable.

I remember "old timey" appliances that lasted 15-20-30 years.
Now?
I've personally experienced the breakdown of THREE dishwashers (different countries of manufacture, etc) in less that twelve years. One of them, had the racks corrode, leaving rust stains on our dinnerware. What idiot designs a dishwasher (a wet environment) with elements subject to corrosion?
Our latest replacement, "Energy Star" literally shuts off and on, taking almost 2 hours, as its way to "save energy." And you guessed it - the dishes aren't as clean as the older models. Thanks, CONGRESS.

Sewing machines?
LOL - back in the day, machines lasted generations. Now? Computerized gee-whiz machines have gained a reputation for lemons, turkeys, and gremlins.

Ranges and ovens?
I can recall, in 1970s, buying a used dual oven gas range (over and under oven) with a thermostat sensor in one burner. It may not have been calibrated, but it was great at maintaining a simmer.
Today? You can't find a "modern" gas range with a thermostatically controlled burner. But you can get computer controlled delays, timers, touch sensitive buttons, etc. And consumers are finding out how quickly they cease operation.

Toilets?
LOL - "Water savings?" - If you can get by with just one flush. Mine takes 2 or 3 to fully empty a big #2.

It would be great if someone started manufacturing "vintage" but robust appliances that were designed to last generations... Even at 4 times the price, they're cheaper over the long term.

[MTSilvertip]

You know, I hear that a lot from my clients that buy the tools I make. For one thing, they have a hard time finding some of the woodworking tools such as froes, or leatherworking tools like good hide scrapers, and when the do find something, it's usually Chinese and breaks within a few times of using it due to the poor quality metal, and it doesn't hold an edge because the metal is too soft or isn't properly tempered.

Unfortunately, most of my clients want swords etc. these days instead of tools, but whatever pays the rent right?

Funny thing is, I can turn out a drawknife in my forge in a couple hours, and my prices aren't that much different than the hardware store, but my tools are made from good steel and will last generations if cared for.

The one modern thing that really bites is the way cars and trucks are computerized so you can't work on them yourself anymore aside from minor things like changing the oil.
I have an old 1967 International Scout that while it's really basic transportation, is actually fun to work on because it doesn't have any electronics on it. You can pretty much assemble or disassemble the whole thing with just a couple wrenches, there's plenty of room to get into it and work, it's fun and it's nearly 50 years old and still runs great.

Craftsmanship went by the wayside in favor of mass production.
I can only make a few knives or axes or whatever in a week, a modern factory can crank out hundreds of thousands in the same time.

My knives aren't that expensive, but if you don't see the design you want in stock, you may have to wait for a while for me to make it for you, so it's easier to go by a throw away at the mall sporting goods store.
It's the way we live now. Instant gratification.

[RyanR]

I wholeheartedly agree today's appliances don't last as long as the older ones. My 5-year-old microwave crapped out last night. It's predecessor lasted 15 years.

Since I do have an all-electric house, I do like the reduced energy usage of modern appliances. Mainly as it relates to TV's (compared to old tube TVs) and refrigerators/freezers. The last TV I bought had one of those yellow stickers on it showing how much electricity it uses in a year. It said $9. I'm running something like 8 or 9 fridges/freezers so again, I like the lower energy usage.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by jetgraphics

The worst culprits are the "computerized" appliances, that have electronic circuit boards that are prohibitively expensive, or become obsolete, and irreplaceable.

At least part of this is due to the "smart grid" that is in the process of being set up.

In that system, your appliances "communicate" with the grid. The grid can shut them off, slow them down, etc. Say you have a meeting to go to after work, and the shirt you want to wear needs to be washed. No problem, right? You come home from work, throw it in the washer, then in the dryer...and uh-oh, halfway through the drying cycle, it turns off. Why? Because there was too much power demand from other people using their ranges to cook dinner. But don't worry -- it'll come on again at 10:15 PM!

Isn't modern technology wonderful? I'm glad we're off grid at our Maine place!

[jetgraphics]

Originally Posted by jetgraphics

The worst culprits are the "computerized" appliances, that have electronic circuit boards that are prohibitively expensive, or become obsolete, and irreplaceable.

The computer chip industry moves so fast that "good intel" about long term durability is lacking.

To illustrate, I bought two AMD Phenom chips, that ran cool at 100% duty cycle (while running SETI@HOME and BOINC). But over time, they got hotter and hotter, to the point that I could no longer run them at 100% without crashing the system. Changing the thermal paste, cleaning the stock coolers, etc, did not help. At low duty cycles, they're fine. Due to age, they physically changed somehow, so that they get too hot when run at 100%.

I can only imagine what other computerized systems may be suffering from as they age.