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Repair, Restore, Rejoice: Making the Most of Home Appliances Print
Thursday, 22nd January 2009 (by J.D.)This article is about DIY, Frugality, House and Home
This is a guest post from Betsy Teutsch, who blogs about sustainable living and socially-responsible investing at Money Changes Things.
As any homeowner can attest, appliance longevity is diminishing. For technophiles, the breakdown of electronics can be welcomed as an excuse to upgrade to a cheaper, faster gizmo. But constant breakdowns of household appliances frustrate harried homeowners, since it’s frequently impossible or extremely inconvenient to repair them, or so expensive as to be dis-economic.
Having lived in the same home, which we equipped with all-new appliances 22 years ago, I can attest to the culprits. We’re on our third refrigerator, second stovetop, third dishwasher, third toaster, and maybe sixth (or seventh or eighth — I’ve lost count) instant hot-water dispenser.
Our dryer, microwave and wall-oven are the sole survivors. The dryer is somewhat of an exception, since we air-dry the bulk of our clothes, towels, and sheets and just run them through the dryer for ten minutes or so to soften them, so it gets off easier than in most households.
My advice to householders making appliance decisions is:
- Avoid fancier, excess features which make appliances more complicated (and expensive).
- Keep your manuals and the sales info someplace where you can find them, and also record this info electronically if you’ve switched to storing things in cyberspace.
- Do not purchase extended warranties (but make sure the appliance has a reasonable one up front).
- Avoid the temptation to buy cheap small appliances. I have a friend who, after her third bargain blender broke, realized it would have been less time-consuming to buy a better quality product from the get-go.
- Be persistent about attempting repairs.
About ten years ago, the plastic knobs on our island stovetop began to break, one by one. To my astonishment — and outrage — there was no way to replace these simple parts. Down from four burners to only two functioning, we ran out of possible solutions and replaced the whole damn thing, costing $1000 or so, including installation. The company spokesperson was entirely unsympathetic when I indignantly complained the stove was just 12 years old. “That’s actually pretty good — the industry standard is 5-7 years!”
Fast forward: the internet has provided a great way to research your appliance’s problem and read up on solutions, or at least vent along with other annoyed consumers.
When the knob on our under-sink “toe heater” went missing, I recalled the fiasco with the stove knobs. Armed with my ancient manual, I tracked down the company, which was still in business in South Carolina. Here’s where persistence is required. In response to their “Tough bounce, lady — no longer available” email, I called and grilled Customer Service Guy. (My husband has dubbed these folks “customer disservice representatives”.)
There are two tricks to this:
- Finding an actual person to talk to (try the Gethuman Database)
- Asking the right questions to elicit actual help
When I asked if they manufacture the knobs or buy them from a supplier, Bingo! He passed along the number of their knob supplier. That company was wonderful; their business model includes servicing harried householders crazy to replace appliance knobs. For a $10 charge, the correct knob was quickly dispatched and works perfectly. No more turning the dial shaft with a screw driver and risking it breaking off completely!
As for instant hot-water dispensers — my nominee for the most fragile appliance ever invented — do not bother. Just buy an $8 quick-heat coil pot. If you, like us, are suckers for the tap-delivered near-boiling water, buy the highest quality product you can find, with a multi-year warranty included. It will pay for itself remarkably quickly.
Our last one started leaking after a year, but — aha! Its three-year warranty covers free house calls. I contacted the local rep at 8:30 AM, and by 10:00 in the morning was the surprised owner of a new unit, installed. From an environmental standpoint, I hate this. But as frugal home manager, I was pleased. The new unit has two years left on the old warranty. Want to take bets?
For more on this subject, check out:
- Get Rich Slowly: When to replace common household items
- GRS forums: Kitchen appliances: The good, the bad, and the unnecessary
- CNN Money: When good appliances go bad
- The New York Times: Time to buy a new stove. Again.
What about you? What’s your experience with major appliances? Do you have recommendations for appliance repairs that are practical and easy to do yourself? For which appliances is it most important to pay up-front for quality?
Previously at Get Rich Slowly, Betsy has shared The pros and cons of working from home, Wedding registries: A love-hate relationship, and Why we shop: Getting a grip on consumerism.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 am
know when it is time not to repair
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:43 am
Personally, I think having 22 year old appliances is being cheap. Not in the sense that anyone should go out and buy a brand new stainless steel kitchen, but in the sense that the innovations that have occurred in that time frame have improved the longevity as well as the quality of the appliances. With all of those improvements the long-term cost savings due to efficiency and energy-star compliance should more than recoup the up-front costs.
As far as not buying the extended warranty, I would much rather see a reason why as opposed to a general statement. Many stores will give you a credit for a future purchase if you end up not using the warranty service. Other warranty plans even come with replacement service so that if an item cannot be repaired the company will replace the item with an equal-value one. Plus, on certain high-dollar items that are not so easily repaired by a novice, the warranty could end up paying for itself.
On a side note, I remember the colors of appliances from the 70’s and 80’s and I would be none too happy having an orange, sunflower gold, or green set of appliances in my kitchen!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 am
I must say, after reading review sites, I’m inclined to hang onto my range for as long as it works, rather than spend $1200 every three years or so. Now if I could only find appliance touch-up paint in avocado.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:28 am
Well, I for one am driven insane by this phenomenon, and I’m glad someone else notices it too!
Don’t get me wrong: There’s nothing wrong with upgrading an appliance if there’s some great new feature you want. I just hate being forced to run out and buy a new stove, etc., after a handful of years because some cheap plastic part snapped and no one sells it as an individual item - it’s a waste of time for those of us who just want to cook a decent meal at home. Planned obsolescence of major appliances is not safe, it’s not fun, and it’s not environmentally or economically pleasant.
So far, during our 9 years in this house, we’ve replaced the stove (old one caught fire with absolutely NO warning) and the dryer (kaput one day and told it was dangerous). On the other hand, we voluntarily replaced our fridge to capture better energy use in the newer models. I wish freecycling had been available then, because it was a pain to find someone who wanted an old fridge.
I don’t know how many blenders, food processors, etc., I’ve gone through, but it’s a large enough number to agree that when it comes to new counter top appliances, I’m going with quality next time.
Unpaid, uncompensated pitch: I love freecycle! When the aforementioned dryer died, I had a perfectly good replacement within a day from someone remodeling their house. Tested it, looked it over carefully, and voila! Problem solved.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
A proud moment: my laser printer stopped pulling in pages properly. I looked up possible problems and found that usually it’s a tire inside, a little semitriangular rubber dude that gets old and crackety. Having not used the printer a lot– seven years old and still on its first toner– I was not about to spend another hundred dollars because mine was a paperweight.
Stupid Brain Trick: “It’s not a printer. It’s a paperweight. If it were a printer, it would work. I can’t make it more broken.”
Then I took the thing apart (some newspaper, three screwdrivers, rubber cement, krazy glue, and a hairpin), turned the tire inside-out, and put it back together again (minus one screw, which is still where I put it).
I turned a paperweight into a laser printer. Whoo go me!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:37 am
Our neighbor mentioned a service he bought into that “insured” his appliances. For a monthly fee, which didn’t sound like much, but then again is one of those pesky recurring payments, the company would cover parts and labor on anything from the Furnace to the Refrigerator. He said he has used it twice so far and has actually paid for itself. Have you ever heard of a service like this and been able to compare the cost vs. practicality of it?
I hate the quality of appliances these days … My parents still have their original Washer/Dryer from 30+ years ago, not the most energy efficient models but working none-the-less.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 am
We utilize Consumer Reports to find appliances that will hold up well. Generally they aren’t the hyper-expensive prestige brands (yes, Thermador, Wolf and Viking, I mean you), but the “boring” ones like Kenmore, GE, etc. And many of the “boring” ones can be purchased in configurations that look pretty much like the expensive ones.
Also, many places will perform free estimates for an appliance, or will allow you to apply the cost of a service call to see what’s wrong as a credit on a new model if the fix is too expensive to undertake.
I’ll also mention that Sears has a pretty good online resource to order parts for their appliances, as well.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 am
In addition to keeping your user manuals, keep your receipts. Some items for your household have very long warranties. The good brands of faucets, for instance, have lifetime warranties.
Over the past couple of years I’ve had some issues with my faucets.
The kitchen faucet started to leak. A simple call explaining the problem got me the cartridge and o-rings in a couple of weeks. To buy the parts would have cost around $40-$50, to buy a replacement faucet would have been a couple hundred.
While I was reading the warranty info for the faucet, I noticed that there was a lifetime warranty on the finish. My bathroom faucets started getting pitted quite bad. I contacted that manufacturer and was sent two replacements.
My freezer was having problems recently too. It looked like it was the fan motor and the replacement parts were less than $100. I got lucky though. Turned out the fan just got a little bent and was catching somewhere. A quick bend back into place and all was fine.
With the internet replacement parts are easy to find. Most repairs are fairly simple. The difficulty is in diagnosing the problem. You might wind up replacing things that didn’t need replacing from time to time, but overall you’ll save more than buying new.
It’s worth trying to learn how to fix some things yourself.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:53 am
What a timely topic. I bought a used DVD player off of Craigslist over the weekend. It kept skipping and freezing. So last night I took it apart and pushed in every single one of the “fuses” and cleaned the lens. Works perfectly now! I am so proud!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:54 am
Shameless plug for donating older, functional appliances: For those of you who upgrade, remember your local homeless shelter. When we bought our house we owned an electric dryer but our new house was not wired for 220. We tried to donate the dryer to Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the like but no one wanted it. When we called the homeless shelter they got us in touch with people they had recently helped house and were both appreciative and accomodating for getting it. Perseverence isn’t just for the disservice reps, it also can help avoid the landfill.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 am
Frankly I’m extremely impressed with the longevity of US appliances. I moved here from Europe where appliances cost the same as here but only last 5-6yrs! Here in the US, my house is 18yrs old and still has the original kitchen appliances. Pretty good going, I think, although I admit, times are changing.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:58 am
Consumer reports is the absolute best resource if you need to buy new appliances. I read it for everything.
We recently accidently put a “lock” on our GE oven and spent hours trying to get it off (you hold 9 and 0 simultaneously for 3 seconds). I wish we had kept the manual. At that point I was ready to break it free from the wall and throw it out in the yard.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 am
I was very frustrated when my plastic handle broke off our built-in microwave (which otherwise worked perfectly well). I was ready to just get a new one and replace it. My husband took a piece of scrap wood, painted it white to match and screwed it in place. Good as new - even a little nicer.
Our DVD player completely stopped working. Again I was ready to go out and just buy another. My husband and I took it apart, cleaned out all the dust, and put it back together again. Now it works great!
Our lesson learned - sometimes the fix is easier than you think and can save you some dough. It’s worth a try, especially if the alternative is throwing it out.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:13 am
“Just buy an $8 quick-heat coil pot”
A what? Is that American for kettle?
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:22 am
When Betsy submitted this post nearly two months ago, it really struck a chord with me. Kris and I live with a lot of old appliances.
In our first house, we inherited an electric range from 1975 (making it 18 years old). The heating element burned out within the first month. I removed it, took it to the appliance store, and asked if they sold new ones. They did. I replaced it, and we made do for a couple of more years. Eventually we installed a new range.
At the same house, our garbage disposal from 1975 (so about 25 years old when this occurred) gave out. I bought a new one and installed it.
When we first began dating (so in 1989), Kris bought a microwave oven. That was our microwave for 15 years until we moved to this house, where there was no place to put it. We replaced it with a smaller model.
We’ve had our fridge now for 15 years. We bought it at a steep discount because there was a big dent in the side. We didn’t care about the dent, and now that fridge has served us through two homes.
We’ve also had the same washer and dryer for 15 years. The washer cracks me up because the knob broke off several years ago. We keep a pair of pliers on a nearby window sill, and use them to set the wash cycles.
When we moved into our current house, the gas range was ancient. It was really very old. We tried to make do with it, but he oven was uneven and two of the burners were non-functional. We did extensive research and replaced it with a new one.
Finally, this house came with a roll-our dishwasher from the early 80s. This 25-year-old beast does a fine job, even if it is very ugly. It reminds me so much of the dishwasher we had at home when I was growing up.
I don’t really have a point with all of this, I guess, except that I very much subscribe to Betsy’s appliance philosophy. I’m not afraid to replace an appliance if it’s truly a burden or no longer cost-effective. But I’m also willing to hold on to appliances, too, trying to obtain maximum utility from them.
(I think I learned this from my grandparents. The fridge they had in their home during the late 70s was the same one they installed when they moved into the house in the late 40s.)
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:29 am
Some appliances will last nearly forever. I am still using the Sunbeam toaster that my parents got as a wedding present in 1946. When my mother died, I shipped it out to my house 2000 miles away. When it arrived, it wasn’t working, so I took it to the local appliance repair shop. The repair guy and I talked about how sad it is that most people don’t realize how long old appliances last. He has a waffle iron from 1923! Anyway, when I got back home I had a message waiting for me: “Your toaster is working — we got the crumbs out!” It wasn’t broken at all, just jammed. And it’s still going strong. There’s a reason there are a ton of these on eBay (search for “Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster” — because they’re made to last forever.) As for newer appliances being improvements, my stove is a Chambers from the ’50s, and it cooks on retained heat (you turn the gas off and the oven retains heat and keeps on cooking — it also has a crockpot-like space that does this). The Chambers company went bust in the ’60s because no one valued this feature in the energy-rich times. So it can be the case that it’s the old appliances that have the features you can’t get any more. That stove is 50+ years old and also going strong. They made things to last back in the day.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:30 am
I’m betting two years, one day, and not a minute more. It’s Murphy’s Law.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:34 am
My wife and I have learned a technique to combat both the repeated purchasing of crap, and the needless waste of time and money researching and buying top-end stuff all the time:
We buy the first one cheap.
Hammers to food processors, etc. we make our *uninformed* purchase be a cheap purchase. For most things, the cheap thing we buy either gets used so rarely that it lasts forever, or we use it enough that when it breaks, we know *exactly* what we want in a replacement. Only at that point, when we have personal experience with what we like and dislike, and *how* things break do we go spend time and money buying a good one. But we don’t buy a crap one, again, either.
On that last note, does anyone know how to buy a non-crap push snowshovel? one that will last more than a year in New England?
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:36 am
A few answers.
There are debates about extended warranties, but mostly I’ve read they rarely pay for themselves. If others have good arguments for buying them, go ahead and share!
- A coil-pot is a plug in hot-water pot which looks like a coffee pot. It heats water WAY faster than a stove burner, so I presume it is a much more efficient way to produce hot water. They cost under $10 and seem to last and last. You don’t make the tea or coffee in them, since there’s a heating coil inside.
The point about upgrading appliances to take advantage to innovations and improved EnergyStar ratings is a good one. If your refrigerator is old, from an environmental standpoint, it’s better to replace it. THough if you donate it, remember that someone else is now still running it, inefficiently, + the new energy efficient model you just added to the planet’s statistics.
ANd yes, Consumers Reports is excellent if you can choose among any appliance. Often kitchens have size limitations. When I replaced our refrigerator I had exactly ONE choice that would fit in the space the old one vacated. I hate it, actually.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:38 am
For small appliances I use the second tier pricing rule. I find the second cheapest tier and buy a very simple model from that tier. They tend to last the longest.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:43 am
Great post!
One thing to add, if it uses water, it shouldn’t have electronics. Dishwashers and washing machines - stick with actual push buttons (real switches that click) and rotary selector controls.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 am
You can often get the replacement parts at an appliance parts supply place. Look around in your area to find one for future repair needs.
We keep our appliances until they: cost too much to repair, the repair is beyond our ability, or the breakdown is the same every year and the cost in two years would pay for a new one.
In this way we’re only on our 2nd washer, dryer, fridge and oven in 50 years of living in our house. Not bad.
If you can’t stand the color of your perfectly good but old appliance you can always paint or wall paper it. Just don’t block vents.
January 22nd, 2009 at 7:58 am
For those who are wondering about the coil pot, it’s also called an electric kettle and can heat water very quickly.
I’d also advise anyone purchasing a new appliance to know how it is repaired and install it in such a way as to make the repair easy. The thermostat on our oven broke. Not only did we have to pay for the repair to the oven, but we had to pay to repair our kitchen after pulling the oven out. The oven was flat against the outside wall. We had to tear out the floor molding and part of the door molding to get the oven far enough out to fix. The door molding didn’t survive the removal so we had to pay for new molding and someone to install and paint it plus touch up the wall paint that was scraped by the oven.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:15 am
Try this site:
http://www.repairclinic.com
We have used this several times. We have fixed both our dryer and our stove. This site will help you determine what is wrong with your appliance, tell you what part you need and give you instructions for repairs. You order the part right from the same site. They even have one on one support.
If you are feeling apprehensive about doing your own appliance repairs, let me tell you this: repair people are not rocket scientists. They are no more intelligent than you or I. My husband is not mechanically inclined AT ALL. Yet, he was able to successfully replace the ignitor in our oven.
We have saved hundreds of dollars.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:27 am
I disagree with the notion to not buy extended warranties. I can give two great examples where they have paid off greatly to my benefit. I would say that if you buy a top of the line machine with new features that you may want to look at getting the extended warranty because the new features may not be proven to work or hold up over time.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:30 am
This is one reason to buy a Staber washer & dryer, they make simple energy efficient products that can be serviced by the owner. They even have a hotline to call and they’ll tell you what part you need, send it to you and tell you how to fix it! How’s that for a long-lived appliance!
We’ve also found that if you search around on the internet you can find a way to fix almost anything. Our dishwasher which was purchased 7 years ago has broken down twice. Since it was a high-end dishwasher we didn’t want to spend money on a new one, we found the parts we needed on repairclinic.com and fixed it both times with a $100 investment and an hour or two.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:32 am
By the way, I was not slighting repair people at all, so I hope it did not come across that way. They are capable intelligent people!!!! I am just saying, that equipped with the same knowledge, most of us can do the same repairs ourselves.
However, if you are short on “common sense” I would not reccommend do it yourself repairs. If unplugging your appliance before working on it does not naturally occur to you, please leave the repairs to the professionals!
: )
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 am
I agree,
if you can repair something makes much more sense to do that than go out and buy a new one other than the convenience factor.
we had an issue with our TV, we had a nice 52″ RCA projection TV, one day the sparks were flying from the back of it and it turned off and as soon as you would try and turn it on it would spark, I took it apart and found it was the transformer that had gone bad, I called around and no one serviced those TV’s and the ones that did wanted to charge me $75 just to look at it. I found the part online for $45. I ordered it and soldered it myself. tested it out and TV was back in action. now I know some of this stuff might be overwhelming for some but if you are able to learn and worse case you cant fix something that is already broken at least you learn a new skill in the process.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:35 am
Would you be happy with yet another crappy item manufactured and shipped from anywhere other than China?
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:16 am
A word about appliance warranties: Many times the parts are covered, but not the labor! Unless your refrigerator needs a new condensor or soemthing like that, guess what tends to be the most expensive part of appliance repair? The labor. (The same is true for home remodeling. We replaced our sink, a counter top, a few cabinets, some old leaky water lines and the faucet. The parts were around $800.00. The labor they wanted was over $2000.00.)
Our hot water tank was under warranty through Sears. They charged us $60.00 just to come out and verify that it was broken. Then we found out that thye wanted to charge us $280.00 to install. Oh, and they could not get to us for several days.
We picked up the hot water tank at our local Sears (no charge) and installed it ourselves.
By the way, Sears customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Bad experience.
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:26 am
I recall a wonderful article I read during the 2001 recession stating that the recession was partly due to all the fancy appliances like computers and cell phones not actually working! Whether or not that’s true, it makes one wonder when confronted with frustrating breakdowns.
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
We don’t own a house and sometimes end up in apartments where the landlord leaves you on your own for all repairs. I have found that Sears appliance service (it’s a bit hard to find, but it is on their website somewhere) is cheaper than hiring a plumber or handyman (unless you know a nice local one - unlikely if you move almost every year or two), plus you can schedule it online. You can use it for almost anything too, you don’t need to be covered by a Sears warranty or buy one - even ancient dishwashers of indeterminate model. (I don’t work for Sears or know anyone who does btw)
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:13 am
We’re fortunate to have an appliance *parts* store within a mile of our house. I’ve driven by it for years but only recently needed a replacement part for my dishwasher. The new part is completely redesigned to eliminate the problem that made the first part fail!
Another good thing about newer appliances: they’re often redesigned so that common old failure modes are impossible. And if you’ve had a repair person tell you it’s not worth repairing, ask them what to look for in a new appliance. When my electric dryer broke past fixing, the repair person told me what to look for in a new dryer, and even the brand name which is the inexpensive version made in the same factory with the same parts of the well-advertised big name brand.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:22 am
My philosophy of simplicity comes into play here. “Instant hot water heater”? What? My tea kettle may not be quite “instant”, but I’ve never had one fail on me. And you know, when I bought it no one even offered me an extended warranty, and it didn’t come with a manual, so I didn’t have to worry about where to store that. Heck, it didn’t even come in a box. It was a steel kettle with a price sticker on it.
The natural gas that my stove burns in order to heat the kettle may produce some small amount of carbon emissions, but natural gas burns pretty clean, and I’d bet that the carbon footprint of just *building* seven or eight instant hot water thingies is greater than what’s created by my burning of natural gas to heat water for enough coffee or tea for the rest of my life. I’d argue that heating water over fire for coffee is pretty well-established as being a sustainable lifestyle choice. More so than building a succession of mostly plastic appliances that run on electricity, shipping them across an ocean in a diesel-powered cargo ship, using them for a year or two, then throwing them in a landfill.
Most of the stuff in this post and the comments I don’t even own, some of it I don’t even know what it does. My personal philosophy is not to better manage my appliances, but to have only the ones that I actually need, and therefore management is trivial.
In my kitchen I have a gas stove/oven combo, and I have a refrigerator, microwave, toaster, and coffee grinder that are electric. I never have problems with any of them, really.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:34 am
I’m a stovetop tea kettle kind of girl (it’s a daily therapeutic ritual), but my husband loves his hot water pot… so for people interested in those, I think Zojirushi is a pretty good brand. He’s had the same hot pot for years and years, even before we were married. No problems with it. So if someone else does like that convenience, maybe consider that brand.
Great article by the way. Very good points to keep in mind.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
If people are OK with 22 old appliances, great. It’s good to see that people are actually hanging onto items that still work as opposed to buying the next latest and greatest.
I don’t agree with buying a warranty either, but I agree with a previous person that commented and mentioned that they would like to see proof. I know that on NPR Planet money (podcast), they mention how on some items a warranty is definitely not a good idea, but on other, more expensive items, the decision gets into a gray area.
Great article Betsy!
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:49 am
The Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ Theory Of Socio-Economic Injustice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Vimes#Vimes.27_Boots
“Early in his career, while he is still a nearly-impoverished Watchman, Vimes reflects that he can only afford ten-dollar boots with thin soles which don’t keep out the damp and wear out in a season or two. A pair of good boots, which cost fifty dollars, would last for years and years - which means that over the long run, the man with cheap boots has spent much more money and still has wet feet. This thought leads to the general realization that one of the reasons rich people remain rich is because they don’t actually have to spend as much money as poor people; in many situations, they buy high-quality items (such as clothing, housing, and other necessities) which are made to last. In the long run, they actually use much less of their disposable income.”
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:50 am
The economics of extended warranties are simple. An extended warranty is essentially insurance. Like any other insurance company, the warranty company has to charge more for the warranties than they pay out in repairs or replacements on warrantied items, otherwise they wont be profitable, and they will go out of business.
What this means is that the average amount of money you’ll get back from your warranty is less than the amount you paid for it, with the difference going towards keeping the warranty company running and their employees paid.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Find a great second hand appliance shop! I bought my ceramic top stove, washer, and dryer from a 2nd hand shop that also services appliances.
One tip for the dryer — get the dryer vent cleaned out once a year.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
We just had a round of annoying problems with our furnace, which is less than 7 years old. Ultimately, it looked like the previous owners weren’t that great with maintenance, but every repair person discussed how crappy HVAC appliances are made these days.
Our garbage disposal has started just started leaking, so we’re going to attempt to fix/replace it ourselves. JD, you mentioned replacing yours–please share any resources you might have!
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
My preference is for older appliances.
They are usually better made than new ones (e.g. ovens have more insulation - better temperature stability)
If you can easily swap parts, it is worth repairing yourself (ebay has many parts suppliers)
Some brands are easier to work on than others.
I’ve had no problems fixing my Whirlpool washer, dryer, and fridge myself by swapping parts.
But I paid a repairperson $250 to replace the microwave cooling fan in my GE all-in-one microwave/oven/range.
Because that repair required moving the unit off the wall to access the rear of the unit and almost complete disassembly of the microwave.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
The locally owned appliance shop near us (Standard TV & Appliance, for those Portlanders playing along at home) has a refurbish department. When our Craigslist dryer died, we went there. Our dryer now is an early 1990s model from there, refurbished and shiny, for about $150. TOTALLY worth it.
We returned when our 2nd Craigslist washing machine died. The timer broke, even Ebay didn’t reveal a replacement that was cheaper than the whole thing had cost us initially. This time, we investigated Standard’s scratch & dent department and wound up with a fantastic, brand-new washing machine.
So: look for refurbished and scratch-and-dent appliances.
The other thing: we paid the extra $60 to have our washer delivered and installed, and again, it was worth it. It wasn’t until the deliverymen arrived and attempted to install it that we discovered it has a European-style plug — and that it couldn’t be modified to work with our socket. Having the delivery people as witnesses made it easier for us to go back to the shop and ask for a replacement. We ended up with a brand-new American version of the same washer — and ended up paying about half as much as it was worth. (That last part is mostly about customer service; needless to say, as much as I don’t want to shell out for another new appliance, if we have to, that shop will get our business again.)
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Everyone complains about how things break, but have you thought of how expensive it would be if it were built to last? Mass manufactured electronic and plastic parts have us spending fewer dollars as a percentage of income, but the tradeoff is in longevity. Plus in a consumerism culture how many people are itching for a new “X” after 5-8 years anyway?
There are industry standards for how long an item needs to last. They directly correlate to the length of warranty. It’s all in the numbers. It’s always a trade off.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
We are remodeling our kitchen and had a big debate about whether to replace our stove, a Frigidaire Custom Imperial that was installed in about 1970. It’s 40″ wide, and the cabinets were built around it so it would be perfectly centered, so getting a stove of a different size would mean tearing out and replacing a perfectly good set of cabinets.
Frigidaire and GE both make a 40″ stove that’s clearly the latter-day version of mine, but after long debate we decided to keep the old one. It has two good-size side-by-side ovens, where the new stove has a big oven and a tiny one (9 3/4″ wide!), and it works fine. I want to have a repairman look it over, check the wiring, and maybe replace the back panel, which is looking a bit beat up. But the fact is, my ancient stove works better than anything I could find nowadays. The burners have thick elements, not those little coils of wire, so they heat up fast. The cooktop is not sealed, so I can get to the burners and replace them if need be. And the whole thing is mechanical, so it can be fixed if it breaks.
We’re doing the kitchen in a retro style anyway, so the old stove fits in. I have to admit, putting a 38-year-old stove in a new kitchen seems kind of odd, but there is truly no stove on the market that accomodates my cooking style better, so I’m going to keep the old gal running as long as I can.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
My parents bought their house in 1971 with hideous “Harvest Gold” GE built-ins and a Kenmore fridge. The GE dishwasher cacked it a few years later and was replaced with a Kitchen Aid one. The Kenmore washer and dryer replaced an ancient, enormous Kenmore washer/dryer combo unit around 1976 or so.
It’s all still running fine, if not with best efficiently. These were not high-end models then, but they were obvs built to last, because that’s pretty much how things used to be made in the US.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:03 am
I am from India where the first thing we do when equipment stop working is to look for such spares immediately. They are available in plenty and are extremely cheap. For example, a gas stove knob may cost around 1-2c while a burnt out motor of a washing machine may cost something like 20-40$ (depending on the machine).
We never buy the “full” equipment from the manufacturer as it seems illogical to do so when a small and simple part is the culprit.
I find it very strange that people ‘throw away’ so much equipment here in the US while 99% of it can be restored in under 50 bucks. I still cant understand this ‘use and throw’ philosophy followed here. Looks like a marketing/manufacturing gimmick to me - to keep customers buying new stuff.
If time permits, do visit this website - http://www.storyofstuff.com.
Happy Repairing,
Vishwas
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:09 am
I’ve fixed numerous appliances (gas range ignitors, microwave doors, oven control panels, etc.) and have always had great luck getting parts from these guys:
http://www.appliancepartspros.com
Once you have the parts, the actual fixing part is often pretty easy.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 am
My parents were meant to be married on 22 Nov 63 but for obvious reasons got married the next day. My mother still has the washer that they were given as a wedding present and it is still going strong (the dryer broke a few years ago and had to be replaced). They were also given a toaster which has been taken all over the world (she works for the State Department) and used with power converters. My last washer pooped out after 8 years. There is no doubt that manufacturing standards have fallen.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 am
I bought my Maytag clothes washer and dryer about 6 years ago. With a family of 5 they get a lot of heavy use. Using common tools, parts from a local appliance parts store, and applianceaid.com, I was able to repair the water pump on my washing machine for about $50 and the belt on my dryer for about $25. I imagine that it would have cost considerably more to have an appliance repairman perform the work.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:16 am
I’m a huge advocate of becoming your own handyman. It’s saved me tons of money.
See my recent experience of and subsequent reflection on replacing my own garbage disposal:
http://www.15minutestoriches.com/2009/01/10/garbage-disposals-and-money-in-my-pocket/
Thanks!
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 am
Thank goodness for the Internet. I have saved significant money by researching a problem online — with manuals, and especially with forums where those with years of experience share their wealth of knowledge. Often, someone has asked the question I have.
Once, our furnace died on a cold Sunday morning. I couldn’t fix it. But by the time I gave up and called a repairman, I had identified the problem precisely (with the help of the manual and the Internet). He was able to make sure he had the likely part before he came to our house, and then he was in and out in just a few minutes — convenient for him and cheaper for us.
We also always ask repairmen what they are doing. Most of them are regular joes like us who feel kind of bad charging an arm and a leg for something unnecessary — like rebooting the dishwasher’s computer. They’ll usually show you how.
My other advice is to have tolerant repair people for appliances, electrical and plumbing. I now will almost always try to fix it myself … then call in the pro if I get stuck. I pay in cash and tip ‘em too. My people are very patient.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:21 am
Considering going online to look for repair tips — from professionals or homeowners — before you give up.
I am *not* advocating you tear apart the washing machine if you’re not very handy. I’m just saying that sometimes it’s a simple fix.
For example, back in the days of VCRs ours finally quit after seven or eight years of service. A series of how-to books had showed up at the newspaper where I worked (I was then writing a lot of home stories), and one of them was basic VCR service and repair. I checked the troubleshooting guide, did what was suggested, and suddenly the machine worked again. A few times over the next five years it quit again, but I always got it going. Finally it died for good, but it didn’t owe us a thing.
Now that I’m an apartment-house manager, I find myself doing Internet searches for topics like “leaking refrigerator” and “garbage disposal fix.” Sometimes it works. Sometimes I wind up calling a service tech. Sometimes the building owners replace the appliance. The leaky fridge was a good example: The cause was one of two things, according to info I found from a how-to Web site. It wasn’t one, so it was the other — and I fixed it in about half an hour from beginning to end. The owners were very happy to pay me $7.50 for my time vs. calling an appliance company to send a guy out.
“First, do no harm” is my motto — but if I’m confident I can try a simple fix without making things worse (or electrocuting myself) then I’ll try it. I expect to keep the same mentality when I get a home of my own someday.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:24 am
We usually try to fix the problem ourselves before buying new. I took apart the dryer and bought a new piece but after installing it, it still didn’t work. I tried, didn’t fix, so we bought new.
We’ve fixed a dishwasher ourselves that was a quick and easy thing. And then there are times when we try to fix it, can’t, we call a repair guy, who also can’t fix it and we have to buy new. Times like that I wish we could have seen the future and just bought new!
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm
For parts you need the brand and model number. Sometimes this is only on the box, so copy the boxes. Also useful is the UPC code and serial number. With these you can get a parts diagram online or order it. You can look in the parts diagram for the part number and search for it and possibly buy the part on the net.
January 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Great post. I would also add that used major appliances (e.g. washer & dryer) can often be a bargain. We have an ugly green dryer that cost $40 on craigslist (including free delivery), and it’s the best dryer we’ve ever had. It has no frills, but the clothes get dry fast.
I find it mystifying that it’s so difficult to order stove knobs - I couldn’t find a set of 4 for less than $100 for our stove (Americana brand).
January 24th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I almost forgot my furnace repair experience - the HVAC guy wanted $800 to fix the induction blower motor on my gas forced air furnace. I got the parts online for $75 and did it myself in half an hour.
On warranties, I generally get the warranty for small appliances with motors (paper shredders, pencil sharpeners, blenders, etc.) if the price of the cheap model plus the warranty is still a lot less than a nicer model.
However, I agree that with some products, such as mixers and blenders, it’s better to pay more for a higher-quality product. We’ve burned through so many hand mixers that we may as well have purchased a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.
January 26th, 2009 at 10:33 am
I’ve discovered I can do a lot of repairs myself. But my best advice is….. Appliance paint. Local hardware store. $6. My (formerly harvest gold) stovetop hood is white and my (formerly almond) dryer matches my washer.
My other advice: Use lingerie bags for baby socks…. makes ‘em easy to match up AND it prevents them from going down the drain and possibly plugging things up.
I was at the “transfer station” (a fancy term for the town dump) dropping my garbage and my recycling and I snagged some knobs from the appliance graveyard for a kid-kitchen I was building (those dumb knobs are $17 at the hardware store) and I remembered my mother-in-law was complaining about her dishwasher rack… I lucked out and found her brand with a rack in perfect condition…. and those racks are expensive.
I did not get the extended warranty on our new fridge (it won’t cover if my kids climb the front and crack the shelves or drawers and, honestly, that’s the most likely problem we will have). But I will get it if/when we get a new washer/dryer… because those fancy computer parts are tricky. Oh, and I got the warranty on my camera (5 years) and used it several times AND it included free cleaning…. which was worth it because the camera spent a lot of time shoved in saddle bags.
January 27th, 2009 at 4:49 am
While it’s sensible to buy quality when the item is expensive, I heard a discussion with a representative of an extended warranty company a couple of years ago, where he said that the more expensive brands aren’t always the most reliable. In fact sometimes it was the cheapest product that offered the best reliability.
I got replacement handles for some 30 yr old double glazing units via the internet. I found a double glazing forum and posted a picture of what I needed. I very quickly found a supplier, which saved me replacing two large windows.
I used to get extended warranty for my dishwasher as it was a slimline version that cost more than a larger sized one. Two years’ running something needed attention in the final month of the warranty, so it was worth it.
I’m keen to go backwards when I next need a washing machine (probably later this year when I move from rented accomodation). I want to revert to a twin tub (wash and spin separately for those who don’t recognise the term) rather than buy an automatic. Then I can choose how long my wash lasts, and use water straight from the hot tap rather than getting the machine to heat it up (solar heated hot water so no additional cost).
But the shops here in Greece don’t sell twin tubs any more. And the only ones I can find back in the UK are more expensive than automatics, as they’re targetted at people with limited mobility. So I’ll probably end up with another automatic, with a stack of programs I’ll never use, and electronics to go wrong.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
When my wife and I got our first apartment more than 9 years ago, we purchased our washer, dryer and refrigerator from the couple who were moving out at a cost of $500 for all three. We’ve moved all three appliances to each of the other places we’ve moved, and they still work quite well.
Recently, though, the latch on the dryer door broke so that it doesn’t stay shut, which also means it won’t run. I tried a couple different solutions, but the one that works best is decidedly low-tech: a 2×4 jammed between the dryer and the chest freezer a few feet away keeps the door shut tight enough to work properly.
I’ll probably try to fix the latch at some point, but it works fine enough for now.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Great posts. My God but do I love this site! My grandparents still have the Tappen range that they bought USED in the 40’s. It still in perfect working order. I have a Crosley from the late 40’s thats in storage and when I get the Tappen from the grandparents I will make sure the Crosley goes to a good home. I will not let a perfectly servicable piece of equipment go to scrap!
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
This is late, but you can just a water pot; I’m not sure how to translate it into English, but you can find it in practically any Asian grocery store. It holds gallons of water, you pour it in, takes about ten minutes to boil, is environmentally friendly, takes little to no energy, keeps it hot without ever having to reboil it and the one in my family had been with us for about fifteen yeras before we finally switched to a newer one.
February 4th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Another Chambers fan here..
..while new appliances, as was mentioned earlier, often have innovations that were previously unavailable, or are more energy-efficient, this isn’t always the case. My Chambers Model B gas range from the 1940’s has a heavily insulated deep well that–with a few minutes of preheating–will cook anything you would cook in a crockpot using only the heat from the pilot flame, it can cook a roast on retained heat while I’m at work all day, it has a built-in griddle and a stovetop broiler, and it was designed for efficiency. Not to mention that it has been in continuous use since 1943 and that parts, service manuals, and friendly advice are freely available on the Internet. It’s no wonder Chambers went out of business eventually–these stoves never wear out!
February 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I am trying really hard to find a stove top dial for my sixties Frigidaire Model CT4.63 as we are trying to keep everything in the house original. Just had the stove rewired and managed to source new elements for it but the stovetop knob was broken by one of the kids and can’t find one anywhere.
April 4th, 2009 at 9:26 am
After going through three toasters, all made in China, (Name brands) that either broke or didn’t work well I went searching. On Ebay I found and bought a 30 year old Sunbeam Radiant automatic toaster. It works so well, and is beautiful to behold. Just remember the chrome, metal gets HOT, like most metal in the kitchen. Did I mention it also toasts much faster, and consistent? Ok, perhaps I just enjoy antiques!