The Lifespan of Large Appliances Is Shrinking

[rasband]

I'm wondering how much more it cost to replace/repair it what with the electronics.

I was told with my dishwasher just to buy a new one. After that advice I've been finding the parts and repairing myself. It's not the ship of theseus, because they still all break - but a $50 or so every few years is way better than $500 and the same issues anyway.

 

[KennethS]

I'm wondering how much more it cost to replace/repair it what with the electronics.

Online research indicated the water valve is the point of failure. One repair video I watched showed a same brand fridge with no electronics uses a $30 valve, but I discovered the one for my fridge is $125 or more. Since we very rarely use ice, I have not repaired it; just bought an ice cube tray and make ice the old way.

While on the subject of ice makers, who was the genius that made the ice crescent shaped? Those things match the inside contour of a glass and become a dam that makes it hard to drink. The ice cube tray makes actual cubes, which don’t block the liquid like those abominable crescent shaped things.

 

[Squatch]

I was told with my dishwasher just to buy a new one. After that advice I've been finding the parts and repairing myself. It's not the ship of theseus, because they still all break - but a $50 or so every few years is way better than $500 and the same issues anyway.

Exactly...

 

[Squatch]

I have no way of knowing if this has anything to do with why our ice maker lasted 26 years, or not, but the one rule I had (and still have) is that no one is to use the "crushed ice" option. To my way of thinking, that puts a huge strain on the unit and just beats it to death. We just use the ice the way God intended it...in a crescent shape. (That was for you, @KennethS! Though I completely agree with you, where's the fun in that?)

 

[Zorba]

Online research indicated the water valve is the point of failure. One repair video I watched showed a same brand fridge with no electronics uses a $30 valve, but I discovered the one for my fridge is $125 or more. Since we very rarely use ice, I have not repaired it; just bought an ice cube tray and make ice the old way.

While on the subject of ice makers, who was the genius that made the ice crescent shaped? Those things match the inside contour of a glass and become a dam that makes it hard to drink. The ice cube tray makes actual cubes, which don’t block the liquid like those abominable crescent shaped things.

Yea - I very seldom use ice, my wife uses a bit more as she likes ice water with lemon. Problem was that EVERY SINGLE EFFIN' TIME that rare occasion would arise that I actually wanted ice, there'd never be any as wife wouldn't refill the trays. So "eff this", I want a damn icemaker!

$125 for a $30 valve, that cost 50 cents to make. Yea, that's about right.

 

[MaximusLJR06]

That's probably fixable - something to do with the defrost system and/or timer would be my guess.

I did do some troubleshooting and came up with a possible issue with some kind of defrost sensor, but when i looked for replacement parts, they don't make anything for it anymore. I'm definitely down to fix my stuff though. I've had to replace the ignitor in my oven 3 times now, fixed my old dryer twice. We have a working dishwasher, but i haven't used it in the 9 years I've lived here. Hoping it will still work when we eventually sell, but that doesn't look to be in the cards anytime soon unless we want to triple our current mortgage payment.

 

[Apparition]

I was told with my dishwasher just to buy a new one. After that advice I've been finding the parts and repairing myself. It's not the ship of theseus, because they still all break - but a $50 or so every few years is way better than $500 and the same issues anyway.

Yep, found a local appliance parts dealer that had pretty much everything you could imagine.

If you can fix a TJ you can fix a refrigerator. None of it is rocket surgery.

 

[sab]

Like some of you, I've been repairing my appliances (in our home, as well as rental properties we used to have) for decades. I found eBay to be a good source for new and used parts at good prices. I look up the part number on the manufacturer's web site and then search eBay with that number. As with my cars, I've also found aftermarket part quality to have gone in the toilet in the last decade or so. A good example is gas stove igniters. The last few aftermarket igniters I installed didn't even last a year. The OEM ones last many years.

Many times, I'll buy a used OEM part on eBay instead of an aftermarket part. There are a lot of parts recyclers that tear down appliances and sell the parts, and I've had good luck with them. The few times I had a part that failed or arrived not working, it's been easy to get a replacement, usually without having to ship the bad part back - they just ship another part.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

While on the subject of ice makers, who was the genius that made the ice crescent shaped? Those things match the inside contour of a glass and become a dam that makes it hard to drink. The ice cube tray makes actual cubes, which don’t block the liquid like those abominable crescent shaped things.

The crescent shape works really well for ejecting the ice from the mold with a very simple (low cost) mechanism but yes, it does have that downside.

I have no way of knowing if this has anything to do with why our ice maker lasted 26 years, or not, but the one rule I had (and still have) is that no one is to use the "crushed ice" option. To my way of thinking, that puts a huge strain on the unit and just beats it to death. We just use the ice the way God intended it...in a crescent shape. (That was for you, @KennethS! Though I completely agree with you, where's the fun in that?)

Might be something to that. We also very seldom use crushed. Like a couple times a year, when we want "frozen" margaritas with less hassle.

 

[LukesfirstJeep]

I'm dealing with failing samsung fridge currently. It is 16 years old, so that's a plus. The last few months I get all kinds of condensation built up inside the refrigerator section of it. Eventually it all freezes and i have to chip it out. Had a couples times where the entire thing just shut off and then would come back on an hour later. We started looking for a replacement and due to size constraints, we are limited to like 3 options. Going to be replacing it with a Whirlpool unit, just have to pull the trigger. $1,500 for it and I'm dreading it. All I've read is that pretty much all brands are shit now even GE. But GE & Whirlpool are the least shit. Have read great things about Bosch, but they don't make one that fits my space.

Would love to replace it with a fridge from the 40's or 50's but i don't think the wife would enjoy that.

Is your condensate drain plugged? I had a similar problem a few year ago. I flushed the drain with a cup of hot water. It cured that problem, but the fridge eventually failed for other reasons.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Would love to replace it with a fridge from the 40's or 50's but i don't think the wife would enjoy that.

My grandparents bought a cabin in northern Colorado in 1964. There was a refrigerator already in it. It's still there and working.

 

[MaximusLJR06]

Is your condensate drain plugged? I had a similar problem a few year ago. I flushed the drain with a cup of hot water. It cured that problem, but the fridge eventually failed for other reasons.

I'll have to check that this weekend!

 

[MaximusLJR06]

My grandparents bought a cabin in northern Colorado in 1964. There was a refrigerator already in it. It's still there and working.

My hunting camp has 2 fridges in it, both are probably from the 60's and both work great still. Granted they aren't on all the time though. Power is off at the camp everytime you leave it.

 

[bucky]

I’m frugal by nature and will try to fix something before replacing it. I’m lucky to have a parts house nearby with counter clerks that have been there for years and know their stuff. Many of the same parts are used between different brands and years. One of the problem with ice makers if they sit for a long time without dispensing ice the supply line will freeze up. Most parts are relatively cheap compared to buying a new appliance. The exception is any type of computer component or the control knobs on washers and dryers. My last repair was replacing the glass cover on our washer. The plastic rim around the glass split and would not seat properly and allow the safety switch to engage. $250 for the glass and 15 min to replace it vs $900 for a new washer.
Owning multiple houses and rentals means lots of appliance repairs. Over the years I’ve fixed just about every type of appliance. I’ve found that the hardest part of a repair is disassembling the appliance to get to the part to replace.
Common repairs I’ve done:
Dishwashers - pump and door seal
Stoves - oven igniter
Built in microwave - magnetron
Dryer - belt, belt tensioner, igniter, door safety switch and heating element on electric dryer.
Washer - lid, safety switch and water valve
Refrigerator - ice maker and water filter
Hot water-heater - thermal couple and pressure relief valve
I don’t do HVAC work other than replacing a thermocouple or thermostat.
Like said previously if you can do mechanical work you can do many of the repairs yourself and save some money.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

My hunting camp has 2 fridges in it, both are probably from the 60's and both work great still. Granted they aren't on all the time though. Power is off at the camp everytime you leave it.

Ours probably only ran on weekends until we put in a bathroom around 2000 and started keeping the power on so the pipes wouldn't freeze. So, maybe equivalent to "only" 33 years of continuous operation.

 

[KennethS]

Talking to an AC tech, he said the old R22 systems ran at a much lower pressure than the newer refrigerants, so there was less stress on those systems. Probably a big reason they lasted a lot longer.

 

[ColoJeep]

Talking to an AC tech, he said the old R22 systems ran at a much lower pressure than the newer refrigerants, so there was less stress on those systems. Probably a big reason they lasted a lot longer.

High head pressure is real rough on compressors .

 

[Granite]

My 22 year old Asko dryer’s belt snapped again. Probably hastened by my mcguyvered drum roller bearings as detailed in this thread. But I’ll replace the belt and keep doing what I can to keep this thing running! I’m scared to buy any new appliances!

 

[Granite]

I just met an old woodsman who spent decades literally living in and wandering the woods of Alaska,NW Canada and New England. His wife wanted a cabin near a town so he built one and they got a fridge. They couldn’t stand the constant hum so he “downgraded” to an ice box and he uses ice for it that he makes in a chest freezer in the basement. It’s really got me thinking … is an ice box all we need?

 

[ColoJeep]

I just met an old woodsman who spent decades literally living in and wandering the woods of Alaska,NW Canada and New England. His wife wanted a cabin near a town so he built one and they got a fridge. They couldn’t stand the constant hum so he “downgraded” to an ice box and he uses ice for it that he makes in a chest freezer in the basement. It’s really got me thinking … is an ice box all we need?

If you are a woods wanderer , you have extra time to screw around with ice , He could have just moved the fridge to the basement if the noise bothered him that much . But whatever works for you , go for it !