The Lifespan of Large Appliances Is Shrinking

sab said:
Well, I didn't have to go quite that far. Just had to:

1. Cut the crumbling plastic mounting bosses off the handle and make aluminum replacements (I counterbored the handle for the new screws, too - unseen in this photo):
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2. Make three new steel brackets with mounting holes (because, if you look closely, you can see the plastic around the original mounting hole crumbled) and epoxy them to the plastic trim piece. Here's one of them:
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If all goes well, tomorrow I'll get it all back together, and it will be hard to tell it's not stock anymore! :ROFLMAO:
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Makes you wonder who spec'd the original plastic. likely another bean counter override. :(
 
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Not even considering all the new tech, you'd think refrigerator door handles were figured out decades ago.


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Most parts and makers are standardized. I have a 15 year old set of Samsung washer / dryer I’ve fixed twice for about $300 parts total. My fridge is Samsung also. I’ve put one $15 part in it. Mostly I think people in general are lazy and incapable compared to previous generations. Most recent repair was a heating element for the dryer. Was $18 and two hours to fix it. While waiting for the new part I butt spliced the broken element wire and it dryer fine until the part arrived.
 
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All new appliances 6 years ago when the house was built. GE and Samsung. Zero issues so far.

In the previous 38 years, I had 2 sets of Kenmore washers and dryers. Both times, I sold them because we were moving and I thought that they were so old, I may as well replace them.

I also do regular cleaning and preventive maintenance on my appliances, that seems to help.
 
Our prior fridge started in my mother in law's house some time in 1992 and we got it around 2002. It made it until Thanksgiving 2018 with just one repair. The replacement is a Frigidaire and is now over 5 years old. Since new it has made random semi-loud gurgle noises every so often but it seems OK. I do hope it's not middle aged yet.

As for washer and dryer we followed Consumer Reports advice some time around 2014 and bought what they had at the top of their list as the best since sliced bread. Some Samsung HE toploader and dryer for about $1400. The washer and maybe the dryer would play little songs to show how happy they were. Every wash load took at least an hour and a couple times the washer didn't even get some dried mud on my pants wet. It died mid cycle, yes full of water, just over two years old. IIRC we got a "buy back" of some sort for $150. The dryer did work great but for some reason Samsung decided to put the lint filter in the door which caused the door to be only about a foot above the floor which meant that the laundry basket had to be moved to open or close it. Both were replaced with Speed Queen (prior to electronics added in 2019) IIRC those cost a total of $900 or so.
 
I will also mention that Consumer Reports had the Samsung washer and dryer that we bought at the top of their list for more than a year. I told my mom that we wouldn't accept their yearly subscription as a Christmas present ever again. It was the end of a decade or longer of that subscription. For some reason she been buying it for herself ever since. I call doing that very similar to voting against the orange man, but that's another story I wish I didn't experience. 😔
 
I have a 1951 Westinghouse fridge in my basement that works like a frigging CHAMP. Uses less electricity than my family, that's for sure.
 
No Shit! On my second replacement of the dishwasher water control valve.
"Improved" version had funky electrical connection that I had to disassemble to connect. Then after a few days the intermittent no-water symptom reared up again.
So I wait til next Monday for one with original connector. Gawd I hate shot-gunning parts.
10 Year warranty on the Kenmore but Sears closed up shop here about a year ago after a robbery.

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sab said:
Arrgggghhhh! Last night, the oven wouldn't heat for dinner. We ended up making pizza on our grill, instead. This gas Whirlpool range is a POS. It has an electronic controller, and the button contacts get corroded and stop working. I've figured out how to disassemble them and clean them. However, that wasn't the problem yesterday. It was the ignitor. They last about 2-3 years before they burn out and stop working. It's an easy fix, but this is the third time! It doesn't seem to matter whether I use an aftermarket or Whirlpool ignitor. Somewhere around the 2 or 3 year old mark, they quit. I've ordered three of them to keep on hand. Be prepared!

But, that was just the beginning of my troubles this morning. When I went to pull the oven away from the wall, the handle broke off, and the glass window fell to the floor! The plastic that the handle is made from is just crumbling - it can't take the heat of the oven. Fortunately, the glass didn't break. As for the handle and trim piece that broke, rather than spending $200 for new parts (used parts on eBay aren't much cheaper), I'm going to attempt to improve them using steel, aluminum, and high-temp epoxy! I don't know if it will work, but that's today's project...
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I admire your intestinal fortitude. What a PITA!
 
You guys just need to know where to shop. ;) I bought this like-new Kenmore probably 10 years ago and have had zero issues.

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It's a mid '70s vintage. My central air conditioning for my house is also from the same period. I'm not excited about replacing it when the time comes.
 
This thread reminded me, in 2020 I had to replace my oven, dishwasher, refrigerator and water heater over the course of about 12 months, I'm just that lucky. If yall didn't get to experience buying appliances during the 'vid bs and shortages, well, that was a blast. The fridge took 3-4 weeks to get. Oven 2 weeks and I had to travel 30 miles to a different city. Dishwasher took 3-4 months. :rolleyes:

For what it's worth, none of my current appliances are brand matching. I dug through reviews and figured out what seemed to be the most reliable for each in my price range. I wanted quality/reliability with minimal bells & whistles, so I wound up with a Bosch dishwasher, Frigidaire freezer on top refrigerator, GE electric oven/range, and Whirlpool water heater. I also added a Hot Point freezer. Zero issues with any of them so far. We'll see how things are running in about 5 years since I've read/heard of many appliances crapping out in the 5-10 year range.
 
BlueC said:
You guys just need to know where to shop. ;) I bought this like-new Kenmore probably 10 years ago and have had zero issues.

View attachment 508618

It's a mid '70s vintage. My central air conditioning for my house is also from the same period. I'm not excited about replacing it when the time comes.
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Did my Central air in the spring, got at least 20 years from my old one. I doubt this one will last that long, then again I will probably be out of this house in 5.
 
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B1Toad said:
The newest refrigerant used in HVAC systems will outdate existing systems and being that it is flammable the new systems will require some sort of fire mitigation technology.

"The new refrigerants being introduced are classified as mildly flammable, or A2L. The systems designed to use A2L refrigerants require additional mitigations to be built in to handle flammability and to allow a safe installation."
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I have family in HVAC, mostly residential, and I was recently told that the new "mildly flammable" refrigerant will be here Jan 1, 2025, pending legal stuff. My brother-in-law told me he will probably be retiring when they bring that to market, and since my HVAC system is ancient (oil furnace from the '60s, AC from the '70s), he's encouraging me to swap things out before the new stuff is forced onto the market. I don't know exactly what about the new stuff is scares him other than adding some kind of flammable fuel into the house.
 
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cliffish said:
Did my Central air in the spring, got at least 20 years from my old one. I doubt this one will last that long, then again I will probably be out of this house in 5.
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I don't know what brand you went with, but around here Goodman is a popular "budget" nameplate, and I see those being replaced about every 5 years, which is absolutely ridiculous.
 
BlueC said:
I have family in HVAC, mostly residential, and I was recently told that the new "mildly flammable" refrigerant will be here Jan 1, 2025, pending legal stuff. My brother-in-law told me he will probably be retiring when they bring that to market, and since my HVAC system is ancient (oil furnace from the '60s, AC from the '70s), he's encouraging me to swap things out before the new stuff is forced onto the market.
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Interesting. My AC unit is old, don't know how old but I cannot believe it's less than 20 years. I wonder if I shouldn't replace.
 
Shank said:
Interesting. My AC unit is old, don't know how old but I cannot believe it's less than 20 years. I wonder if I shouldn't replace.
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I need to check in with my BIL and see what's happening and why he doesn't want anything to do with it. I was told by someone else the new refrigerant is something like propane, but I don't know how accurate that is. If you know someone in the business, it'd probably be a good idea to see what they think.
 
Refrigerant has never been friendly. Some current refrigerants turn to phosgene gas when heated too much and nobody complains about having mustard gas in their house🤷🏻‍♂️

I think the push to get rid of what we have now is stupid though. It no longer eats the ozone layer,its on par with cow farts in that it has a "global warming" quotient.🙄
 
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