Why Don't Appliances Last Longer?

By

jehosophat jones

I bought my first refridgerator in the '70s. It lasted 18 years. The second lasted 7 years. The third one 5 years. Oh, for a large old-fashioned larder! Marg from England

By gleeglee56@ sbcglobal.net (no spaces) (Guest Post)

I totally agree with you. I have been in my house for five years and have replaced: the dishwasher, the dryer, the washing machine, and the microwave. It is really sad that it is less expensive to replace than to repair.

By (Guest Post)

also the replacments parts are not good. we have a ge stove about 6-8 years old the handle went . We ordered a replacment which cost a lot. the replacement did not last more then a month and half. this happened 3 times we decided to have a no handel door.

By

cookwie

Your only problem is actually using these appliances! If I get more than 4 years out of a dishwasher it is breaking a record.

My uncle, an engineer, said to get the appliance on the low end of the spectrum as it has less parts to break. So far he has had good luck.

By (Guest Post)

I was told the reason is the obvious. You have to keep replacing them.
Christine IN.

By Ronsan (Guest Post)

Thank you very much for this information! I had no idea but will save that information for the future. It would indeed seem that part of the problem, according to the figures supplied, is the name brand I chose ~ the repairman who initially serviced this line of appliances said that almost all major appliances are now manufactured by only two companies in the US, and that the particular company I selected is reknown for offering an unbeatable "bundling" price (meaning that the more you buy of this one line at the same time, the better the overall price) but that unfortunately when it comes to repairs, they are the most expensive in the industry. I have learned my lesson!

By Dean (Guest Post)

Yes,appliances do not last as long.They call it built in obsolescence.Keeps people working.I have had to toss some appliances because the circuit board was cooked.Either the part was no longer made or it could'nt be repaired.Here is a list of the life of most appliances.The first figure is low,second is high and the last is average life.
Life Expectancy (Years)
Low High Average
Microwaves
5
10
8

Ranges, electric
13
20
16

Ranges, gas
15
23
19

Ranges, hoods
9
19
14

Refrigerators, compact
4
12
8

Refrigerators, standard
10
18
14

Water heaters, electric
6
21
14

Water heaters, gas
5
13
9

Washers
8
16
12

Dryers, electric
11
18
14

Dryers, gas
11
16
13

Dishwashers
9
16
12

Food waste disposers
10
15
13

Freezers
12
20
16

Compactors
7
12
11

By (Guest Post)

I have had to replace a few of my appliances after 10 years and was told that was good for the way they are made today. Six years seems a little short for name brand. However, I was also told, yes it is a disposable world. My dishwasher is about 6 years old and one day all the lights were on on the front panel. I couldn't get it to do anything. After reading the manual and almost unloading and doing them by hand, I happened to see in the manual "if they have to come out for a circuit breaker, there would be a service charge". My husband said it wouldn't be a breaker as all the lights were on, but I went down and flipped the switch back and forth anyway and it worked. I think the memory in the board was confused and didn't know what to do. Works great. Had I not seen that, I would have called a repair man (or bought a new one) and who knows how many dollars it would have cost me. I have a refrigerator downstairs that must be 55 years old. It is probably the reason my electric bill is higher, but it works like a charm. They don't make them like that anymore!