When a major appliance breaks, should you repair or replace it? The answer depends on a host of factors, including how old it is, what kind of track record it has, and the type of appliance.
The first step is to look at the owner’s manual. Check the warranty to see what it covers and whether labor costs are included. If the appliance is still under warranty, a repair is your cheapest and best option.
If the machine is no longer under warranty, contact the factory-authorized repair center. They may be willing to partially honor the warranty or even provide a free repair.
If you are handy, the problem might be something you can fix yourself by checking online do-it-yourself websites and repair forums. Factor in the appliance’s history. If your machine has required repairs in the past or is a model that has a poor track record, you may want to get a new one.
When to replace If the repair is going to cost more than 50 percent of the price to buy a new one, replace it. Also consider the appliance’s life expectancy. The average life of a refrigerator is 11-13 years, freezer 15-20 years, kitchen range 12-13 years, dishwasher 8-10 years, clothes dryer 15 years, and a hot water tank 6-10 years.
Replace the appliance if it is more than three-quarters through its expected life span. Older machines will have parts that are harder to find as companies generally only manufacture parts for 7 to 10 years.
Check the Energy Star website at energystar.gov to see what tax incentives might be available on a replacement appliance. Look for the biggest energy payback when choosing what to buy new. Over 60 percent of home energy use goes to power the most energy-guzzling appliances in your home: refrigerators, laundry appliances, water heaters, air conditioners and heating furnaces, according to the Department of Energy.
Consider the fridge Of all your household appliances, refrigerators are usually a smart bet for replacement. Refrigerators are the top home energy consumers and, in recent years, their efficiency has greatly improved. New refrigerators are 40 percent more efficient than pre-2001 models. In fact, new models offer so much energy savings that some utility companies offer rebates on a replacement.
Air conditioning units are a good bet to replace if more than 12 years old. New units save 30-50 percent more energy than 1970s units and 20-40 percent more than units only 10 years old.
New clothes washers use half the water, one-third of the energy, and spin more water out of clothes, saving energy on drying. Clothes dryers, on the other hand, are better repaired. Dryers have a long life expectancy and since they are relatively simple machines don’t usually require complex repairs.
Water-heaters should be replaced if more than 10 years old. Models older than that are probably operating at less than 50 percent efficiency. A new furnace, however, is generally only 15 percent more efficient than even very old models, and some furnaces function perfectly well after 50 years or more. In sunny Southern California, a furnace can be low on your list for an upgrade.
— Adriana Donofrio, Podley Properties, Glendora, 626-914-2904 adrianad@podley.com
