If you’re like me, you love your kitchen appliances and would never dream of replacing them. However, at some point our beloved stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves become less reliable and start costing us more money.
So how do we know when it’s time to replace a particular appliance? Here are some questions that might help:
It’s been more than 10 years since you bought your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher
If it’s been more than 10 years since you purchased your stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher, it may be time to replace these appliances.
Appliances tend to last about 10 years, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That means that the average lifespan for these household devices is about eight years past the date of purchase.
After this point in time, repairing an appliance can become a costly venture compared with purchasing a new one.
If your refrigerator has a problem after 10 years or if parts need replacing on your oven or range hood venting system (which should be changed every five years), consider buying new ones instead of paying someone else to fix them. The cost difference between repairing and replacing will likely cost less than what you would spend on repairs alone—especially if that repair involves having an electrician come out and rewire part of your system for instance!
The cost of repairs has been high for the past few years
The cost of repairs has been high for the past few years.
- The cost of repairs, parts and labor is going up thanks to inflation. As a result, replacing your appliances makes more sense than repairing them.
- You’ll save money by having fewer appliances breaking down in the first place and seeing fewer service calls on your monthly utility bill.
Your electric bill is higher than it was in previous years
If your electric bill is higher than it was in previous years, there may be a number of reasons why.
If you’re using more appliances than before and they’re all set to the same settings, that could be contributing.
But if that’s not the case, it’s possible that an appliance is leaking energy. When an appliance leaks power, it will use less electricity but still increase your overall consumption and result in higher bills. The following are some common causes of leakage:
- Your refrigerator door isn’t closing properly (cold air comes through vents around the edges)
- The door seals on your dishwasher aren’t tight enough
- The door seals on your washing machine aren’t tight enough
The performance of your appliances is inconsistent at best
When it comes to your appliances, performance is everything. You want to know that you’re getting what you pay for and that each appliance will work as expected every time.
If you notice an appliance is not performing as expected, it could be a sign that the unit’s life span is coming to an end.
If this happens with more than one of your appliances at once (or if this occurs frequently), it’s time to start thinking about replacements.
You have had to replace parts frequently
If you have had to replace parts frequently, it may be time to consider a new appliance. If you plan on keeping your current appliances, but would like to replace them with ones that are more reliable and durable, consider buying higher quality models.
Often people will spend a lot of money on an appliance and then have problems with the product.
They could have bought just one higher quality product in the first place if they had known that there would be so many issues with it.
If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, then it is probably time to start shopping for replacements!
- If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, then it is probably time to start shopping for replacements! Replacing appliances can be expensive, but it’s better to replace them when you need to rather than wait until they break. A good rule of thumb is that if your appliance is 10 years old or older, then it’s probably time for an upgrade.
- Energy efficiency is a big concern when choosing new appliances since most households spend more on utility bills than anything else. Fortunately there are many energy efficient options on the market today that will save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
- You can save even more money by purchasing in-store promotions like rebates and low interest financing programs offered by appliance manufacturers during certain times of year (typically November – January).
Conclusion
As you can see, some of these questions will be easy to answer while others may require a little more thought. If in doubt, just remember this advice: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
