Your old washing machine is probably all washed up Major appliances replaced sooner

Jura Koncius, Washington Post Wednesday, August 1, 2001

The retirement age of most major appliances is getting younger, according to a study by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. Instead of waiting for their washers and refrigerators to conk out, American consumers are replacing aging appliances with newer, smarter, more energy-efficient models.

"More and more consumers who retire appliances early can reap a huge energy savings," says Jill Notini, spokeswoman for AHAM (www.aham.org).

"Most new models of even average efficiency will be less costly to operate than one which is over 5 years old."

Notini cites the example of the typical current-model household refrigerator-freezer, which is more than 90 percent more energy efficient than the same size unit from 1980.

The study showed that in almost every category, appliances are being replaced or left behind more often than in 1996. Room air conditioners have the lowest average length of ownership at 6.5 years; the longest in the survey was freezers, at 11.7 years.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Answers

I have replaced every appliance in my house in the past 11 years except the washing machine. Some of those replacements were sudden failures (dryer, water tank), some were simply a desire when I moved in for something far more energy efficient (furnace, refrigerator).

I have been debating replacing my washing machine ahead of its breaking down. The problem, of course, is that if it does go TU, I won't want to wait. I'm currently in the mode of looking at the MOST energy efficient models, and working my way down the line to something I can live with or afford. It's how I ended up with my Honda Insight (lifetime 64.7 mpg and still climbing a bit). I don't think that approach works unless I have at least done the research ahead of time of what I would want. The frig model I might want to go to next apparently has a waiting time of MANY months.

Good starting options at mr.solar.com.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

Yeah, me too, Brooks. In my case, it's shortly going to be a washer, dryer, and 'fridge, all of which are over 15 years old (they were used when I bought them). I'm exploring the options of buying used, again. With the large student population, applicances occasionally come on the market that are only a year or two old. Said student dropped out or (more likely) is returning to his or her country and has just found out how much it will cost to ship the applicance. Most are willing to take a small loss and sell it here.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

It is getting real close to having to replace things here, too. they left most of the major appliances, and they were all about 5-10 yrs old...so I am very careful, but the seals are going, and the engines are alittle loud...you know the drills.

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001

I think the a/c unit will go first, but I need a new dishwasher. The one I have is a lazy no-good... LOL Actually, it's a Caloric, cheapest on the market. I never use the dryer cycle on it since it takes more energy for that. Very noisy, and the racks are starting to rust where the dishes have rubbed the plastic coating off.

I have been hearing ads on the radio for a new fridge that uses the power of a 75 watt bulb. I forget the brand name. As soon as I see the ad on TV [that's what I hear on the radio at work, NBC TV] I can get a better feel for whether the fridge is what I want. Our present one is 25 cu.ft. Kenmore, 1993 or 94. We had to have the thermostat replaced in the freezer right after the warranty expired, but other than that it runs great. The power company is doing its level best to kill it, though. These little brownouts are really bad. They deny it of course, but I know...

The stove is from 1989, the cheapest model on the market at the time. The name is Sunray. No fancy features, just four burners, one large and three small, and an oven. Weird thing is the oven seal is rubber. LOL We would like to get one that cleans itself. Actually I would prefer a house that cleans itself.

We bought a new dryer in February right after I went back to work. The old one was over thirty years old and sucked power like it was going out of style. This one you have to stand next to to hear it, and it buzzes when it thinks it's done. buzzer has a volume knob, too. Both washer and dryer are Kenmore, large capacity.

Currently all the appliances are the same color. Never thought I would manage that, but if you don't clean them they eventually look the same. LOL

btw, we are getting waves of rainstorms today, and more for tomorrow and Thursday, they say. Wind gusts to 30 or better, and the rain is locally heavy. We are under a flood watch for today. There is a tropical wave coming over us which is bringing all this stormy weather. I love it, cuz now I have an excuse to stay inside. And I can't clean the bathrooms because of lightning, they say not go in there during a lightning storm. Besides, it's more fun to watch the wind and rain effect from the windows. In between naps, of course. I haven't been to sleep since I left work so I suspect that I won't be much good this afternoon for doing chores. As you can see I am rambling along...

-- Anonymous, August 01, 2001