Fix or replace washer and dryer?

[Skippy918]

My company puts 500+ sets of appliances (customers get to make their own selections) into our new houses ever year. Samsung is the absolute worst, regardless of what Lowe's data says.

Samsung pre-2012 especially for refrigerators are fine. My fridge is a Samsung from 2004. We’ve done a couple of minor repairs on it like the ice maker and starter relay for the compressor. We got lucky we could still find parts.

 

[leebee]

@ronandannette What brands do you choose when installing?

If I'd answered this thread before tvguy replaced his appliance, I would have said try to fix it. YouTube is your friend. DH is always fixing something by following the videos. Even DD31 managed to take apart the washer to try to find her engagement ring. [it wasn't there... she'd been kneading bread earlier in the day and the ring slipped off her finger; I found it the next day when prepping lunch!] We always attempt to fix before replacing. IMO, most "new" appliances are pretty much crap when it comes to longevity.

 

[tvguy]

My company puts 500+ sets of appliances (customers get to make their own selections) into our new houses ever year. Samsung is the absolute worst, regardless of what Lowe's data says.

Why do you offer it if it is so bad? I would think that would come back to haunt you.

 

[_19disnA]

After 12 yrs likely more cost effective to buy a new one vs paying for service call/repairs. Like someone else mentioned, the availability of repair parts has an impact on whether or not it can be fixed. Trying to do it yourself is probably not a good idea, will be frustrating and involve several trips to the local home improvement store........that is assuming you can even figure out on your own what to fix/replace. Have the LG washer/dryer and probably over 10 yrs old and never had any issues. Clearly how many loads per week you run through the machine will has a bearing on how long it lasts. I would avoid any new machines that have an internet connection. Waste of money and good luck trying to figure out which service person to call if there is an issue. Honestly, does anyone really need the washing machine to send you a text to tell you the cycle has ended???...........LOL.

 

[tvguy]

After 12 yrs likely more cost effective to buy a new one vs paying for service call/repairs. Like someone else mentioned, the availability of repair parts has an impact on whether or not it can be fixed. Trying to do it yourself is probably not a good idea, will be frustrating and involve several trips to the local home improvement store........that is assuming you can even figure out on your own what to fix/replace. Have the LG washer/dryer and probably over 10 yrs old and never had any issues. Clearly how many loads per week you run through the machine will has a bearing on how long it lasts. I would avoid any new machines that have an internet connection. Waste of money and good luck trying to figure out which service person to call if there is an issue. Honestly, does anyone really need the washing machine to send you a text to tell you the cycle has ended???...........LOL.

LOL. Yes, the Samsungs we bought are WiFi enabled. As is our garage door opener. Not sure we will ever use. The HVAC company was surprised 4 years ago when we replaced our HVAC that we did not a WiFi enabled thermostat. And the house our daughter bought 6 years ago had a WiFi enabled microwave. Great, someone can hack your microwave popcorn!

 

[_19disnA]

Yes, too funny about WiFi HVAC systems. The new development where we built a home a few years ago had that as part of the features the builder provided. People eventually realized the builder/HVAC company set ALL of the thermostats to the same default password. I can recall our HOA sending out a message to all homeowners to either change the password and/or turn that feature to OFF if you didn't plan to use it. I can see programming your thermostat if everyone is at work/school during the day (or going on vacation) and adjust the temp to the desired setting an hour or two before you arrive home to save money, but doing that via WiFi doesn't seem necessary. WiFi microwave...........hmmm so you can pop some corn while at the other side of your house? Oh, wait, you still have to put the corn in the microwave, another useless feature.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, too funny about WiFi HVAC systems. The new development where we built a home a few years ago had that as part of the features the builder provided. People eventually realized the builder/HVAC company set ALL of the thermostats to the same default password. I can recall our HOA sending out a message to all homeowners to either change the password and/or turn that feature to OFF if you didn't plan to use it. I can see programming your thermostat if everyone is at work/school during the day (or going on vacation) and adjust the temp to the desired setting an hour or two before you arrive home to save money, but doing that via WiFi doesn't seem necessary. WiFi microwave...........hmmm so you can pop some corn while at the other side of your house? Oh, wait, you still have to put the corn in the microwave, another useless feature.

We added a Wifi thermostat back in May. We already had a programmable one, so it was great for setting when the house was empty or everyone was asleep vs people up and about.

The Wifi one we used when we went on vacation, turned the "normal" programming off (at least a higher set point before it came on), then the day we were coming back, set it to run again. I can also see in the app how much it's running the past week and the total for the previous month.

My next garage door opener will be Wifi enabled. I want to be able to check the status of it when no one is at the house (and close it if needed). But won't change that until the current one dies.

W/D, Fridge, or Microwave we don't need or want Wifi for. Our new Dishwasher has Wifi, and we've taken advantage of it (programming when to start & what levels, plus gives us a status of how long left in the cycle). We didn't get it because of the Wifi, but it was included.

 

[kdonnel]

But when he factored in her energy bills going back 7 years, the software calculated it would take 150 years to recoup the cost of the upgrades in energy savings.

That is surprising, unless the AC rarely runs, which might be one of the reasons it lasted so long.

When I replaced my builder grade 10 SEER units with 14 SEER units I saw an $600 a year drop in my electric bill per unit. The AC runs 9+ months a year here with 5 of those months being nearly 24/7.

The payback was about 5 years.

 

[tvguy]

That is surprising, unless the AC rarely runs, which might be one of the reasons it lasted so long.

When I replaced my builder grade 10 SEER units with 14 SEER units I saw an $600 a year drop in my electric bill per unit. The AC runs 9+ months a year here with 5 of those months being nearly 24/7.

The payback was about 5 years.

As I recall her typical electric bill was $30 a month, but this was 15 years ago or so. Lord, my electric bill for the year is almost exactly $1,000 today.

EDIT: $949.52 to be to the penny for the past 12 months. But we have among the lowest electric rates in the nation.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I have a Wi-Fi thermostat and a Wi-Fi garage door and love them both.

 

[barkley]

EDIT: $949.52 to be to the penny for the past 12 months. But we have among the lowest electric rates in the nation.

you have solor to help offset your usage don't you? either way-would you be willing to share what your rates are? i'm curious as heck b/c my electricity comes from a not for profit co-operative and I think their rates are crazy low (esp. since every year or so they send the members checks b/c they refund any profits they've earned).

 

[_19disnA]

If you are replacing your HVAC system, also a good time to look for other cost effective ways to increase the efficiency of your home. Older homes likely have less insulation, so even with a new higher efficiency HVAC system, you may get more benefit from increasing the roof/attic insulation. Over time, loose/blown-in insulation tends to compact, so adding a new layer can yield good results. If your HVAC runs constantly to cool/heat your home, I would look at where the air loses are coming from. Old/drafty windows can cause a lot of heat/cooling lose in your home in addition to inadequate insulation. Builders of new homes will often try to install the smallest possible HVAC system to save a few dollars. Make sure when getting a quote on a new system to discuss that with the contractor. If part of your issue was the original unit was too small for you home, getting a properly sized new unit can save money.

Utilities in various parts of the country offer different arrangement on how much they will pay for excess electricity you generate if you have solar panels. In some places, the utility will pay a lower price to BUY your electricity compared to what they will SELL it to you, so that needs to be part of the overall equation if you plan to go that route. Comparing costs/rates in different parts of the country need to include that in their calculation.

 

[ronandannette]

@ronandannette What brands do you choose when installing?

If I'd answered this thread before tvguy replaced his appliance, I would have said try to fix it. YouTube is your friend. DH is always fixing something by following the videos. Even DD31 managed to take apart the washer to try to find her engagement ring. [it wasn't there... she'd been kneading bread earlier in the day and the ring slipped off her finger; I found it the next day when prepping lunch!] We always attempt to fix before replacing. IMO, most "new" appliances are pretty much crap when it comes to longevity.

Well, we don’t exactly choose them - the customers do their own selections, based on an allowance, at our supplier. To your question though - far and away the most reliable (and that’s not to say they are perfect by any means) is anything in the Whirlpool line. That manufacturer includes Maytag, which is basically equivalent to Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Jenn-Air as upgrades and Amana as a more price conscious option. All these brands are built with the same basic platforms and same basic parts, quite easily accessible because most of the manufacturing is done in the US.

When we reno’d our current place I went with a full set of Frigidaire (manufactured by Electrolux) because I needed a very specific size of fridge. They’re now 18 months old and we have needed service on the fridge more than once and the OTR microwave handle broke right off because the “bolts” are made of plastic. In our previous home 10 years ago, we fitted it with a full set of KitchenAid and on balance, they were better in every way.

And I will add here that in general, with any brand, most service issues are with fridges and washers, due to the various water lines and sensors they now have. All these new, fancy and often superfluous features now available, especially anything wifi enabled, are the road to heart ache. We now sell all our homes with a “SmartHome” package because the market demands it. It includes things like remote programmable thermostats, camera door bells, wifi and motion sensor light switches, motorized window blinds, garage door openers and appliances and a few other things. All of it relies on stable wifi connectivity and (very often glitchy) 3rd party apps to function. All of it is just problems waiting to happen. I can’t even describe how it has increased the burden of warranty calls and overall customer dissatisfaction because there is just no way to overcome some of the issues.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

One thing to be aware, and not sure if your old one did this. But we had a decent set that was about 15 years old (can't remember brand but from Sears) and it had turn knobs, no frills. We then upgraded to Kenmore's maybe 5 years ago. Buttons now and the wifi (we we didn't hook up). Anyways if we ever lose power, all the settlng we have reset back to factor. So stuff like my regular loads it defaulted to hot water and I like to wash that in cold. So just remember if you ever have a power loss to check and reset back to the settings you like. Same with drying, regular dry was always on hot and I wanted it to be a lower temp.

 

[ronandannette]

Why do you offer it if it is so bad? I would think that would come back to haunt you.

Customers can choose whatever they want, with their $$$ allowance and upgrade at their own expense. We have had many discussions with our supplier about limiting selections to avoid certain models/brands, but there’s just no practical way to do it.