Replace 30yr old working clothes dryer??

[SplshMtn99]

I've been wondering.

We have a 30-something year old clothes dryer. It works. (We've repaired it a couple of times ourselves. Pretty cheap to do. Belts, thermostats....) But I'm sure its an energy hog. Would replacing it with a new dryer make sense? It would probably even cut down on drying time too, right?

But I'm SURE a new dryer would not last 30 yrs. They don't build things like they used too. So, if I'm going to have to keep replacing the dryer (or repairing it)....is it still worth replacing it?

Opinions? Any facts?
Thanks.

 

[Plantlady]

Our washer and dryer are both over 30 years old. While a part of me looks forward to when they break down, so I can buy some new stylish energy efficient ones..

I will not replace them until that happens. I agree that the next pair I get will not last 30 years, and I doubt that they will save *that* much in energy and water, to off set the need to purchase them, expecially if the new ones are not as reliable.

 

[brivers222]

Thats a tough call. the quality of them nowadays doesn't really hold a candle to the quality (life length) of todays dryers. Our dryer of 3 years just stopped heating (warranty also just ended last month). I am looking over the DIY fixes but when it comes down to it, having a repairman come out to the house and fix whatever is fixed just might be close enough to the purchase price of a new one.

We are currently looking for a new dryer... but first I want to check ventilation and lint areas around the dryer to ensure they aren't clogged, causing the heater to not work.

 

[tinaluis]

Keep the old one!!!! We upgraded our set about 5 years ago -- washer had died, but dryer was still working. We bought a new washer and dryer, but kept the old dryer too (had 2 gas connections/air outlets). The "new" dryer has long since died (and so has the washer BTW) but the old one is still going strong!!!!!! (It has to be at least 11 years old because we bought our house that long ago and it came with the house. It's "Harvest Gold" if that helps to determine its age!)

 

[wearegoingtoDisney]

KEEP THE OLD ONE...I REPEAT...KEEP THE OLD ONE!!!! My dryer of 4 years just stopped working. We tried to fix it ourselves and had no luck so I had a repair man come out. It was $70 for the visit and $30 for the part and it would have been $98 for labor and I said no my husband can replace the part. Well, after drying 3 loads it died again. I decided it wasn't worth having the repair man back out and I bought a new one.

By the way during this time I was excited to atleast see how much lower my electric bill was this month since I went most of the month without drying clothes (torture for a mom of 4) and I was shocked to see that I had only saved $6 dollars!!!! So long story short I am not so sure you are going to save all that much on electricity with a new dryer.

 

[brivers222]

KEEP THE OLD ONE...I REPEAT...KEEP THE OLD ONE!!!! My dryer of 4 years just stopped working. We tried to fix it ourselves and had no luck so I had a repair man come out. It was $70 for the visit and $30 for the part and it would have been $98 for labor and I said no my husband can replace the part. Well, after drying 3 loads it died again. I decided it wasn't worth having the repair man back out and I bought a new one.

By the way during this time I was excited to atleast see how much lower my electric bill was this month since I went most of the month without drying clothes (torture for a mom of 4) and I was shocked to see that I had only saved $6 dollars!!!! So long story short I am not so sure you are going to save all that much on electricity with a new dryer.

What was the part that was bad on your dryer... if you don't mind me asking? also what brand did you end have and what brand did you go with for your new one?

Ours just went caput and I am trying to get some reviews on some decent one (hopefully ones that will last longer than 3 years!!!!)

 

[StephMK]

Wow, I'm surprised to hear how many dryers die so quickly! My parents still have their 30+ dryer too, I'd keep it til it dies.

We are loyal to Whirlpool & Kenmore because my old condo had ancient appliances that brand that refused to die! Our Whirlpool washer/dryer were purchased 6/99 & still going strong. The only issue I've ever had was a sock stuck between the barrels. It's still there because the repairman refused to believe me when I say I can smell a hint of mildew after it hasn't run in a day or two. He wouldn't take it apart because "it rarely happens". I have 3 kids & a big hubby so the machines get plenty of work!

Knock on wood but I've never had problems with any of my laundry or kitchen appliances & they've all been the same brand.

 

[seashoreCM]

I do not think you will save much money on electricity replacing an old working (all-)electric dryer with a new electric dryer.

The component of an electric dryer that consumes the most electricity and over 3/4 of the total electrical usage is the heating element. There has been no change in technology for this component for the past half century if not longer.

Clean out the lint trap before each load of clothes and also clean out loose lint periodically wherever you can find it. This improves drying performance of any dryer.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[ilovejack02]

I have had the same set for 10 yrs now... still working fine, heating element has gone out twice, but it was a $20 part and DH is super handy. Keep the old set till it dies.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I do not think you will save much money on electricity replacing an old working electric dryer with a new electric dryer.

I would tend to disagree on this point as the new electric dryers are much more energy efficient than an older electric dryer.

However, where I would agree is by suggesting that the OP would not save enough money compared with the old electric dryer to make up the cost of the new electric dryer.

One of our radio stations often has an appliance repairman on a phone-in show and he often just tells people to keep their old appliances if they are working just fine. Yes, newer appliances are more energy efficient but we need to add the energy required to make that new appliance in to the total equation -- if it still works, keep it.

 

[SplshMtn99]

OK, looks like I'll be keeping the old Whirlpool dryer then.

And for what its worth, a dryer has very few parts compared to a washing machine. DH has repaired the dryer several times himself. Said it was quite easy. But he's good at that sort of thing. He did fix our old Whirlpool washing machine several times over the years, but said that was much more complicated. That washing machine was finally replaced in the 90's when the tub finally started leaking thru. lol

 

[RoyalCanadian]

OK, looks like I'll be keeping the old Whirlpool dryer then.

And for what its worth, a dryer has very few parts compared to a washing machine.

While in my last year of seminary my roommates and I bought an old washer and dryer set from the local "Buy & Sell" newspaper for $100. One of my roommates was rather handy and was able to repair the dryer on a couple of occasions. It was then that I discovered that the dryer (apart from the drum) was little more than a timing device, a big rubber belt, a heating coil and a fan. That washer and dryer worked for several more years until DW and I gave the washing machine away and sold the dryer for about $50. Not a bad investment.

 

[MrsPete]

We bought a new energy-efficient washer and dryer last spring, and I CAN see a dramatic difference in our water bill -- it's down 30%. The electricity bill is a little less clear since our whole house is electric (and we have to figure in that we turned on the air conditioner about the time we bought the washer/dryer), but I feel sure that bill's down somewhat too.

However, our situation had become rather desperate: the dryer required two cycles to dry a small load of men's dress shirts -- and they'd still be damp. Towels and jeans were simply impossible, and I ALWAYS had them hanging over my kitchen chairs.

Our washer had problems too (every 3rd or 4th load I'd find that the water hadn't drained, and I'd have to run it again), so in our case we HAD TO HAVE a new set. The energy/water savings was a bonus. Is it worthwhile to buy a new set JUST for the energy/water savings? I don't know.

 

[runwad]

I have a 12 yr old maytag dryer and just had a repairman here for a new belt. He advised to keep it as long as I can because the new ones are just junk...here's hoping I get another 15 years out of it.

 

[Local_Girl]

We've got a 14-year old Kenmore washer and dryer, purchased new at the same time. Almost didn't want to post cuz I may jinx myself, LOL! To my knowledge, we have had NO trouble whatsoever with the machines, other than *maybe* having to replace one minor part on the dryer that DH did himself...but I'm not sure if we've even done that (it may have just been something "loose", many years ago). After reading about how horrible the new machines are in terms of reliability/longevity...I'm really not looking forward to the day they'll need to be replaced!

 

[mickeyfan2]

We replaced our old 18 year old working washer and dryer with the new front loaders. We have cut out laundry time down to 3 hours per week. Our time saved was worth the cost our new set. Our electic bill has gone down too. I would do it again. We gave the washer away to somebody whose washer broke and could not buy another and the dryer went to our neighbor's daughter who was getting married and had not dryer.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I am impressed - we've never had a dryer last more than about 8 years. I would probably keep it until it dies, but I would replace a washer that old with a front loader. More energy efficient and much gentler on your clothes.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'd keep it. We have an old one that we bought used for $50 ourselves. It was quite used then, and that was over ten years ago! WE bought a replacement dryer for when this one goes - at a tag sale. I'm not normally a huge tag sale person, but the second one was like $75, and it's pretty nice looking. So when the old one goes, we're all set. I don't care if they don't match - they are in the basement anyhow.

Thenone tip I'd give you is to replace the back hose tperiodically, or clean it out carefully. I have no idea what they cost, but I'll probably consider replacing mine over making a huge mess trying to celan allthe lint out of it. That lint can be a fire hazzard.
Likewise, the first time we had to service our dryer, there was lint all over the inside, so it's probably a good idea to clean out inside of the dryer periodically.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Thanks everyone. This 30+ yr old dryer also was one of those $50 used dryers we bought 19 yrs ago. (1987) lol The used washer we got at same time was $75....but they weren't a set. Just got them from a newspaper ad from a guy who fixed old appliances & we met him at a house & he had a basement full to pick from. lol Pretty good deal I say. We were just starting out & $125 was alot for us.

I NEVER expected them to last as long as they did or have.

 

[PA Princess]

Funny to run across this post, because we just this last weekend purchased a replacement for our 30 year old dryer. When we bought our current house almost 12 years ago, we inherited a harvest gold washer and dryer. The washer died within 6 months and we replaced it. I did not care about a matching set, so I told dh we would use the dryer until it died...I had no idea it would last this long!!!!

We have 4 children now (had none back then) and my mom lives with us, and we do a TON of laundry. The dryer started to make a thump, thump noise on each rotation and dh said it was dying (he is very mechanically inclined, so he would fix if it was worth it to fix). We also found it was just not getting the loads dry - would take 3 and even 4 cycles. It was a Kenmore, and that is what we replaced it with, and I can only hope that we will get the same kind of longevity from the new one.