This is the question we are asked on almost every visit, and the honest answer depends on two things: how old the appliance is, and which part failed.
Typical service life
- Refrigerator — 10 to 14 years
- Washer — 10 to 13 years
- Dryer — 10 to 13 years
- Dishwasher — 9 to 12 years
- Range or oven — 13 to 16 years
- Microwave — 7 to 10 years
These are averages. A well-maintained machine outlives them comfortably; one run hard in a large household does not.
Worth repairing at almost any age
These parts are modest in cost and the repair genuinely lasts:
- Door seals and gaskets
- Thermostats and temperature sensors
- Fans and fan motors
- Belts, rollers and idler pulleys
- Drain pumps and inlet valves
- Igniters and heating elements
- Lid switches and door latches
If someone tells you a fifteen-year-old dryer is not worth a new belt, get a second opinion.
Where it gets marginal
Compressor on a refrigerator. Expensive, and on a unit past ten years the rest of the sealed system is the same age. We rarely recommend it.
Drum bearing on a washer. Labour-heavy. Worth it on a five-year-old machine, rarely on a twelve-year-old one.
Control board. Depends entirely on the model. On some it is a reasonable part; on others it approaches the price of the appliance.
The rule we use
If the repair costs more than half of a comparable new unit, and the appliance is past two-thirds of its expected life, replacement is usually better. Both conditions matter — an expensive repair on a young appliance is often still worth doing.
Two things people forget
Installation and disposal. Replacement is not just the sticker price. Delivery, fitting, and hauling the old unit away add up, and built-ins can need cabinetry work.
Efficiency is oversold. A new machine may use less energy, but on most appliances the annual saving does not repay the purchase quickly. Buy new because the old one is finished, not because of a payback calculation.
Work through it in this order
Four questions, in sequence. Most decisions resolve by the third.
1. How old is it, against its expected life?
Under half its expected life, repair is almost always right. Past two-thirds, the calculation shifts. Beyond its expected life, only inexpensive repairs make sense.
2. Which part failed?
This matters more than age. A door gasket on a twelve-year-old fridge is worth fixing. A compressor on a seven-year-old one may not be.
3. What does the repair cost against replacement?
Compare against a like-for-like replacement, not the cheapest model available. And include delivery, installation and disposal — on a built-in, those are not small.
4. Has it failed before?
One repair on a reliable machine is normal. A third repair in two years is the appliance telling you something, and repairing it again is usually throwing good money after bad.
Two cases where the arithmetic misleads
Built-in and integrated appliances
Replacement means matching the aperture, and cabinetry rarely cooperates. A repair that looks marginal on price alone is often clearly right once you account for what replacement actually involves.
An appliance that is part of a matched set
Replacing one unit of a matched kitchen means either living with a mismatch or replacing more than you intended. That is a real cost, and it legitimately shifts the threshold toward repair.
What extends an appliance's life
Most appliances that die early were not defective. They were run in conditions that shortened their life.
- Refrigerators — clean condenser coils twice a year, keep clearance behind the unit, replace failed door gaskets promptly
- Washers — do not overload, use the correct detergent dose, keep the machine level, leave the door ajar
- Dryers — clean the lint screen every load and the vent line annually
- Dishwashers — clean the filter monthly, use rinse aid, descale periodically in hard water
- Ovens — check the door seal, use self-clean sparingly on older units
Common questions
Are new appliances less reliable than old ones?
They are more complex, which means more things that can fail, and electronics are less forgiving of power fluctuation than mechanical timers were. But they also use far less water and energy. It is a genuine trade-off rather than a decline.
Is it worth buying an extended warranty?
Read the exclusions first. Many exclude the failures that actually happen and cover the ones that rarely do. On a reliable appliance, setting the same money aside is often better value.
The technician says repair, the retailer says replace. Who is right?
Note that only one of them earns more from the answer they gave. Ask the technician for the specific part and price, then compare it against a genuine like-for-like replacement including installation.
Can you tell me over the phone whether to repair?
Only roughly. Give us the appliance, its age, the brand and the symptom, and we will tell you honestly whether it is likely worth a visit. Sometimes the answer is that it is not, and we would rather say so than take the booking.
Book a visit or call (832) 888-0875 and we will tell you what the fault is before any part is ordered.