All of us own a variety of home appliances which help us carry out daily chores without much fuss. A toaster can automatically heat your bread for 2 minutes and pop it out, an air conditioner can cool your room down precisely to the set temperature and your vacuum cleaner sucks out dust from places where it’s hard to reach. But how do you know the perfect time to replace home appliances? Is there a fixed number of years to use these devices?
Let’s explore the idea and find out.
1. It’s broken beyond repair
Let’s start with the obvious – if any appliance has broken down to a point that it feels beyond repair, it’s time to replace it. Some appliances might feel like they can be fixed but if an expert has already checked and said that it’s beyond repair, then there’s no point in sticking with it.
2. It is out of warranty
You can’t hang on to things which have run out of warranty and aren’t working as they are supposed to. Sure, small fixes that don’t cost a lot can ensure an appliance lasts longer than its expected shelf life. But this can’t always be the case. We can apply the 50/50 rule here for working this out. What rule is that, you ask?
If an appliance is more than 50% through its lifespan, and if the cost of one repair is more than 50% of the cost of buying new, then you should replace rather than repair.
Easy enough? If not, then let’s look at an example. Supposing you purchased a geyser for Rs. 1,000 that worked great initially. But now, it is out of warranty and more than 3 years old (we expect most geysers to last about 6-8 years). The cost of repairs is about Rs. 500, however, buying a new geyser costs Rs. 1,000 with warranty. In this case, upgrading is a more sound choice.
If the cost of repairs was Rs. 400 or less, then it would perhaps make sense to go for that option.
3. End of life product
Another obvious statement but one that can be easily overlooked by most of us. We keep buying things assuming the brand will continue supporting repairs and issues that crop up only to realise that the product is already tagged as End of Life. Keeping an eye on such requirements can be difficult but that’s what we at Servify want to help out with.
Not every appliance has a fixed life with different brands producing the same product with slightly different materials and different approach. However, most appliances tend to last about the same number of years before giving out. Dishwashers, microwaves and air-conditioners have a life span of around 9-10 years, whereas electric cooking ranges, refrigerators and dryers can last up to 13-15 years.
4. To replace home appliances is the best decision, sometimes
Replacing home appliances ensures a lot less pain in dealing with fixing something that’s broken. While insuring expensive appliances makes sense, there is always an expiry date on things and sometimes it is the best thing to do. You’d not only get a fully working new device in its place, but also one which is in warranty, lest anything should happen again.
Ready to replace?
Hopefully, these tips give you a good idea of how and when to replace your home appliances. If you still have any questions, you can always leave a comment below.
