Modern Appliances. Don't make them like they used to.

[jonp]

Yesterday our 10yr old freezer stopped working. In less than 15yrs we have bought 2 freezers, a washing machine, 2 stoves and 3 fridges.

It took 50yrs for my Serval fridge to die and the 50yr+ Magic Chef gas stove with pilots is still going strong.

[Winger Ed.]

They're all like that.

We live in a throw away society. We don't fix much of anything any more.
We throw everything that doesn't work right----- including each other.

If you get more than 4-5-6 years out of a refrigerator bought in the last 10 years or so, you're doing pretty well.
Washers, dryers, dish washers, ovens, and micro waves with a circuit board and electronic brain ain't much better.

Neither are outside units for home air conditioners.
Ours is barely 3 years old, and I got the replacement condenser fan motor for it in today.
It hasn't burned out yet, but it has a death rattle from the shaft's sleeve bearing trashing out.

I like replacing sleeve bearing motors with the next size bigger, and with ball bearings you can oil periodically.
But ball bearing motors in the smaller sizes are hard to find now days.
Now, instead of oiling the bearings- you get to change out a $100.oo motor every few years.

[Jeff Michel]

Couple Whirlpool plants near me. Talking to some of the employees, it seems that these products are designed to crap out in 5-6 years. Couldn't get a reliable name for a refrigerator but everyone said Speed Queen if you want a good washing machine. Allegedly, Samsung is the very worst, don't know for sure, never owned one

[Winger Ed.]

Allegedly, Samsung is the very worst, don't know for sure, never owned one

That's been my experience with them, and a neighbor buddy who got one of their really expensive ones.
We got right at four years out of those two.
We have a niece that has worked at one of the big box stores for several years
and she says Sam Sung leads the parade for returns.

[popper]

Samsung is the very worst Yup, exploding washer, 2 yr fridge.
It's the labor that sets the price point. Same with repair. Too expensive, if under a warrantee, throw some parts at it until time is up.

[farmbif]

Maytag used to make good stuff now I guess its the same old thow away junk just like the rest of em, not worth repairing if they go bad.
whatever did happen to the Maytag man

[Finster101]

Samsung makes really good computers and phones. Appliances, not so much as far as I am concerned.

[M-Tecs]

Couple Whirlpool plants near me. Talking to some of the employees, it seems that these products are designed to crap out in 5-6 years. Couldn't get a reliable name for a refrigerator but everyone said Speed Queen if you want a good washing machine. Allegedly, Samsung is the very worst, don't know for sure, never owned one

Yup, Speed Queen states they will last 30 years but the downside is they are 3 times the money. I just replaced a dead dishwasher, a dying washing machine and the drier.

[deltaenterprizes]

Maytag used to make good stuff now I guess its the same old thow away junk just like the rest of em, not worth repairing if they go bad.
whatever did happen to the Maytag man
Maytag is Whirlpool!
I just replaced one with another brand and it is the same thing underneath, it was too much trouble to bring it back. The old one only lasted 4 years!

[Winger Ed.]

[QUOTE=farmbif;5450975]Maytag used to make good stuff now I guess its the same old thow away junk just like the rest of em, /QUOTE]

If you try to repair something, you'll see listing for the part you need applies to several other brands & models too.
Most individual appliance components are like that.

You'll only see a few that are unique to one brand--- if it's one you need, it's probably discontinued too.

[Hannibal]

There are 5 dominant major appliance manufacturers. Panasonic, Electrolux, Whirlpool, GE and LG.

Nearly every brand you see is manufactured by one of these 5 companies. The one's that are left are in niche markets mainly.

[GhostHawk]

Mom and Dad had a whirlpool washer dryer set they bought when they got married. I was born in 52, set was still working well past the 2000's.
So when I got married I bought a Whirlpool washer and dryer. Ten years later washer quit, we had the service guy out. He looked at it, told me I was better off buying a new one. Then he showed me in his service book the expected life span. Eight years, he said you got lucky, got an extra 2 years.

We live in a disposable economy, appliances are designed to fail and be replaced.

My main freezer, big upright type was in my parents house in the early 80's. It is at least 40 years old, had Freon added once that I know of.
Its on my porch now and is solid as a rock. If it fails I'll have to replace it. But I would not expect to get more than 10 years out of a new one.

[fatelk]

We haven't bought a new appliance, other than a water heater, in 20 years. I don't know how many times I've repaired washers, dryers, and the dishwasher. I've replaced a couple freezers with used ones.

A few years ago my wife really wanted to replace the ancient washer/drier set we bought used for $180 when we got married, so we went down to Lowe's to price them. I'm just too cheap to pay new price, and the sales guy irritated me. I asked him what the expected life span was; he said typically six or seven years, but since we have such a huge family, we should expect four or five years. We have four kids, not considered "huge" by any measure I'm aware of.

So anyhow, we found a much nicer, newer set at an estate sale shortly after that, for $100. They've been working great ever since.

I am getting tired of tinkering with the dishwasher, but again, too cheap to replace something that I can fix. A while back a coworker mentioned that his dishwasher had a problem, leaking or something, so he called Lowe's to bring them a new one and haul away the old one. I asked him why he didn't take a look and see if he could fix it, probably an easy fix, and he works on much bigger and more complicated machines at work. He just didn't want to mess with it. I guess he has a lot more disposable income than I do, probably because of my huge family.

So my question is about the environment, and our "carbon footprint". Where's the outcry about all the waste of throwing away millions of tons of appliances every year?

[Winger Ed.]

So my question is about the environment, and our "carbon footprint". Where's the outcry about all the waste of throwing away millions of tons of appliances every year?

You've stumbled onto the dirty little secret:
It's the same as why cars have a planned obsolescence, where they reach a point and are beyond economical repair.
It would threaten way too many employment opportunities and job security.

[xs11jack]

Sears Kenmore Washer and dryer. The washer died at 31. The replacement lasted 3 yrs. The dryer is 36 and still going. I weep when I think what a replacement for the dryer is going to cost!
Ole Jack

[fatelk]

It would threaten way too many employment opportunities and job security.

And the economy as a whole. If everyone in the US lived like I do, the global economy would collapse overnight.

[bimus]

A man comes out to fix my cloth washer and he sets up his tablet to watch how to fix it video on U tube .

[Three44s]

A man comes out to fix my cloth washer and he sets up his tablet to watch how to fix it video on U tube .

Well don’t that just inspire all sorts of confidence?

Good grief!

Three44s

[ulav8r]

I went to an Emerson appliance motor plant in 2000, was there 5 years. We were making all the motors for Whirlpool and Maytag washers and many for dishwashers. the motors had an expected life of about 5 years more than the appliances they went in. I was working in the shaft department, making all the shafts for our product, and many that went to another Emerson plant in Mississippi and one in Mexico. Waiting a conference call meeting to commence, one of our people asked one of the mexicans why they got their shafts from us instead of producing them in Mexico, he said they could not make them as cheap as we could. Within a few months the factory in Mississippi was closed and a few months later Emerson started having the Chinese produce some sample shafts. The first couple of shipments were junk. After prodding from Emerson they made some better ones and Emerson committed to buying shafts from them and reducing the size of out shaft department. The chinese shafts were nearly a penny cheaper than the ones we were producing, ours were an average of 10 1/2 cents each. Within 3 weeks of starting the switch, shipping costs nearly doubled.

Also during that switch, Whirlpool bought Maytag and reduced the numbers of motors they were buying, causing us to greatly reduce production. From day 1, Whirpool and Maytag were demanding lower prices and we were constantly making changes to our processes to reduce materials use and labor of production. I believe the motor quality remained high but it was getting harder and harder to do that.

When I started in 2000, that plant had just celebrated 50 years of production and had about 1700 employees. 5 1/2 years later they were down to about 350 employees and had just been sold to a Japanese company.

[M-Tecs]

I went to an Emerson appliance motor plant in 2000, was there 5 years. We were making all the motors for Whirlpool and Maytag washers and many for dishwashers. the motors had an expected life of about 5 years more than the appliances they went in. I was working in the shaft department, making all the shafts for our product, and many that went to another Emerson plant in Mississippi and one in Mexico. Waiting a conference call meeting to commence, one of our people asked one of the mexicans why they got their shafts from us instead of producing them in Mexico, he said they could not make them as cheap as we could. Within a few months the factory in Mississippi was closed and a few months later Emerson started having the Chinese produce some sample shafts. The first couple of shipments were junk. After prodding from Emerson they made some better ones and Emerson committed to buying shafts from them and reducing the size of out shaft department. The chinese shafts were nearly a penny cheaper than the ones we were producing, ours were an average of 10 1/2 cents each. Within 3 weeks of starting the switch, shipping costs nearly doubled.

Also during that switch, Whirlpool bought Maytag and reduced the numbers of motors they were buying, causing us to greatly reduce production. From day 1, Whirpool and Maytag were demanding lower prices and we were constantly making changes to our processes to reduce materials use and labor of production. I believe the motor quality remained high but it was getting harder and harder to do that.

When I started in 2000, that plant had just celebrated 50 years of production and had about 1700 employees. 5 1/2 years later they were down to about 350 employees and had just been sold to a Japanese company.

The University degreed bean counters have been waging war US businesses for a long time. The rot in the higher education system has an issue since the 70's. Most people have not been aware of it until todays woke culture has pushed things too far. Executive Order 12850 signed in 1993 EO changed the way the U.S. made trade deals with China and led to the loss of tens of millions of American manufacturing jobs

[Winger Ed.]

I beat the system on a pressure cooker!

About 15 years ago, we needed a pressure cooker for something and got a electric one made by/for Cook's Essentials.
The last time I used it was a couple years ago. I got it out yesterday, fired it up, and it wouldn't build pressure.

I thought it had died of old age, and shopped for a new one.
The reviews for them are covered with people changing the seal/gasket in only a few years.
So,,,, I looked for a replacement gasket.
They're available for all the new ones, but not the older stuff unless it's just by coincidence they'll fit.
Naturally, the new gasket for mine is not available anywhere.

After scratching my bald head,,,, I thought I'd try limbering the old one back up.
I rubbed it with silicone lubricant, and surprise! it softened back up.
I washed it real well, put it back on, and the thing works again.

I feel like I beat the system!

[Winger Ed.]

And the economy as a whole. If everyone in the US lived like I do, the global economy would collapse overnight.

If majorly expensive products lasted as long as the old ones--
The entire economy and work force would shrink by nothing less than 30%
when the public only bought 1/4 to 1/3 of what is produced and sold now.
Not just the factories would be hit-- the entire towns around them.

[Siskiwit]

Maytag is made by three different manufacturers I hear

[Sig]

Just had the compressor replaced in our 2 year old LG refrigerator. I think the original was bad from day one. It was very noisy. I can barely hear the new one. Warranty covered all parts & labor. Downside was we had to go 8 days waiting for it to be repaired. The 30+ year old Sanyo non-frost-free fridge in the basement was was a Godsend.

[Shawlerbrook]

Yep ! Couldn’t agree more.

[winelover]

Appliances are like riflescopes. You get what you pay for. Built a new house ten years ago. All new appliances. Only a few appliances haven't had to be replaced. Those that lasted are high end.........SubZero refrigerator and a DCS dual fuel stove. Clothes washer was replaced with a commercial Speed Queen. Buy once, cry once.

Winelover

[Wag]

It's called "planned obsolescence." When it breaks, they get to sell you a new one.

Definitely, Samsung is the worst of them.

I got lucky and had an LG refrigerator last me 15 years. I let it go with the house I sold and while there is a part of me that thinks I should have taken it with me, I just have this sneaky feeling that I would have replaced it anyway.

And the list goes on and on.........

--Wag--

[William Yanda]

I was thinking about that last night. Our current washing machine is high tech. Water saving features, mandated by regulation, incorporate sensitive boards that are subject to failure, specific to the machine and obsolete before the rest of the machine wears out.

[pmer]

LG microwave 6 months old died after running for 15 minutes cooking Captain Ken's Baked beans and 5 minutes for baked potatoes. From watching videos I think its transformer went out. LG tried to locate service for my area but couldn't and is now sending a check for the purchase price. It took 6-8 weeks to get to this point. But from watching those videos I think the previous microwave just needed a diode.

But either way I'm on number 4 in about 15 years or so.

[Froogal]

Couple Whirlpool plants near me. Talking to some of the employees, it seems that these products are designed to crap out in 5-6 years. Couldn't get a reliable name for a refrigerator but everyone said Speed Queen if you want a good washing machine. Allegedly, Samsung is the very worst, don't know for sure, never owned one

Our Samsung dishwasher was good for 7 years, and then the electronics crapped out. It won't even start now, and never did do as good a job of getting the dishes clean as we would have liked. We made the decision to NOT replace it.

[bedbugbilly]

For years, we had FE appliances - stoves, refrigerator, etc. - starting in married housing at school when we first got married - never had issues. When we sold the house on the farm and moved to town, we bought a new GE stove, dishwasher and above stove microwave - that was 5 years ago. Now bear in mind that we are only here 6 months out of the year, there are only two of us - so the dishwasher gets used maybe 3 times a week - the stove (oven) once a week and the stove top the same - my wife likes to use a counter top air fryer.

From the get go, we had issues with the stove - repairman came out and some wires inside were never connected - he said they were having "union issues" at the factory. OK - after that all the burners worked. Since then, we have had repairman out four times as the oven wasn't heating up evenly nor correctly. Of course, it was after the warranty had expired. The last time, about six weeks ago, we were so fed up we figured we would get a new stove as he said it had a motherboard issue - a new one would be around $439.

THEN, all of a sudden, the dishwasher would not start - repairman out and after much checking, the motherboard was kaput - this time, he said it would be $415 for a new motherboard. My response was simple . . . screw GE. He said that GE had been bought out by a Chinese company about 5 years ago and everything had turned to chew manure. Evidently, the Chinese company owns about 4 or 5 other brand names as well.

Last week we had about as basic of a stove delivered that we could find - an LG - we'll see how that works out. We found a Bosch dishwasher p the lowest basic model the make - it was cheaper that the GE dishwasher but it is twice the appliance tat the GE was as far as quality, noise and operation - my wife loves it and our plumber tom us that he loves Bosch as they are so good and he has one himself.

Hard to believe that we had a GE stove for probably 30 years or more and never had an issue - we buy a new one when we moved into a condo - it gets very little use in the actual 2 1/2 years we have been here (physically) and it takes a nosedive - really?

I'm a firm believer in "Buy American" whenever possible . . . hmm . . . I thought I live in America . . . I'm starting to wonder if we aren't just a new suburb of Peking . . . I'll end it with that or this thread will end up in the Pit.

[MrWolf]

When I bought this place almost six years ago there was no washer and dryer. Everything was so expensive and I had gone through the Whirlpool Duets in my old house. Boards kept going in them. I wanted something bare bones basic that just washed clothes and wasn't trying to get a date with Alexa or whatever those things are. I bought a bare bones Amanda washer and dryer. Work great. Only issue was the washer was not working right after a few months. Turns out I had a lot of excavating done near our well and sediment had cloggedthe filter. They fixed it free on a service call and recommended I put an inline filter in. No issues since then.

[Winger Ed.]

You have to dig around to find them, but semi-commercial washers & driers for things like an apartment laundry room are out there.
They have more simple and less sophisticated controls that are more heavy duty and seem to last longer than the fancy ones.

That's what I replaced ours with when the fancy 4-5 year old Sam Sung ones threw in the towel.
The circuit board to fix the washer was only $300.oo. but I set it at the curb anyway.

But you do have to be careful with the washer.
It's very important to remember and put the discharge hose into the drain outlet.[smilie=b:

[country gent]

Planned obsolescence isnt the only issue it also the designing and building so that the average person cant fix it. Security screws, odd fasteners, restricting parts to dealers only sales or repair techs.

[Winger Ed.]

building so that the average person cant fix it.

In the 70s, a life long friend worked as a mechanic at a Oldsmobile dealership.
He told me then that GM had started a serious effort to do just that.
The real money for a car dealership is in the service bays--- not the showroom.

They started aggressively designing cars to get the repair work out of people's driveways, and away from small time
gas station mechanics. One of the methods was requiring special tools that the costs of were higher than giraffe lips.

Then came all the electronics you needed a expensive diagnostic machine for.
Either that, or you'd spend a fortune changing out good components until the car ran right again.

[nicholst55]

Last December we bought an LG washer and dryer. Three days later, the washer died, so we returned both and bought Maytag. The Maytag dryer quit four months later. After a warranty repair (which was very poorly handled), we now receive offers to extend the warranties of both appliances at least once a week. Color me not favorably impressed.

[Alstep]

We've got a GE refrigerator made in 1942 that came out of my father-in-law's house when he died. Still working and never had a service call!

[Moleman-]

Moved into this house 12 years ago with all new appliances. Only the smaller than our family sized fridge has been untouched. It has lived out in the garage the past 5 years though. It's replacement needed a new compressor at 3 years old. 3rd microwave so far. Oven needed a new buss bar and all 4 stove burner switches replaced. Washer/dryer new pumps, sensors, valves, ignitors ect until the trans went out on the washer. "it's never the trans, it's the drive ratchets that go bad" is what all the videos said. So I took the trans apart. The drive shaft in it was machined wrong so that only about half of the splines length engauged with the hub that spun the tub. Those splines were sheared off, so new trans time. New trans was about 2/3 the price of a new washer. New washer goes through door locks every other year, on 2nd pump and for some reason they put a strainer basket on the pump that you can't access without taking off the cabinet which involves about 30 self tapper screws. So I cut a hole in the side of the cabinet so that when it clogs up with dog hair every 4-5 months it's easy to clean. 3rd dish washer. Original one was replaced when the mother board was almost as much as a new one, after getting several new parts. Current one has had the upper rack track, door seal, spray bars, and pump replaced so far. The kenmore tech said $579.85 to replace the pump. Gave him his $80 show up fee and ordered the $74 OEM pump with 2 day delivery. Took 15 minutes to put in. I would like a time machine to go back to 1965-1970 and buy a washer/dryer and the exact model of Hobart dishwasher we had in our first house that was built in 1960. That thing looked old 30 years later when we bought it, but always worked, got the dishes clean and DRY.

On the other hand, when my grandparents passed and we went to help clean out the house before it was sold, I noticed the old appliances they had when I was a kid were still there and working. Fridge from the 70's (the one it replaced was still working out in the garage also) , oven and stove from the 60's, freezers from the 40's-50's.

[Handloader109]

Moved here 6 years ago. Added a fridge by frigidaire and washe and dryer by maytag. So far no issue with fridge, but washer is starting to hammer when agitating. Guess I'll be repairing or replacing it soon. Bought a new whirlpool dishwasher in 2019. Upper rack broke at 13 months. Took 4 months to get the new metal adjusting system shipped. And just that was a third of the price of the whole thing.... funny, I've got two small fridges that won't die... one is from about 1990, and the other is about a 2000 model my company discarded

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Winger Ed.]

, we now receive offers to extend the warranties of both appliances at least once a week.

We got a new GE refrigerator about 3 years ago, after the large, but mid-priced, 4 year old Sam Sung committed suicide.
We still get warranty extension letters about once a month from GE.

We moved out of the city, sold the weekender house, and retired here 5 years ago.
A few weeks ago, the third dead refrigerator had to be disposed of.
We have a private contractor trash pick up that uses those big blue hampers they dump with a
lift machine on the trash truck.

To get rid of a refrigerator or air conditioner, it's a $40.oo fee to come inspect that it doesn't have freon in it.
I found that out when I called to have a dead frig. picked up.
I'm not paying for that.
I asked the lady if it'd be OK if I promised to cut the lines and catch the freon with a shop vac.
She said they had to come look at it anyway.
So, to beat the system, I've had to cut them up into bite size pieces and put the pieces in the trash can a few at a time.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've never bought a new appliance.
after reading this thread, I can say that my thriftiness has blessed me with not having to replace appliances very often in the last 30 yrs of living in this house.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I beat the system on a pressure cooker!

About 15 years ago, we needed a pressure cooker for something and got a electric one made by/for Cook's Essentials.
The last time I used it was a couple years ago. I got it out yesterday, fired it up, and it wouldn't build pressure.

I thought it had died of old age, and shopped for a new one.
The reviews for them are covered with people changing the seal/gasket in only a few years.
So,,,, I looked for a replacement gasket.
They're available for all the new ones, but not the older stuff unless it's just by coincidence they'll fit.
Naturally, the new gasket for mine is not available anywhere.

After scratching my bald head,,,, I thought I'd try limbering the old one back up.
I rubbed it with silicone lubricant, and surprise! it softened back up.
I washed it real well, put it back on, and the thing works again.

I feel like I beat the system!

I have one of the new style Fagor SS "quick release" stove top pressure cookers. It was a gift to me in 2009. I use it many times during the year.
I noticed last year, it doesn't always seal right away, unless I wiggle the lid a bit, then seals right up. With all the recent shortages and supply chain excuses, I decided to order a new seal (they are silicone), as having the original one last 13 yrs is pretty good. Fagor doesn't make them anymore. China makes a clone gasket, but amazon reviews are awful, mostly they don't fit right and are mostly too small. I did find a NOS Fagor gasket on fleabay, but it was twice the price they use to be, and 5 times the price of the china one that won't work.

ANYWAY, it's good to know about the silicone lube trick, I think I have a spray can of food grade silicone lube somewhere, leftover from a jobsite project.

[Winger Ed.]

I think I have a spray can of food grade silicone lube somewhere, leftover from a jobsite project.

I didn't know there was such a thing.
I used regular spray can stuff, let it sit awhile, and then washed it about 4 times with dish soap.
Being up at the top and not in contact with my chicken- I figured it'd be OK.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I worked for a company that made dairy/cheese processing equipment.
Food Grade lube was required for everything, including the conveyer tub handlers and such...that didn't even ever come into contact with food.

[M-Tecs]

I didn't know there was such a thing.
I used regular spray can stuff, let it sit awhile, and then washed it about 4 times with dish soap.
Being up at the top and not in contact with my chicken- I figured it'd be OK.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=food+grade+lube&adgrpid=1340305238309353&hvadid=83769226926879&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=109281&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83769424171950%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24660_13493308&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_1rt7tqara5_e

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=food+grade+Lubricant&crid=AD4T5EQPW5M3&sprefix=food+grade+lubricant%2Caps%2C96&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

[Brassmonkey]

I had to use a stupid modern Samsung washer and dryer recently,

Wanna guess what I liked about it?




Like:
they washed and dried my clothes.



Dislike:
pushing and holding the buttons
The dings and chimes bells & bs sound effects
The chinsy flimsy feel of the door
The multi piece lint trap
The way the dryer shook and shuddered no I didn't put boots in it.

[10x]

There are 5 dominant major appliance manufacturers. Panasonic, Electrolux, Whirlpool, GE and LG.

Nearly every brand you see is manufactured by one of these 5 companies. The one's that are left are in niche markets mainly.

THere are jobbers who make appliances for all of the big companies. Quality depends on the specifications in the contract.
Years ago we got a dishwasher. It was Kitchen Aid made by Roper. so was Whirlpool at the time. The shell and frame were different. the internal parts were the same.
This link should give you some clue as to where that appliance was really made

https://whomakehub.com/who-makes-roper-washing-machine/

[10x]

We haven't bought a new appliance, other than a water heater, in 20 years. I don't know how many times I've repaired washers, dryers, and the dishwasher. I've replaced a couple freezers with used ones.
snip

We bought our fist washing machine in 1976, kenmore from sears, made by Roper corporation. It lasted for over 30 years. We purchased a Kenmore electric dryer at the same time - I rebuild it for about $35 every 6 to 7 years, new idler bearings for the drum, new idler pully for the belt. New switches for the door, a new felt seal for the drum.
The washing machine was replaced whent the controler/timer and the transmission died

[truckjohn]

I take the subject of appliance life with a grain of salt. Older appliances tended to be inefficient pigs. Washers "ran" forever, but didn't really wash that well and barely wrung the water out of clothes... Oh, and they shook the whole house to pieces. Now, they (mostly) work better, but the performance and efficiency comes at a cost.

Second... Lets be honest. Give consumers choices and they mostly pick the cheapest option without regard to "quality." Marlin sold the heck out of cheap 22's... They offered significantly more accurate 22's for a time, but almost nobody bought them, so they quit making them. Look at tools in the US... Try to get US made wrenches. Nobody wants to buy them because they're expensive.. So they fill up toolboxes full of cheap imports. That's the market, so that's what they sell.

[Hannibal]

Your theory only works if people used to buy premium products and have gravitated toward the inexpensive products over time. On the contrary I suspect more people are willing to spend more to try and get something that will last longer now than in the past. I tend the think that the issue is more to do with complexity when it comes to appliances. Things used to be a lot simpler in design and energy conservation wasn't a priority until rather recently.

[.429&H110]

I worked for a boy's school that owned a dozen or so Maytag washing machines and dryers. They ran 24/7/365. Delightful to work on! Maytags did not have a transmission, they reversed from wash to spin. There wasn't much to them, motor-belt-timer, they were 30 years old when I found them, likely they're still washing clothes.

Kenmores are like disposable razors, worth a dime for scrap. The tubs rot through.

The new Samsungs really do need a WiFi geek to troubleshoot them, we have a Samsung dryer in the family that burned out, like set on fire, its control board. I soldered wire around the burned traces, eliminated the cheesy melted molex connectors and three years later, it is still running. That was once a $1000 dryer.

And now we have disposable cars, totaled for the price of a battery.
I made a good living fixing all kinds of things, but $2 a minute labor rate makes things disposable.

Somebody said food grade silicone...
People who set up soft serve machines have tubes of the goo for the o-rings.
The spray cans are expensive, and if the propellant isn't air the propellant will eat at neoprene.
One tube of silicone goo is a lot of slime.
Great stuff!

[GregLaROCHE]

It’s frustrating, because good quality long lasting appliances can be produced today. Is it that everything is made as cheap as possible, so it can be sold for as low a price as possible, or is it that Industry wants things to wear out quickly to be replaced? Probably both.

[jonp]

I had to use a stupid modern Samsung washer and dryer recently,

Wanna guess what I liked about it?




Like:
they washed and dried my clothes.



Dislike:
pushing and holding the buttons
The dings and chimes bells & bs sound effects
The chinsy flimsy feel of the door
The multi piece lint trap
The way the dryer shook and shuddered no I didn't put boots in it.

Wife's parents have a Samsung high dollar front load set. Mother hates them. We had an old washer when buying house. It died got a new water efficient one that never got all the clothes wet. You ended up having to put it on large load and fill half with clothes to get them clean so do twice the laundry. Glad it died and hunted for bare bones washer. Got a dented Hot Point half off. Works great.

[Winger Ed.]

Wife's parents have a Samsung high dollar front load set. Mother hates them.

That sounds like the set we had.

I never could get the front loading door seal to not stink.
After a while the whole machine did due to the filter drain thing, then I didn't notice the door seal quite as much.

When circuit board went out that I found out cost $300.oo--- it went straight to the curb.

[Ickisrulz]

I take the subject of appliance life with a grain of salt. Older appliances tended to be inefficient pigs. Washers "ran" forever, but didn't really wash that well and barely wrung the water out of clothes... Oh, and they shook the whole house to pieces. Now, they (mostly) work better, but the performance and efficiency comes at a cost.

Second... Lets be honest. Give consumers choices and they mostly pick the cheapest option without regard to "quality." Marlin sold the heck out of cheap 22's... They offered significantly more accurate 22's for a time, but almost nobody bought them, so they quit making them. Look at tools in the US... Try to get US made wrenches. Nobody wants to buy them because they're expensive.. So they fill up toolboxes full of cheap imports. That's the market, so that's what they sell.

Snap-on (and other truck brands) wrench sets cost 4-5x what comparable sets made in Taiwan cost. Do you get 4-5x the quality or performance? No one can convince me that you do. Why anyone spends the money is beyond me, and I have heard all the arguments.

I have been around for a while and have used older washing machines and I have never had one shake the house or fail to get clothes clean. They worked well (probably because they used lots of water) and lasted a very long time.

[farmbif]

I'm guessing if you need an appliance or most anything the big box stores sells that's made in china might want to get it now from available inventory and not delay. from what I understand a whole bunch of china manufacturing is shutting down because of severe drought and rivers drying up and others there shutting down because of a reason we no longer discuss on this site. one that really caught my attention and got me reading about this stuff is one of the biggest, Foxconn, has shut down indefinitely.
thank goodness a bunch of American companies are tooling up and building new factories here bringing manufacturing stateside, but all that takes time

[Hannibal]

Better learn how to live frugally. I anticipate that the ride isn't going to get any smoother anytime soon. I'm just waiting for another wheel to fall off and I don't anticipate having to wait long.

[ulav8r]

2-3 years ago mom needed a new dishwasher, so the wife and I took her to Lowes. Mom asked my wife to help her pick one but the wife refused. Knew what kind of blame she would get if it did not turn out satisfactory. Mom picked a mid-range Bosh, no issues yet except that the racks are sized for small dishes and the lower rack, on wheels has no support when rolled out. Pull a little to hard and it will land in the floor. Nice and quiet but it takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to do a load of dishes after taking 30 minutes to get it loaded.

[Handloader109]

You guys jinxed me... 7 year old washer just stopped agitating. Several potential issues, cheapest $15 wasn't it. Next most costly at $60 wasn't it, and the next at $45 wasn't it. But the agitating plate has the only metal on metal spline and it had stripped and rusted enough to strip the splines off the gearbox shaft and the plate. $287 for the gearbox and $112 for the agitating plate. Almost $400 for oem parts or about $300 for Chinese parts. (Yeah, looks like some differences.) I'm trying $1 worth of a $6 tube of JB Weld stripstik. So far first load is half done and it is holding. Figure I'll get 2 or 3 loads out of it.

Bought a new open box display for $675 with tax. Roughly $200 less than their regular sale price. It's a decent equivalent to what I have now. Just couldn't spend 50% of a new cost on parts. Don't trust the electronics in the old one. Has been a bit glitchy once in a while.


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[Winger Ed.]

I'm trying $1 worth of a $6 tube of JB Weld

That's good stuff. I had a buddy who thought you could make a boat trailer out of it if you wanted to.

[MT Gianni]

Yup, Speed Queen states they will last 30 years but the downside is they are 3 times the money. I just replaced a dead dishwasher, a dying washing machine and the drier.

Bought a Speed queen washer 20 months ago. The price was middle of the road not nearly high end. Stay away from bells and whistles on appliances. It's the electronics in them that are failing.

Gas water heaters used to have a pilot and a high temp safety (ECO). Then Congress mandated electronic ignition, ignoring that the pilot was only heating the water, along with vent dampeners and side power vents they have a lot more stuff. They also have about 1/3 the life but it is no longer the tank that leaks mandating change. The electronics are 65% of the cost of a new water heater and the labor to replace is almost the same so yo ugo with a new heater.

[MT Gianni]

Our Samsung dishwasher was good for 7 years, and then the electronics crapped out. It won't even start now, and never did do as good a job of getting the dishes clean as we would have liked. We made the decision to NOT replace it.

If you do replace it, look at Asco a Swedish company.

[Handloader109]

That's good stuff. I had a buddy who thought you could make a boat trailer out of it if you wanted to.Working on the third load, and is working perfectly. Not much area to fill, but so far so good

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[Ickisrulz]

If you do replace it, look at Asco a Swedish company.

Asko has changed ownership and is no longer made in Sweden.

[greenwart]

We had a Maytag washer we got as a wedding present that lasted 43 years. The only thing that had to be replaced was a thermal overload switch. Eventually the tub rusted and began to leak. Since I replaced it with top of the line Maytag. It began throwing out error codes and had to replace a dispenser motor. It keeps throwing code which magically disappear if you unplug the machine and reset it.If I had to replace one now I would search for an old machine I could fix instead of buying new. I just repaired an old Kenmore for a friend and replaced the transmission and coupler. Parts were $17 and it runs like new.

[murf205]

Couple Whirlpool plants near me. Talking to some of the employees, it seems that these products are designed to crap out in 5-6 years. Couldn't get a reliable name for a refrigerator but everyone said Speed Queen if you want a good washing machine. Allegedly, Samsung is the very worst, don't know for sure, never owned one

Samsung is the worst and I vowed not to buy one but bought a Sears brand instead. It has a label in it that says "Made in USA" but when the compressor line started to loose the refrigerant, the service man looked at the serial # and sure enough, it is a Samsung piece of crap. The CEO's sell the time honored name to the manufacturer of junk and pull the wool over our eyes and our politicians love it, evidently.

[MT Gianni]

Asko has changed ownership and is no longer made in Sweden.

Thanks

[fatelk]

We have a Maytag dishwasher that quit washing effectively yesterday. It's at least 10 years old, probably a fair amount older- came with the house.

Yep, I knew exactly what to do, done it many times before. I do it at least once or twice a year. I showed my son how to do it so he can try next time.
The kids aren't careful loading it, so little bit of plastic and whatnot end up down in the little orifices of the spinners and impellers. I take a screwdriver with various bits, and take the innards apart and clean them up. All kinds of nastiness comes out. Then I carefully reassemble all the bits and pieces, and it works like a new one.

I wonder how many appliances get thrown away every year, that really just need cleaned up or very minor repairs.

We had an AC unit at work that quit working. Our HVAC people gave us a $2k quote to replace it. It was only a year or two old so I took it apart and took a look at it.

I found a small relay on a control board that was bad. I couldn't find a replacement board, but I did find a replacement relay on Amazon for something like $5. I had to un-solder the old one and solder the new one into the board, but it's still working great, several years later. They were going to scrap a $2,000 AC over a $5 relay. It amazes me that manufacturers will cheap out on components even on more expensive units. They probably buy those relays for 75 cents each, by the thousands. The bean-counters save 50 cents per unit by not buying a better relay. That tiny savings per unit adds up into many thousands for the manufacturer, more profit for the bottom line, and what do they care if some of them fail prematurely?

Worst part is, I didn't get much credit for a cheap, easy fix. My employer does not encourage repairs on a component level. They would have been fine with just replacing the whole unit.

[Handloader109]

Yeah, last company I worked for was like that. I would change out lower fluorescent tubes for free, but manager wanted me to call for the lighting techs. Pay them, always 2 guys, a couple of hundred, always one hour minimum, to change out a handful of bulbs. Yes, no issue if a ballast. But just bulbs? Nah.

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[jonp]

I've never bought a new appliance.
after reading this thread, I can say that my thriftiness has blessed me with not having to replace appliances very often in the last 30 yrs of living in this house.

On the plus side our house came with a dryer that was old 15yrs ago when we bought it. Replaced a belt and heating element is all and still going but we hang our clothes outside 95% of the time

[Winger Ed.]

I wonder how many appliances get thrown away every year, that really just need cleaned up or very minor repairs..

A bunch.
Usually a washer goes out before the matching dryer does. Then an amazing number of people buy a new set.
I'd see several at the dump. One time I took my dead washer to the dump on the way to buy a new one.
My buddy that managed the dump told me one time,
"Take that one over there. It's new but the guy's wife said it was too loud, she didn't like it, and wanted a new set".
I went home with a almost new mid level Maytag that lasted me another 6-7 years.

I was about 50 when I bought my first lawn mower. When I bent the crankshaft on one mowing over a rock or something-
I'd just find another one set out in the trash. For about 5 bucks, I'd change the oil & spark plug,
the little diaphragm between the carb. and gas tank, maybe get a new air filter, and it'd last another few years.

[almar]

Its about sales. If you make it last last too long you lose money.
Where that line is that makes it no longer acceptable is yet to be determined but we are getting closer and closer.
As far as planned obsolescence goes, its in everything we use and i would say that firearms are probably one of the only lasting exceptions.
Cameras are good example of how they sucker you, phones and computers are another. The further you keep away from tech, the better as far as this goes. I am no fan of modern electric cars that is for sure, they will be as prone to replacement as cell phones. The modern integral batteries in electronics are sold as being so much better and convenient but when they die, the whole thing is scrap.

[brass410]

Sears Kenmore Washer and dryer. The washer died at 31. The replacement lasted 3 yrs. The dryer is 36 and still going. I weep when I think what a replacement for the dryer is going to cost!
Ole Jack

Yep Kenmore, my wife has had hers since we got married and I worked for Sears delivery, that was 39 yrs ago yesterday, her washer regularly cuts off the lovejoy coupler (which I keep a spare) and has smoked two timers, which I now keep a spare (super easy to fix machine) her dryer has burned up 3 elements and 4 drive belts (like the washer, she really over loads them, think 60lbs of wet bath sheets) but they keep on ticking like a Timex watch, I'm scared to replace because of the junk out there now!!

[Winger Ed.]

I'm scared to replace because of the junk out there now!!

I think the only way to get a heavy duty, old school washer is to find out where to buy the commercial, coin operated ones.
We had some in the barracks at Quantico. They had the coin slide thing removed and worked like a normal washer.
They'd certainly be expensive, but it might also be a one time investment.

[Mal Paso]

My 5 year old tank water heater on it's 2nd Honeywell thermostat which didn't last 2 years and is overheating again.

When Unitrol made the controls they lasted the life of the tank. Got over 30 years out of one.

It pains me when we lose the ability to produce good quality products.

[winelover]

I think the only way to get a heavy duty, old school washer is to find out where to buy the commercial, coin operated ones.
We had some in the barracks at Quantico. They had the coin slide thing removed and worked like a normal washer.
They'd certainly be expensive, but it might also be a one time investment.

Small appliance shop in nearest town, carries them. They are Speed Queens. This is a resort are........ the resort owners purchase them for their clients use.

Winelover

[Firelock66]

Not sure when this trend of every appliance being junk started. Washer and dryer set we got in the early 90's lasted over 20 years. Picked up an extra fridge for garage beer and such about ten years ago. It's a mid-late 90's model and has been running like a champ.