Does Anyone Proactively Replace Appliances/HVAC?

[foxcreek9]

replaced our 17 year old elec stove that was working because citi offered us 11x points on home improvement plus 11x points on online purchases, so a $956 stove returned $205 back in points. We then sold the old oven on FB for $175! The old "throw it on the wall and see if sticks" - someone is getting ready to sell their house and they need a ss stove to match the other appliances, didn't even try to haggle me down.

[athena53]

I've been fortunate with kitchen and laundry appliances- the few that have failed, I've had replacements available so quickly it hasn't been a problem. That does, however, remind me that my Electrolux fridge is probably 30+ years old. Ack. Good refrigerators are NOT cheap and that's something you don't want to live without while you wait 3 months for the replacement to come in.

I've been replacing my windows gradually since buying in 2015- house was built in 1995 and when we bought it there was condensation between the panes in a few of them. We got price concessions accordingly. Since the condensation can eventually seep into surrounding wood and cause rot, it seems better to replace them before that happens. I think it will also be a good selling point when I do sell, although the cynical part of me still remembers all the whiny feedback from the HGTV crowd when we sold our previous home. They didn't care about extra insulation in the attic and the windows we'd replaced or the popcorn ceilings I'd smoothed out. The appliances weren't all stainless steel and the light fixtures were outdated.

[gwill1010]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I have never replaced a working dishwasher, disposal, oven, range, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, hot water heater, humidifier, furnace or air conditioner. Obviously it’s an inconvenience but the life of appliances isn’t really predictable, depends on quality, usage and maintenance/care. TBH I use most items until they break or wear out except cars (typically keep them 7-10 years). Do you? Should I?

I agree with others. I replaced a 22 yo water heater last month. It was leaking a little around the heating element. I'm planning on taking some long trips this year, gone for weeks at a time. If not for that....

[ocean view]

We’re getting a new water heater tomorrow. The old one is 14 years old, 2 years beyond the original warranty, and never flushed as they suggest. We plan to travel this summer, leaving our kid home to house sit. We don’t want our him to have to deal with this, should it fail while we’re away. My experience with water heaters is that they fail within a few months of the warranty, so at 2 years I feel like we are pressing our luck.

We also plan to replace our 18 yo fridge as soon as the Memorial Day sales begin. It has died twice in the last three years, always on a Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend. Fortunately, the replacement relay switch is cheap and relatively easy to install so we’ve repaired it ourselves both times. We discussed just keeping an spare on hand, but again, our kid couldn’t do this on his own if we were out of town. The gasket around the freezer door is also failing. That part is no longer available…so the writing is on the wall, it is time.

I’m glad to have the time to shop for replacements, rather than rush during an unexpected failure.

Other than those items, I usually wait for them to die before replacement.

[Teacher Terry]

I usually wait for them to die with a few exceptions. We had an octopus furnace years ago and the power company offered no interest loans to replace so we took it and saved money since it was much more efficient.

When I moved into my condo 2 years ago the appliance were old, filthy and apartment size instead of full size. I have lived with miss matched appliances many times waiting for them to die. I decided for the second time in my life I was going to buy matching appliances and I got full size.

My refrigerator died at only 8 years old right after we bought 500 in groceries and went on a camping trip. Came home to a stinky mess. That was unexpected as it wasn’t old.

[iloveyoga]

Only in recent years. In our younger days we would have never replaced anything still working. We have replaced our roof, refrigerator, washer and dryer, and HVAC in the last five years or so and none of them were all the way broken down yet. But some items were very old.

[Irishgirlyc58]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Replacing at 18 and 19 years seems more than reasonable. Unfortunately I had a Whirlpool washer that was still going strong after 26 years, with a $9 and a $20 DIY repair to keep it going. For all I know it's still going strong at 30, as I left in our old house to new owners. I may start replacing some appliances before they quit, like AC and HW heater. The only kitchen appliances that ever failed me were a disposal and a microwave, both easy DIY replacements. Losing a fridge or freezer would be a serious inconvenience, might do that proactively if they get too old.

My washer stopped working several years ago and I bought one from Costco for $500/delivered and old one hauled away.
I hate that thing. It won’t die!
It’s not something I would get rid of just because but I wouldn’t lose sleep over it if gave up the ghost.

I can live without a DW, MW, GD. I could even live without my stove/oven. I could get a hot plate and toaster oven until they were replaced.

[PlayinwithFIRE]

This is a very personal decision. Nobody can tell you what's important to you.

Minimizing everything, and with a nod to the current forum we are on, ROI would NOT drive a decision to making appliance changes.

There are very few appliances which will ROI in under 6 years of ownership. So if its all about COI (Cost of ownership) then run what you have until it fails.

If you have some sense of paying it forward or saving the planet, there are lots of efficiency improvements available over 10 or 20 year old appliances. These will not turn into $ in your pocket tomorrow, but on a 10 year ROI may benefit you. There is NO argument that says a polluting , energy intensive usage is better than one which is less so when you look at future conditions.

Its hard to find an ROI under 10 years on new large appliances (like frig, water heater, dishwasher etc)...but you may find things like LED lights can have a direct impact on your electricity bill , 1 month from now.

We decided (because we are leaf waving, save the future types) to spend about $14K on solar panels after rebates. In an year, we produce far more electricity than we use-how the utilities use that, is not our concern. We know we are doing our part on minimizing fossil fuels. We know the ROI is something like 8 years, but , in our view, our planet doesn't have 8 years to dick around. This is a personal decision.

The cradle to grave view of objects, appliances in this discussion , would argue that producing a "new" more efficient object costs something as well , meaning your old thing is going to a landfill and whatever efficiency gains must account for that rotting thing in the landfill . Some items do this, some dont.

At the end of this pinot inspired diatribe, it comes down to you. What do you feel is important? If its only your personal $$$, then do as you do. The planet and future generations be damned.

If you feel some need to push things in a more carbon neutral direction, then by all means - spend your hard earned $ to limit your impact on this planet.

It isnt gonna come for free, and dont expect your politicians to figure it out for you.

[retire48in2018]

HVAC - if/when maintenance costs (replacing Freon and/or boards, leaks) plus newer units can significantly reduce costs due to efficiency. We’re not there yet. Our 2 systems cost us about $350/year in extra maintenance and an extra $1500/year in higher heating/cooling than new units. So, rounding up - extra $2k/year. 2 new systems - $15k+. So, not yet. Maybe, proactive changing when extremely quiet technology has new price adjustments downward resulting from more competition. (These are $20k for 2 systems).

Appliances- dishwasher technology changed to be so much quieter than older unit - so replaced.

Fridge & double oven - we re did kitchen. Oven had hot spots & cold spots, but knew how to work around issues. Found great new deal on scratch & dent. Ordered replacement panels on them. Sold working older ones - net - paid less than 1/4 of new.

Cooktop - ordered replacement glass top & couple other parts - works and looks brand new - cost was 20% of new unit. Easy to take apart & changeout.

So overall - look at reasonable payback to replace and/or significant technology/feature upgrade.

[brucethebroker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoaringEagle1 I had the same discussion when my water heater was 22 years old. The lifespan of this water heater is 18 years max. It was still working fine so we decided to wait until it failed. I regret that decision. It failed less than a year later at an extremely inconvenient time. Water leaking on floor. We were leaving for vacation the next day. We ended up paying emergency rates to get it replaced in a time,ly manner. If we would have just replaced it at the 20 year mark then we could have saved over a thousand dollars and likely never missed a hot shower.

I have considered replacing my older water heater for the same reason as above. If you need another fridge, stove, microwave, dishwasher, etc-it is rarely a true emergency and you can take a few days to shop for a good deal. Hard to do that when you have no hot water and your WH is leaking onto the garage/basement floor.

[brucethebroker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxcreek9 replaced our 17 year old elec stove that was working because citi offered us 11x points on home improvement plus 11x points on online purchases, so a $956 stove returned $205 back in points. We then sold the old oven on FB for $175! The old "throw it on the wall and see if sticks" - someone is getting ready to sell their house and they need a ss stove to match the other appliances, didn't even try to haggle me down.

Well done!

[Badger]

With the summer coming up it is going to get hot real soon in Fl. My HVAC system is 12 years old and quickly reaching it's limits. This is about the life span limit of a heat pump system in Florida when you live a couple of blocks from the ocean. It could expire at any time. In addition to the short lifespan and cost is having to sort through the manufacturer choices and trying to compare the quality of any large appliance. Companies are bought and sold and qualities of brands change with product modifications. It is trying to compare apples to oranges. Brands that were good choice in the past are not necessarily good choices today. The past systems I have used have been either Trane or Carrier but like all the other brands they are not the same as in the past. It is frustrating trying to select any large appliance when the costs are so high but I may have to decide before the present one quits when the heat and humidity becomes a concern. It is a gamble every 10-12 years when buying HVAC or any other large appliance.
Fortunately most any other appliance would not be an emergency for us.

Cheers!


Cheers!

[sakowitzm]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoaringEagle1 I had the same discussion when my water heater was 22 years old. The lifespan of this water heater is 18 years max. It was still working fine so we decided to wait until it failed. I regret that decision. It failed less than a year later at an extremely inconvenient time. Water leaking on floor. We were leaving for vacation the next day. We ended up paying emergency rates to get it replaced in a timely manner. If we would have just replaced it at the 20 year mark then we could have saved over a thousand dollars and likely never missed a hot shower.

THIS X a million! Same experience. At 20 years, consider yourself fortunate and replace that things!!!

[old medic]

Generally no... Did surprise the DW with a new washer and dryer set about 15 years ago. She was getting tired of having to use the wringer part of the washer... LOL. With this house rebuild, everything is basically new except that same W&D set.

[latexman]

When we bought our FL condo in 2021, the hot water heater was ~ 40 years old, the plastic pan was cracked, and we are on the second floor. It was working fine, and we replaced it, and put in a metal pan!

[ElizabethT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by USGrant1962 Good question - we just had a service guy point out that our water heater is 20 years old and should be replaced. It works fine, no leaks. Interested in responses.

I would replace ASAP- how much water is in that tank, and where would it go if your water heater fails?

We were thankfully home when our 11 year old water heater failed last year. An alarm alerted us to the failure, and the amount of water being thrown off in just a couple of minutes was shocking. We stopped the rush of water by turning off the intact valve, but had we not been home? It would have been a major water claim. Our HO deductible is about the cost of a new water heater. Think of it like that, and it makes sense to proactively replace water heaters IMO.

[FIYes]

We replaced on old, but working, heating system. Our old furnace was definitely on its last legs although it was working. So a few years ago, in the SUMMER, we comparison shopped and bought a new hybrid furnace system. Not only did it prevent a breakdown in midwinter, it is much more efficient.

[Chuckanut]

I can think of three reasons to replace an old but still functioning device.

First is to replace it before it fails in a way that causes major damage or inconvenience.

Second is that the newer models have significant improvements such as using much less energy.

Third, is if you have time to patiently shop the sales and get a very good deal.

All my appliances are over 10 years old, but I am thinking of replacing the dishwasher for #2 above. It’s starting to make odd noises, rust is developing on the racks,, the detergent dispenser no longer works, it’s noisy, and it uses far more hot water than newer machines.

[rk911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack I have never replaced a working dishwasher, disposal, oven, range, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, washer, dryer, hot water heater, humidifier, furnace or air conditioner. Obviously it’s an inconvenience but the life of appliances isn’t really predictable, depends on quality, usage and maintenance/care. TBH I use most items until they break or wear out except cars (typically keep them 7-10 years). Do you? Should I?

agree. we did replace a working dishwasher about a dozen years ago but that was when we did a complete remodel of the kitchen. we put the old fridge in the garage where it's been working ever since. in fact, that old Monkey Wards fridge has been humming along since the mid 1980's! it's a frost-free model and requires no maintenance.

[MrEd]

or replace it