Lifespan of a Washer?

[Poddi]

I have a front loader that's 7 years old and it just recently got very noisy. DH says it's getting old, but it still looks like new! It can't be wearing out already? I did on average 4 loads per week. I suspect it's gunked up inside or something, probably a wad of my family's collected long, tough hair, but DH wouldn't open it up to have a look. He says he knows nothing about repairing washing machine and won't waste his time.

My question is: how long did your last (or current) washing machine last? Would you repair one that's 7 years old? I've been very satisfied with this washer and am not looking forward to shopping again.

[allnaturalmom]

Depending on what's wrong w/it, the brand, and availability of parts, it might not be worth fixing. I've read about a noise issue developing.

Check this out, it may apply:
http://www.appliancejournal.com/appl...hers-fail-271/

I did not watch the videos. I scrolled down and read some of the comments, I believe some are even from Canada. I don't know if this will apply to you, but it may give you a little insight. I came across this site a few months ago when I was researching to buy our front loader. According to this, it could possibly be bad bearings or broken spider arm. Whatever the cause, I wouldn't wait as it will probably get worse. Sorry to hear you're going through this. :-(

gl
hth

[Poddi]

Wow that's a very informative link! Thanks! Looks like mine is probably one of those cheap junk, too. Well, it was very expensive actually. Maybe we should just buy a cheap one for our next.

[Katie T]

I had a Kenmore FL & by the 2 1/2 yr mark it wouldnt rinse anymore. I called around to get it fixed & they told me it would be cheaper to buy a new washer so thats what we did. I replaced it with a basic TL & have been very pleased.

[luv-my-boys]

well our washer is a handme down down. Literally it was my aunts then g-mas then ours. We alone have had it for 9 yrs, it was supposed to be a "temp" until we saved up for another. It works fine, I did have it service about 4 yrs ago and the guy came out and did what he does (under 100 bucks) and was like "wow you dont see these anymore" but it was well made and has a enameled drum extra larger capacity with literally tons of choices on water level, fabric care,agiation/spin. aesthically it is "well loved" but certainly does a way better job than I guess newer stuff out there. My aunt and grandma have gone thru 2 washers a piece since giving me this one and I do WAY more laundry than they ever could because of the boys.

[lifeguard]

Well ours is now 8.5 years old. We are replacing the pump on it this week (part is on order), not very hard to do.

But on front loaders it is not uncommon to get stuff caught up in the pump & if you clear it out it'll work like new again. It's pretty simple to do depending on the style of your machine - I did a tutorial on my blog about a little while back. Obviously your machine may be a little bit different but it still might be worth the effort, especially if it saves buying a brand new machine.

[SunshineJ]

Personally I think the quality that you find in more recent washers and dryers is horrible. I clearly remember my mom getting rid of hers after *20* years because she was just plain sick of looking at them! They worked perfectly. The same with my dad, stepdad and 2 sets of grandparents - theirs all lasted at least 15 years. When my ex and I were in FL we bought a GE set new. That was roughly in 1998. In 2003 the bowl of the washer just randomly split down the middle. The dryer had already been repaired a couple of times. We tried a couple of reconditioned ones (at least you only pay a little for them!) and they both broke, we rented a couple from a national chain temporarily and went through 3 of those because they quit working and flooded our laundry room, and mom got us a new Maytag that lasted less than 3 yrs!! (All this was in the span of 5 years!! My laundry room floor sparkled regularly there for a while!) Now we have inherited one that my last grandmother had purchased new a couple years ago but barely. It's working great so far, but I've already started saving for the next one just in case.....

[lifeguard]

SunshineJ - You are SO right that the quality is not the same. But part of the problem is that the cost of repairs is just so prohibitive. It SHOULD NOT cost more to repair a machine than to purchase a new one. This is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine - it seems that anytime anything in the house breaks we need to purchase new because it's more for the parts than the whole - ridiculous imho.

[SophieAnn]

My parents recently looked into getting a new washer/dryer to replace their 20+ year old machines (top loader washer).

The guy at Sears was straightforward with them and said the lifespan of these modern machines is only about 10 years....

so dad bought a part and repaired their old machine for $40.

(I really hope my machines last longer than 10 years... thankfully dad's handy)

[U2can]

Yes, the cost of repairs IS prohibitive, however the quality of the new is crap. I had a Kenmore set (top-loader) that we bought in 1980, had to replace a dryer element once. After 22 years we ended up replacing them with new, not because they weren't working, but because the sheet metal had rusted so badly on the washer top that clothes were being ruined in every load. To replace the top was 130 more than buying a whole new machine.

My new machine? Less than 2 years in & we had to replace sensors & lock mechanisms (front loader).

[bigteamug]

I have read once how much a washing machine cost in terms of percent of yearly salary in the 1950's. It was WAY different than now. So yes, cheaper machines will not last as long, nor do people regard them to be the investment that they used to.


ok - so from a website, http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1950s.html

"In 1950 the average income per year was $3,210.00 and by 1959 was $5,010.00

Fridigaire Automatic Washing machine $299.99 Florida 1952

In 1950 the average cost of new car was $1,510.00 and by 1959 was $2,200.00

If you have $100 Converted from 1950 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $835.41 today"

So, that washing machine was probably about 8% of your annual income. What is the average income today? Like $50K? So, if you spent $4K on a washing machine, I think it would last longer. In theory, Mieles are engineered to last 20 years, I think, and cost about $2K on average.

Maybe this will give a bit of perspective.....most of the machines being mentioned here cost what, like $500-$1000? I think part of the issue is that we need to think about what words like cheap and value mean, and change the manufacturers' thoughts about what matters to the American consumer. (Now there is part of the issue right there - "consumer".)

[lifeguard]

bigteamug - Thank you - fascinating to see it laid out that way.

[Eman'smom]

We bought a new one right before Christmas (isn't that the perfect time to buy a new washer ) Our old one was 5.5 years old (and yes on the outside it looked brand new). We had it repaired at the 4 year mark and the repair guy told us the average life of a new machine is 4-8 years, and anything older than 5 years they don't even bother looking at they tell you just to replace it.

Oh and I do probably 10 loads a week, so it does get serious use. Like others had said my mom has the same one that she had when I was a kid.

[KristyDi]

Mine is a hand me down. My aunt was moving about the same time my DH andI were getting married and moving in to our first place so she gave us her old washe and dryer. That was 7 and a half years ago and I'm pretty sure she had them at least 7 or 8 years, maybe longer. We've made 1 minor repair to the dryer and once the drain line came loose on the washer (took me 20 min and a pair of pliers to fix). Both are still working great.

[broodymama]

That's interesting, I didn't know the lifespan of the newer washers was that short!

Our front loader is 8 years old and has a few problems here and there, but so far it's just been stuff that DH fixed. We replaced the pump when it went out, and the rubber boot around the door (stink issues, 2 months in storage in Jacksonville during a military move wasn't good for it) but that's it so far. It still works fine, but will periodically run through an entire cycle without actually putting the water in the machine. I run between 10 and 20 loads a week (yeah family of 5, cloth diapers, family cloth, kitchen towels & napkins, bedding frequently due to nighttime accidents with 3 & 5 year olds, and I have a WAHM business where I dye clothing, silks and diapers) so it gets used a lot, I'm hoping it lasts a few more years.

About a year ago I bought a 2nd machine, a (used) Maytag top loader mainly for my business use. I haven't been as happy with it, I can tell how rough it is with my laundry. My diapers had more holes after a few months use with the top loader than they did with 4 years of use with the front loader.

[Poddi]

Update: I called a repair guy to come have a look. He just listened and told me the bearing is gone and charge me $60. He said repairs will cost $700.

Guess we should start looking for a new machine. I was tempted to just go out there and buy a cheap top loader, as I'm very disappointed front loaders have shorter life. But DH insist that front loaders are gentler on the clothes, and he says top loaders made nowadays are not durable either. Saving water is not a concern at all, we live in a water-rich area. I'm kinda longing for the clean rinsing ability of the traditional top loaders, but I obviously don't want to wear out our clothes faster either. What would you do?

[Juvysen]

ugh... ok. I was actually just coming here to post that my not-yet-6-year-old washer died last night and see what was good in frontloaders. I guess it's good to know that it wasn't THAT far from normal... *sigh*

ETA... mine was a normal top loader.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by lifeguard

SunshineJ - You are SO right that the quality is not the same. But part of the problem is that the cost of repairs is just so prohibitive. It SHOULD NOT cost more to repair a machine than to purchase a new one. This is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine - it seems that anytime anything in the house breaks we need to purchase new because it's more for the parts than the whole - ridiculous imho.

It's called planned obsolescence and it's on purpose and it's horrible.

Originally Posted by bigteamug

I have read once how much a washing machine cost in terms of percent of yearly salary in the 1950's. It was WAY different than now. So yes, cheaper machines will not last as long, nor do people regard them to be the investment that they used to.


ok - so from a website, http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1950s.html

"In 1950 the average income per year was $3,210.00 and by 1959 was $5,010.00

Fridigaire Automatic Washing machine $299.99 Florida 1952

In 1950 the average cost of new car was $1,510.00 and by 1959 was $2,200.00

If you have $100 Converted from 1950 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $835.41 today"

So, that washing machine was probably about 8% of your annual income. What is the average income today? Like $50K? So, if you spent $4K on a washing machine, I think it would last longer. In theory, Mieles are engineered to last 20 years, I think, and cost about $2K on average.

Maybe this will give a bit of perspective.....most of the machines being mentioned here cost what, like $500-$1000? I think part of the issue is that we need to think about what words like cheap and value mean, and change the manufacturers' thoughts about what matters to the American consumer. (Now there is part of the issue right there - "consumer".)

That is really interesting. We're not having problems with the washer or dryer yet, but the Kitchen Aid dishwasher has broken down at least once a year since we got it, 4 years ago.

We'll look into Miele for future products.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by U2can

Yes, the cost of repairs IS prohibitive, however the quality of the new is crap. I had a Kenmore set (top-loader) that we bought in 1980, had to replace a dryer element once. After 22 years we ended up replacing them with new, not because they weren't working, but because the sheet metal had rusted so badly on the washer top that clothes were being ruined in every load. To replace the top was 130 more than buying a whole new machine.

My new machine? Less than 2 years in & we had to replace sensors & lock mechanisms (front loader).

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

Personally I think the quality that you find in more recent washers and dryers is horrible. I clearly remember my mom getting rid of hers after *20* years because she was just plain sick of looking at them!

I agree. My washing machine was 25 years old when we freecycled it in PERFECT running order (and I'll add that we never had to have it repaired). The reason we got rid of it is because when I met dh (we are an older couple), he had bought his set only the year before. We had his in storage for several years and finally was sick of keeping anything in storage. We figured that his newer set would last us much longer, so we gave away my old, put in his new, and got rid of the storage. In just 3 years, his new set already broke once and had to be fixed. We should have kept the old set. It cleaned the clothes much better, too.

[Ellien C]

I have a 20+ year old "tank." My great appliance guy happily replaced the pump a few years ago for under $200 and told me it would get another 20+ years.

But I REALLY want a new washer. Just can't justify it with this one still working.