How often to replace appliances?

[scattered]

Our kitchen was completely updated and remodeled three years ago and we have all brand new appliances. Well, three year old appliances now. Our microwave has been like, shorting out and it will beep beep beep beep motherf'ing beeeeep non stop (it's one of those ones that's like, built in so unplugging it is a bitch) and now our dishwasher is not cleaning well. I've tried a few things, like running a clean cycle, Jet dry, etc. But stuff is basically still dirty. 

What's the average life expectancy of this stuff? Isn't three years still pretty new? It's all GE, if that matters.

[navyblues2114]

I cannot stand my GE appliances. We remodeled my kitchen 5 years ago. Our GE Profile gas range needed to be replaced while still under warranty. Our $800 touch screen microwave was replaced within the warranty as well hen three years later completely shorted out and died. We replaced that with a regular over the stove Samsung microwave and haven't had any issues yet.

My washer/dryer is whirlpool and have had those fr 8 years with no issue.

[andrewsgal]

We had to replace our microwave this year after three years it is a built in and was a bitch to replace. I would think the dishwasher should last longer.

[lala]

Longer than 3 years, I'd think. We re-did our kitchen 3.5 years ago and all of the appliances are still fine.

If you can't easily unplug the microwave, what about shutting off it's breaker and putting it back on? (no idea if that's recommended, just an idea)

[jensriot]

I think 3 years is pretty short. I expect anywhere from 5-10 depending on the appliance, or longer. Ours are all 5 years, except the fridge. I imagine I'll need to replace something soon.

[cna]

I replace mine when they stop working.

[melew]

We just moved into our house 4 years ago and all the appliances were new and we have yet to have issues (knock on wood). All of the kitchen appliances are Whirlpool Gold and the W/D are Samsung. I would think that they should last closer to at least the 10 year range. You can Google the serial numbers of the appliances and see if there are known issues and check your warranties.

[diapersnwipes]

Longer than 3 years. We had to replace a component on our stove but all of our appliances were still running after 5 years.

[cna]

Also, your problem is that you have GE appliances. I hated my GE profile refrigerator with such a passion I was EXCITED when the damned thing crapped out. I would start replacing things with a different brand (I hear good things about Samsung and Electrolux) as they start dying.

[scattered]

Yeah I was thinking three years was way too soon on the dishwasher. Frack.

So would you get in touch with the builder or go straight to GE customer service?

[scattered]

We didn't pick the appliances which I now regret. We bought this house as the builders began a remodel (it's a flipped foreclosure).

[diapersnwipes]

We had GE and the appliances did suck but that's because we picked the cheapest package available. My freezer was constantly freezing to the point the motor couldn't run. It was a pain in the butt.

[melew]

Oct 20, 2014 11:48:24 GMT -5 scattered said:

Yeah I was thinking three years was way too soon on the dishwasher. Frack.

So would you get in touch with the builder or go straight to GE customer service?

Unless there was a home warranty with the purchase of the home that would cover appliances, I doubt the builders will do anything.  I would check with GE first.

[scattered]

I lied, they're all Whirlpool. LOL dumbass. Whoops.

[megster20185]

I moved into my first house in 2009. Had to replace the dishwasher within a year. We moved out in December and the dishwasher was not working too well again.

[serendipity]

3 years seems really short, we have been in our house 9 years and the appliances that were here are going strong (though only the fridge seems to be on the way out.

Did you purchase them or did the builder?

You may have an extended warranty if you paid w your cc

[melew]

Oct 20, 2014 12:01:10 GMT -5 scattered said:

I lied, they're all Whirlpool. LOL dumbass. Whoops.

I would try the manufacturer and see what they say.  Never hurts to try.  I do agree though with the pp.  Sometimes appliances are cheaper to replace than fix.  If you do have to go this route, some states will offer tax credits/rebates for recycling old appliances opposed to putting them in the landfill.  We have an energy trust that does this.  It might offset some of the cost if you do have to replace them.  Good luck!

[louiej]

It makes me crabby that stuff isn't made to last anymore...when we moved my grandma out of her house a few years ago, her 60 year old gas range worked beautifully. I, however, have paid to fix my washer twice, and it's 5 years old.

[Rainyday]

Exactly what Toastie said, 7-8yrs is the avg life expectancy on appliances.
Not usually worth fixing. You can try to take out the filter on your DW and clean it.
We had our old one serviced one time and it really helped with the cleaning. But it was a $1200 DW so the $300 service wasn't a total loss. It's still working in our rental and it's almost 8yo. (Jenn Air)
When we did this reno we did a lower cabinet cubby with an outlet for the microwave, so not built in. It was $40 at Target 6 years ago and going strong.

[knkc]

I second calling the manufacturer. We had a problem with our 15 year old ge oven and they offered us a substantial (like hundreds of dollars off) discount on a new one if we stayed with ge. I would be really frustrated if my appliances stopped working well after three or so years.

[scattered]

Ugh see we were planning to sell this house but now we might keep it as a rental.

I hate this kind of stuff!

[Rainyday]

Oct 20, 2014 12:15:41 GMT -5 louiej said:

It makes me crabby that stuff isn't made to last anymore...when we moved my grandma out of her house a few years ago, her 60 year old gas range worked beautifully. I, however, have paid to fix my washer twice, and it's 5 years old.

My grandparents had Kitchen Aid DWs that lasted 25yrs, manufacturers were losing $$.
And they were stainless steel so they were timeless.

[vlagrl]

all of ours are still working 8 years later. I will use them until they die, although one day I would like a new fridge

[.]

Oy, more than 3 years! I think all of our appliances were original with our house (built in 92) when we moved in 6 years ago, and we've been slowly replacing them as they break. We still have the original dryer and fridge/freezer, although that's our basement beer fridge now lol because it's old an ugly.

I would absolutely contact the manufacturer; they may have had a recall that you don't know about, or they still may be under some sort of warranty. I can't imagine the builder would do anything though. Good luck

[shoesontoes]

Just a vote for Samsung when you do decide to replace, we bought their "platinum" refrigerator (which looks like stainless, but is magnetic and fingerprint resistant) earlier this year and I LOVE it.

[minerswife17]

I also replace when they quit working. We just bought a new Samsung range about 6 weeks ago and I love it! Our Samsung refrigerator is almost 5 y.o. and we've never had one issue. We will stay faithful to the brand. I had GE when I lived alone and they were all horrible. I had a GE dryer and it was replaced 3 times in less than a year.

[scattered]

Maybe we just got a shitty deal. They cut corners in other places wouldn't be surprised if they bought bum appliances too.

[lexus]

We had the dishwasher serviced... All the guy did was run two cycles of citric acid through the dishwasher. I had already googled it and cleaned the drains and stuff. It was gross. He recommended that we run the citric acid through once a month and that we run the hot water in the sink for a few minutes before starting the dishwasher. He also said that we were using too much soap. He recommended that we use the tabs to avoid that. Works much better now.