There comes a point in every homeowner’s life when he’s forced to face the following question: Do I spend money to repair an appliance, or does it make more sense to replace it? While some household appliances are known to last longer than others, generally speaking, the average person who stays in his home for 30 years or more will end up replacing all of his major appliances on at least one occasion. However, it can be difficult to determine at what point it makes sense to replace a given item or attempt to extend its lifespan.
As the proud owner of Nick’s Dryer Vent Cleaning, a family owned and operated business that has been serving the San Diego area since 2007, Nick Sidon is often asked to advise homeowners on when they ought to replace their dryers. However, his answer tends to vary greatly from situation to situation.
According to Sidon, the average dryer is designed to last about 10 years, give or take a few. Therefore, if a homeowner comes to find that his 10-year-old dryer is suddenly in need of repairs, then it might not make sense for him to spend the money to have it fixed, especially if the problem in question is one that will require a lot of work and a lot of money. On the other hand, if a newer dryer breaks down right after its warranty expires, then it might make sense for a homeowner to repair it, especially if it has many years to go before reaching the decade-old mark.
While Sidon agrees that younger dryers are usually worth salvaging, he will admit that there are always exceptions to this rule. If a homeowner comes to find himself faced with a major problem with his dryer, such as a broken motor or damaged heating element, then he might want to think twice before spending the money to have it fixed. Such issues tend to arise as the result of poor air flow and can often times be expensive to repair, especially in light of the cost of purchasing a replacement dryer. Therefore, if a homeowner is forced to choose between spending $400 on a new motor for a five-year-old dryer or spending $700 on a brand new model, then he might be better off opting for the latter – especially if a generous warranty is included.
If your dryer has been giving you trouble lately, then you’re going to want to do a cost-benefit analysis to see if it makes more sense to pay for repairs, or replace the unit entirely. Remember, just because a dryer might be relatively young does not mean that fixing it is automatically the wisest way to go. And considering the advances in appliance technology today, by replacing your broken dryer with an updated model, you might end up reducing your energy bills and make the act of doing laundry much easier on a whole. So as much as it might pain to say goodbye to your current dryer, if the numbers don’t add up in terms of fixing it, then you’ll be doing yourself a financial favor by simply moving on.
