So your oven or stove top has stopped working. Is it worth the repair or replacing? You ask yourself. Well, it comes down to a few different items worth thinking about, before engaging your darwin electrician. Especially in today’s consumer based society.
How old is the appliance? If it’s 10-15 years old and in good condition – it’s definitely worth repairing depending on the fault. Newer
appliances are not NEARLY as well made as the older appliances. The same with cars – A 1969 Ford falcon can still be seen driving around, though how many 1990 models do you see ? A newer appliance will break down more often and cost more in parts, is made with lighter weight materials, more flimsy and sometimes just a general pain in the neck to own.
Is your old appliance liable to have other parts breaking down as well in the short term future ? If your oven or stove top only needs a new element, repair it! Unless it’s falling apart in other places as well, rusting out or so ugly it gives you nightmares it’s worth repairing in most cases.
Is it worth repairing if the total cost of the repair is the almost as much as the original buy price? Depending on the brand, the year built and how much has been spent repairing it previously. Sometimes it could be well worth it. A $1000 oven 18 years ago would be a $3500 appliance now. Always weigh up what it’s cost and how long you have had it.
What is the cost of a new appliance and what are the benefits compared to keeping your old one? Well, sometimes the older appliances last for years, well past their used by date. I know this not just because of my job but also because we have a 1960 something oven as well as a newer model. The 1960’s unit gets used often, over a longer period, whilst the new oven has broken down twice and is only 6 years old. The 1960’s oven cost peanuts to buy, is completely original and works perfectly and over almost 50 years it has cost next to nothing to maintain. That is a good investment. Sometimes it’s worth spending a couple of hundred dollars on an old appliance because it’s most likely going to outlive the warranty period on a newer one and cost less to maintain over the life of the appliance. The parts are probably cheaper than a newer appliance as well. Sure some newer appliances come with a 1 or 2 year/s warranty. But whats the difference in price in repairing the old one or replacing with a new one. Also, if your oven/stove cost you $1000 10 years ago and it’s only just stopped heating now….Lets look at the costs.
Say you use that appliance every night of the week sometimes twice a day on the weekend.
$1000/365days = cost to use for a year = $2.70 per night
Over 10 years, that oven you’ve had cost you .27 cents a night to use. It’s looked after you pretty well and most likely will continue to if you look after it. Is it worth repairing it for just a small investment of a couple hundred dollars or starting the cycle again with a new appliance??
Always weigh up the overall investment over the lifetime of the appliance, not the initial hit to the hip pocket, value can be measured in different ways.
By Jon Story