Is it worth repairing a 20 year old washing machine

Q: Should you repair a 20 year old washing machine?

If the machine can be fixed, then its a great idea to do so. Not only will you able to save yourself money spent on new appliances, but youll also be saving a perfectly good machine from going into a landfill or dump. In appliance repair, they dont make them like they used to” is not just an empty phrase.

Q: Can a washing machine last 30 years?

That being said, its still possible to find good washing machines that have been built to manage thousands of loads – which, depending on usage levels, can last as long as 20 or 30 years. But todays cheaper models can often only manage hundreds of loads before buckling under the pressure.

A jet plane is landing in my laundry. Or taking off, so loud is the noise coming from my least favourite room in the house.

Table of Contents Show

The do-it-yourself-with-help option
Where does recycling go?
Money and time win
Should you repair a 20 year old washing machine?
Is fixing a washing machine worth it?
Is it better to repair or replace a washing machine?
Can a washing machine last 30 years?

It's my 13-year old front loader washing machine that has accompanied me through four house moves and two kids.

As the machine still works, I suspect a minor ailment. "Probably an underwire from a bra stuck under the drum" is the provisional phone diagnosis over the phone from the first repairer I contact.

But it turns out to be a more serious condition. "Worn bearings." A textbook case.

The quote for repair — $400-500 — is quickly accompanied by the advice that has become so commonplace for appliances, gadgets and devices: "It's not worth repairing, it'll be cheaper to buy a new one."

The logic is simple. An equivalent new machine is currently on sale for $535 (interestingly, almost half the price I paid for mine back in 2004). Given my machine's age, if I do decide to spend the equivalent money on repair, there is a significant risk that something else might go wrong soon

A second opinion costs me $55 to obtain and the quote is even dearer — $500-600.

"It's done well, 13 years is a good innings for a washing machine," is the consensus of everyone I speak to in the industry.

The do-it-yourself-with-help option

Inspired by the ABC's War on Waste, I consider using a repair cafe. This fabulous initiative, which encourages you to work alongside skilled volunteers, opens the prospect of a repair taking significant time and elbow grease but less money.

A spare parts supplier confirms that the bearings are still available for my model — $90 (plus postage).

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.

The 'fixer' generation campaigning for the right to repair(Margot O'Neill)

My local repair cafe tells me they are willing to have a go. But they are only open on Saturday mornings, when my husband works and I morph into a soccer mum. And I'd need get the 65-kilogram machine down a steep flight of stairs and into a non-existent trailer to get it there.

I have doubts about how achievable a repair is. I turn to that mainstay of self-help, YouTube, and settle in to watch a surprisingly entertaining video showing how to replace washing machine bearings.

I start optimistic, despite the clear warning: "This is a big job, not for the feint hearted." Eight minutes into the 17-minute video, I am decidedly feint hearted. The skilled repairer has removed nine different components, each requiring differently tricky manoeuvres.

I am painfully aware that each step then will need to be reversed to rebuild the machine at the end.

Where does recycling go?

But for environmental reasons, I'm still reluctant to ditch my machine, especially after seeing the impacts of our throw-away culture on the War on Waste and Four Corners recently.

It's hard to be sure that your used whitegoods won't just end up as landfill.(ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson)

The manufacturer of my current model (and likely the brand I would buy again) speaks confidently of the water- and energy-saving aspects of their products but has less to say about issues created by their disposal. Their advice on the question of repair versus replace is that this an individual decision. Unsurprisingly, they strongly discourage non-authorised repair attempts.

My machine is not their problem. Manufacturers don't have to deal with their products at the wrong end of their lifespan.

The store where I am likely to buy a new machine offers to take my old machine away for $20. They are uninterested in telling me what happens to these discarded appliances and I am told, surprisingly rudely, by the head office that they can't help.

I ask the warehouse of my local store how they dispose of ditched whitegoods. "They are picked up and go to landfill," one staff member tells me. Another gives me the names and numbers of two people who come to collect the waste. This leads me on a murky goose chase.

Their main collector hangs up on me more than once after I identify myself as a writer and doesn't return my call. But the other is happy to talk: "We take them away, remove any plastic contaminants and the rest, which is mainly stainless steel, is crushed up and sold to a metal recycling company."

I speak with this next company in the chain. They say are one of the world's leading publicly traded metal and electronics recyclers. Sounds promising but then again, so did the big waste companies featured on Four Corners who ended up disposing recyclable materials into illegal landfill dumps.

Will my old washing machine get recycled if it is taken away by the deliverers of a new one? I estimate the likelihood is less than 50 per cent.

Even if it is recycled, the energy needed to do this — as well as produce a new washing machine — will result in a considerable impact on the environment.

Money and time win

Environmentally, repairing is clearly the sounder choice. But on cost and convenience, it makes more sense to replace the machine.

The numbers speak and my decision is made: I will buy a new machine and hope that my old one will be recycled.

I wish I could be more certain about the implications and I hope that next time I will make a different choice.

The hope for next time includes the possibility of Australia following the lead of Sweden where, thanks to legislation introduced earlier this year, I could have claimed half the cost of the repairs as a tax-break and in doing so, tilted us all away from our throw-away culture.

Vivienne Pearson is a freelance writer.

Posted 19 Sep 2017Tue 19 Sep 2017 at 8:03pm, updated 20 Sep 2017Wed 20 Sep 2017 at 9:37am

Should you repair a 20 year old washing machine?

If the machine can be fixed, then it's a great idea to do so. Not only will you able to save yourself money spent on new appliances, but you'll also be saving a perfectly good machine from going into a landfill or dump. In appliance repair, “they don't make them like they used to” is not just an empty phrase.

Is fixing a washing machine worth it?

Repair: If the repair would cost less than 50% of the price of a new appliance and your machine still has several expected years of life left, a quick fix could be a cost-effective solution over replacing the entire washer. An active warranty can also make any repair worthwhile.

Is it better to repair or replace a washing machine?

If your washer needs a major repair such as a new motor, tub or transmission, you're often better off replacing the washer rather than repairing it; a major repair often costs more than half the price of a replacement washer.

Can a washing machine last 30 years?

That being said, it's still possible to find good washing machines that have been built to manage thousands of loads – which, depending on usage levels, can last as long as 20 or 30 years. But today's cheaper models can often only manage hundreds of loads before buckling under the pressure.