My Whirlpool refrig is 28 yrs old. I've put two icemakers in it. Also a low pressure switch. I clean the coil on a regular basis. When I got the speil about energy efficiency, I replied it only draws 2 amps when the compressor runs. Their response? "What's an amp?"
My washer & dryer are both Sears (Whirlpool?) and 20 yrs old. No trouble at all. No leaks. I periodically blow the lint out of the dryer duct to keep it clear. Keeps the dryer from overheating. In addition, I've had a water softener at my house for 28 yrs, which helps the washer, dishwasher, water heater, clothes, etc last longer.
The dishwasher is a 20 yr old Maytag with a mechanical timer. No leaks. I recently had to repair some sections of the racks that were beginning to rust.
The microwave is an original Amana that's ~ 28 yrs old. It's above the stove with a true ducted vent hood. It's not as fast as the newer models, but it has a cook-to-temp probe which is very handy. No guessing or boiling coffee!
My electric stove is rather poor though. What I do like is that the controls are on the front, like a gas range, instead of the rear. So I don't have to reach over a boiling pot to lower the temp. I suspect the lawyers did away with all electric models like mine years ago. I need to do some R&R on it. The oven thermostat is spot on though. If I had gas in my neighborhood, I'd of switched to a gas range years ago...
Lastly, my house AC unit is about 23 years old. It's a Janitrol, which is pretty generic. 15 years ago, I studied up on AC systems and hired a tech to replace the cap tube/flow rater with an expansion valve. We also fixed some mistakes the installers made. The efficiency went up, & the humidity in my house dropped. I also sealed the plenum box, and clean both the evap & cond coils on a regular basis. I also check the fan blades on the squirrel cage blower for gunk. Since sealing everything up, they never get dirty. Makes a big difference. I live in a hot, humid area, but the humidity inside rarely rises above 40%. As I type this now, it's 30%. Mind you, this is a 28 yr old house too.
Years ago I decided to educate myself on all this stuff to minimize my chances of being ripped-off & taken advantage of by salesman & unscrupulous repairman. That education has saved me a bundle over the decades.
One last note: I'm suspicious of the front load washers and new breed of dishwashers. For one, they're outrageously expensive & complicated & billed as saving 'water & energy'. One friend with a Bosch dishwasher said it takes nearly an hour & a half to wash a load of dishes on the normal cycle! So he only uses quick wash now..and they prewash the dishes! It's also smaller inside than my old Maytag. It is very quiet though.
Another one bought a front end washer and commented on how long it takes to wash a load of clothes (~1-1/2 hrs??). She also complained of the smell of mold (???) on some of her clothes. She says really dirty clothes aren't cleaned well because the thing uses so little water. So she washes them again. They paid more than $1200 for this thing. I noticed on my water bill that 1500 ga costs me only $3.25. With water that cheap, you'd never recover the savings before the washer expired.
More marketing hype......
