Does your environmental conscience, reminding you that your decision to possibly send another large appliance to the landfill because there is a newer and better model that could be installed in its place, throw you into a bed of guilt? You don't face this problem alone and it is a tough decision: is it better to get rid of a dishwasher with problems or should you try to repair it? Here are some arguments for both sides that will hopefully help you decide which works best for you and the planet.
In Favor of Buying New Don't feel guilty replacing an old dishwasher because most newer models are built to run more efficiently and use a lot less energy.
In fact, keeping an old clunker could be costing you more money each year to run than you would spend buying a new one.
Well, not right away, but you will see some savings.
For example, we recently swapped out an old fridge (no choice on that one, the door fell off) and noticed an almost 15% reduction in our monthly electric bill.
Plus money can't buy the happiness that comes from having a now much quieter running appliance.
So consider that over time, the cost of buying new compared to the extra money spent running your old dishwasher, will save you money.
Dishwasher Parts and Repair Maybe your appliance is still reasonably new, but has recently broken down.
What do you do when your dishwasher needs to be repaired?If your dishwasher is like the old clunker described above, replace it.
If it isn't, and it has the features you like, you may want to try and repair it.
If you have any mechanical skills and access to tools you can order parts online for many popular models.
If that is not an option, you'll need to factor in both the cost of labor and parts when considering a repair.
For a medium priced dishwasher or a high-end one the cost of repair with replacement parts could be well worth it.
But for a lower priced model, the total cost of repair may exceed the price of your machine.