For the third time in four years, our dishwasher is broken. Our home came with a complement of not-really-working appliances, and in the last four years we have replaced our furnace, our toilets, our bathtub, our freezer, our washer, and our dryer. We’re also replaced countless other items around the house.
As I ponder the potential demise of our dishwasher, I wonder about used and new appliances. I love to recycle, and reusing used appliances is certainly recycling. If someone is getting rid of a nearly-new appliance just to keep up with the next appliance fad, I’m happy about that. It means that I get a cheap “new” appliance. Used appliances are certainly cheap, and if you do your research and ensure that you get one with a lot of life left in it, you can be a pleased used appliance customer. I try to get used appliances dirt cheap off Craigslist or get them from a reputable used dealer who offers a limited warranty and checks out the appliances before selling them.
However, the downside to appliance recycling is that sometimes people are getting rid of their used appliances for reasons that involve more than just fashion. Used appliances can cost you more money than you bargained for. Case in point: I got a used freezer so I could freeze berries for the winter. The freezer stopped working. A day later, I went downstairs to do the laundry and discovered that hundreds of dollars worth of blueberries and raspberries were stewing in their own juice. Hours later, covered in raspberry juice, I vowed only to get freezers from reputable dealers, not fly-by-night freezer salespeople.
New appliances are shiny, if you like that sort of thing. For me, the big bonus is the fact that new appliances are often ahead of the game in energy consumption. They can save you money in the long run. An old fridge might be cheap, but a new one will not cost nearly as much in energy bills. Also, there’s that lovely warranty. Sigh.
So much to think about, so little time: with a dishwasher full of dirty water that won’t drain, I’m debating whether to call a plumber or call it quits.