One thing all of us face at some point in life is the breakdown of a home appliance that we rely on for so much in our daily lives. You need to make a decision about what to do very quickly, particularly if it’s something as crucial as a fridge or freezer. However, this presents you with a tough decision to make – do you repair or replace the faulty fridge or freezer? There are various important considerations you need to make. Cost is obviously an important factor, but so too is the convenience, ease and issues related to the environment.
On top of all that, it’s worth remembering that you won’t have much time to think about your decision. With all this in mind, it’s no surprise just how stressful living with a faulty appliance can actually be.
The Majority Tend to Choose to Repair
It was found in a recent survey conducted with Which? members that around a quarter, or 27% had experienced having a fault in one of their main appliances. The interesting thing is that 90% actually had the problem fixed, rather than replacing the appliance completely. For that matter, only 3% actually had their appliance replaced and the rest were undecided.
Although repairing is clearly a popular route to go down, the decision of whether to replace or repair largely hangs on just how old the appliance actually is. It makes sense that most would want to spend money on repairing a newer appliance than one that has seen better days.
When is it Time to Replace?
A good way of determining the right decision to make it by looking at the current value of the fridge or freezer that has a fault. This can be done easily by taking the price you paid for it and dividing it by how long you are expecting it to last. This will show how much of its original value your appliance loses each year, and gives you an indication of how much it is worth right now.
It then could be argued that if the costs for repairs are more than the appliance itself is actually worth right now, it is probably more cost-effective to replace it rather than repair it.
This theory was used by Which? to find the average point in the lifespan of an appliance where the amount you are prepared to pay for repairs is more than it is actually thought to be worth. When it comes to fridge freezers, for instance, this is nine years old. So, if you are considering replacing your fridge or freezer and its older than nine years, then it may be worth reconsidering your plan of action.
Consider the Brand and Condition of your Fridge or Freezer
That being said, this is just one specific way of looking at the problem. Other aspects that should be taken into consideration is the brand of the appliance and its overall condition too.
If, for instance, the fridge freezer is made by a well-known brand and spare parts are widely available at affordable prices, it may be worth fixing rather than replacing. Likewise, if it’s in generally good condition, even if it’s over nine years old and you’ve had next to no trouble, it could still be worth spending on the repairs rather than investing in a new fridge or freezer.
ADK.co.uk are Wembley-based and serving HVAC refrigeration installation and repair company that have lots of experience and are fully qualified to deal with all repairs and installations. If you are unsure of how best to handle your faulty fridge or freezer then, you could get in contact with them and they will be happy to discuss your options.