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infographic: repair vs. replace

Screen shot 2011-11-15 at 4.22.43 PM

Our friend Adria Saracino at PartSelect recently constructed this useful infographic to help you decide "what to do with your broken appliance - repair or replace" (click the link for the full interactive infographic)?

I can attest to its usefulness; I recently had a problem with my previously-excellent Kenmore dishwasher. This wonderful device, which has made my life so easy for 3 years now, suddenly decided that it was finished cleaning dishes on the top rack. It deigned - although I worried that this might be temporary - to clean dishes on the bottom, but not the top. After a $120 Sears service call, all was fixed: it was a matter of mineral deposits from hard water clogging up the nozzles, nothing a quick acid treatment couldn't fix.

However, many times we don't have the luxury of paying $100+ for a service call when a new appliance might be only twice or three times that cost. Who knows how long the fix would last - would it be worth paying a third of the cost of a new appliance for 1 year or service, when for the full price you could have something that would work a minimum of three - and ideally close to a decade?

This chart can help you answer these questions and more!