‘What a week!’ What do you do when 3 home appliances fail at once?
Here’s hoping trouble really does limit itself to clobbering us in sets of three. If so, I’ve already used up my ration for a while.
Who says houses and appliances aren’t vindictive?
I’ve always known that cars and computers can be malicious, but I thought home was a safe haven.
Don’t get me wrong. With all that’s going on in the world, having a house on a rampage is a hangnail in the grand scheme of things.
We have a roof over our heads, comfy beds in which to sleep, food to eat, people we love and a beautiful, compassionate community enfolding us. I’m profoundly grateful for what we have, especially when it works.
I’m a big girl. I can handle adversity. Even a spiteful house.
But so many hits, all at once?
Three — count ‘em, three — appliances bit the bullet within five days in the last week of August. They’re all between six and 13 years old.
I’m not talking about waffle irons and hair dryers.
The equipment failures involved a 50-gallon water heater that doesn’t heat, a central air conditioner that doesn’t cool and the freezer portion of a large, built-in refrigerator-freezer unit that no longer does what it’s supposed to do, which is keep our Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, tater tots and peas frozen solid.
What’s wrong with my refrigerator?
The long-suffering fridge repairman says the jig is up. Essential parts aren’t available anymore for the 48-inch-wide, 13-year-old, side-by-side model that the manufacturer doesn’t even manufacture any more.
What ever happened to appliance longevity?
Wouldn’t you know it? According to a study from the National Association of Home Builders and Bank of America, “the typical standard fridge lasts 13 years.”
Which leaves me with half a side-by-side fridge that works and another half that’s defunct.
No, I don’t want to convert the dead half into a planter or a bookshelf.
I’m faced with buying a replacement appliance I cannot afford — if I want one that fits in the cabinet-encircled hole that was built for the original appliance — or a smaller fridge that looks clunky and awful.
That spot happens to be a focal point in our great room, kitchen, dining room and living room.
I really don’t want a fridge that’s shorter and narrower than this one, which would stick out to trip anyone in the barely 5-foot-wide aisle of our kitchen area.
It’s a busy, busy workspace. The side-by-side is across from the range cooktop. Two people trying to pass each other through that area already play bumper-butt, even with the fridge door closed.
Anybody for an ice chest?
What’s the cost of hot water?
Moving down the appliance revolt line, do you know what it costs to buy a new 50-gallon water heater, have it installed and haul away the heavy old one?
Various estimates I got — given the awkwardly tight, built-in location between the home’s outside wall and our dryer — were in the $1,800 range.
COVID-19 pandemic inflation hits again, I guess.
How much did we pay six years ago for the 6-year-old water heater that just failed, including installation and disposal? About $500.
It had a five-year warranty. Figures.
I hate cold showers. I’m shivering just thinking about it. Cold water on the back of the neck at 6 a.m. is torture.
Air conditioner parts can’t be fixed
What about our central air conditioner? Its compressor and other components failed, and must be replaced. Not fixable. The parts are on order. Who knows when they’ll arrive? Not me.
We can’t give up on it, especially because it’s connected to our forced-air furnace.
A/C is less essential in Cambria than in Paso Robles or San Miguel, for sure. But we all know what can happen, heatwise, in September and October, and climate change has been wreaking havoc all over the world.
What a week! Please let the troubles stop now.
Home warranty covers some expenses
Fortunately, not all of our home appliance fixes are going to be out-of-pocket.
If it had been a bad week for us, it was a worse one for our home warranty company.
Unfortunately for us, our warranty contract doesn’t cover all the expenses.
It’ll pay for the air conditioner rebuild, I think, but there’s a cap on the refund for coolant. The last time that appliance was fixed, the extra coolant cost us $200.
The warranty covers the water heater purchase (whew!) but not some items now required by building and plumbing codes. That’s another $625. Yup, more than we paid for the heater six years ago!
The side-by-side refrigerator? We’ll get back a third of what it would cost to buy one of the same size, shape and assets, assuming we go that costly route.
Before they cut the check, though, we must select and buy the new side-by-side, wait for delivery (delays for some are four or five months, I’m told) and have it installed. Only then can we submit our bill for the one-third reimbursement.
Meanwhile, we’ve permanently paid for the rest.
Sadly, we’re not alone in appliance hell.
According to a report in The Washington Post, the American Home Shield home warranty company says the most common service requests within the first year of home ownership are for “air conditioners, plumbing leaks, water heaters and refrigerators.”
Misery loves company, I guess.
But all at once? Come on, trouble. Give us break.
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 3:19 PM with the headline "‘What a week!’ What do you do when 3 home appliances fail at once?."
