I’m putting my first post in and looking forward to what my fellow Clarkheads think.
My wife and I have been living in this house (we own) a few years and the washer/dryer that came with the house (2004) have been doing fine all this time. recently, we noticed the washer has been stopping and holding water and the dryer has not been doing a great job of drying all the way. I know buying appliances right now are a great time to do so and I believe I have a great deal for an LG washer and dryer for $1,399+tax with install, haul away and 2 year warranty included.
Would you all see if our current set can make it another year or would you pull the trigger?
I would look to Craigslist and Nextdoor and other local places to find used appliances. You may find free ones to last you. A free manual dial washer can last a lot longer than al all-electronic, fancy one.
My last used and free washer lasted me at least 5 years longer after I got it.
Also, places like Lowes and Home Depot often have dented units here and perhaps in your area.
I’d try to fix them myself first by watching youtube videos. If that didn’t work, I would start watching craigslist and facebook marketplace for replacements that work all right but the owner is remodeling or updating. I resist buying new because I think the quality is inferior to older models.
The washer and dryer I have now are from the 1990s. I almost replaced them with more water & energy efficient ones 20 years ago when we moved in, but never did. I’ve only had 2 issues – belt on dryer broke, and washer wouldn’t stop filling – and both were easy fixes. Now I’ve jinxed it!
What would you do if one or the other broke down? Laundromat near by? Clothesline?
Or you could just go buy the LG set and be done with it. Up to you, really.
The set you have is 20 years old which is pretty good for a washer/dryer. Since you are already having problems with them I doubt they would last another year. I used to fix my older mechanical washers and dryers and they were pretty easy to fix if you know what you are doing. But if you don’t, do you want to put money into them or put it toward a new set. You could buy a used set but you may just be buying new troubles. As I’ve gotten older and have a little more money, I don’t feel like repairing appliances and the new ones are not as easy to repair.
So I can’t say if that is a good price, but, if you can afford it, I would buy new ones. But it depends on what your situation is.
Agree.
I started looking around to replace my old W&D. The appliance store (not a big box – actual appliance store) said that mine were from the “golden age” of washer/dryers, and to keep them running as long as possible!! The store also will do a repair visit, but if the item is not repairable, will credit the repair visit cost towards a new purchase.
Also – anyone I know with LG appliances has had problems.
I agree, the LG washer we had lasted three years, we replaced it with an American-made top-loader Speed Queen, that was 10 years ago and the Speed Queen has never had a hiccup. It also doesn’t stink like the LG did.
Many home appliances can be repaired, and you can probably do the repair yourself. I have used Appliance Parts Pros to get repair help and to obtain the parts I would need. With the cost of new appliances, investigating the cost of a repair may save you some money.
For the dryer, I agree with clean the vent. Both inside the dryer, and even more importantly from the laundry room to the outside. Then see how well it does or does not work.
For the washer, call and get an idea of what it will cost to get a repair estimate. Often, the cost of an estimate is waived/applied to the repair cost if you have them make the repair…
And as mentioned, your washer and dryer do not need to match.
Update: Thank you all for your input and this really helped me and my wife. We ended up not getting the deal (as tempting as it was) and we will try to keep the current units going. I found my new source for financial help!