How Long Do Appliances Actually Last?
A Replacement Planning Guide

Repair technicians know the numbers too. Here are the real lifespans, what shortens them, and how to decide between repairing and replacing before the technician is standing in your kitchen.

Refrigerator: 10-15 years. Compressors typically fail in years 10-13. A fridge that runs constantly or is hot on the sides is working too hard.

Dishwasher: 9-12 years. Pumps and door seals go first. Standing water after a cycle is the early warning.

Washing machine: 10-13 years.Bearings and drain pumps are the usual failures. A wash cycle that sounds like a jet engine is bearings, and it's rarely worth fixing on an older unit.

Dryer: 10-13 years. Heating elements and drum rollers wear out. Clothes taking two cycles to dry is either the element or a clogged vent, and the vent is also a fire hazard worth ruling out first.

Range/oven: 13-16 years.Gas ranges outlast electric. Igniters and heating elements are cheap fixes; a failed control board on an older unit usually isn't.

Built-in microwave: 8-10 years.

Water heater (tank): 8-12 years. The most consequential one, because it fails with 40-50 gallons of water attached, often in a closet or attic.

HVAC system: 15-20 years. The most expensive one. Annual service is the difference between year 14 and year 20.

Garbage disposal: 8-12 years.

Hard water is the biggest silent killer, scaling up water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines years ahead of schedule. Clogged dryer vents, never-cleaned refrigerator coils, overloaded washers, and skipped HVAC service each take years off the respective machine.

Most “premature” failures aren't premature at all. They're maintenance debt coming due.

The rule technicians use: if the repair costs more than 50% of replacement and the unit is past half its expected lifespan, replace it.

A $450 compressor repair on a 12-year-old refrigerator fails both tests. A $180 igniter on a 7-year-old range passes both. Run the numbers before the technician is standing in your kitchen, because that's the worst place to do math.

One more input people skip: a new appliance is usually meaningfully more efficient. A 15-year-old refrigerator can cost $150-200 a year more to run than its replacement. That gap is part of the math.

What actually matters

The repair-or-replace decision is only hard when you make it in a panic. Priced out in advance, with the unit's age and today's replacement cost in front of you, it becomes arithmetic.

The average home has six to eight major appliances plus HVAC and a water heater. With known lifespans, that's a schedule, not a series of surprises.

If your dishwasher, washer, and water heater were all installed the year the house was built, they will all reach end of life within the same few years. Knowing that in advance turns three emergencies into one planned season of upgrades, purchased on sale instead of overnight.

This is exactly what BTLR tracks. Every system and appliance in your home, its age, its expected remaining life, and a heads-up while your options are still open. The difference between “the water heater died” and “the water heater is due” is usually a few thousand dollars.

Nothing in your house fails without warning. It fails without anyone tracking the warnings.

Know which appliance is due before it quits on you.

Upload your inspection report, get your BTLR Score, and see every major system and appliance's age and expected life in one place.

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