Major Appliances Lifespan

We do not inspect appliances in the home other than those that are installed or considered permanent. So to be clear, washers, dryers, fridges, stoves, dishwashers and microwave ovens are not are not considered installed or permanent. Therefore, they are not inspected. However, we will point out any obviously and noticeable defect observed. If the serial numbers of the appliances are readily available, these are generally documented. But sometimes or in some cases we cannot find this data. This is particularly true with ranges because the serial number is usually at the rear of the unit which means we would have to move the range to get that data.

For prospective home buyers we suggest that they always budget to replace some of these appliances if the home is over 10 years old. This is because the average life of the appliances described above vary widely depending on use and care. As a rough guide, we can say that most appliances will last between 10 and 20 years.

As an example, lets look at an air conditioner. The range is about 8 to 20 years. The average is about 15 because the vast majority of air conditioners last closer to the high teens up to 20 years. So, if you are buying a home that is 10 years old or older and the air conditioner was ten years old, then the remaining life could be zero since it already exceeded the minimum of 8 by being 10 years old. But in reality though, it may last you 5 more years. Hence the formula below:

Remaining Life = Average Life – Current Age

In the formula above we use Average Life instead of the high end of the range which is 20 years. We think doing so is more realistic and better advice for the buyer. Below is a breakdown of appliance types lifespan and average life.

Appliances-Life-Expectancyv2

This list should be used as a guide only. Individual appliances may have longer or shorter lifetimes based on quality, usage, and care. The date of manufacture (DOM) of an appliance is usually “coded” in the serial number. We use the word “coded” because date of manufacture is not always spelt out. Letters or numbers and their sequential placement in the serial number tells you the date of manufacture. There is no uniformity across manufacturers. With every manufacturer doing his own thing, then unless you contact them you may not be able to tell the date of manufacture, and therefore no clue as to the remaining life. We uses a database that tells us the method each manufacturer uses to code the date of manufacture in the serial number of furnaces and air conditioners. In more than 98% of cases we can accurately identify the date of manufacture for furnaces and air conditioners.

We hope that this brief document provided some guidance in what to expect when buying a home where some major appliances are included in the sale.

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Qualitex Home Inspection services The Greater Toronto Area: Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Vaughn.