Making sure you’re getting the most use and value out of an investment like your home and the things in it makes a lot of sense. After all, unless you’re very wealthy, you can’t afford to be constantly buying new things as and when you feel like it. This is especially true for major appliances in your home that are connected to the plumbing system.
But there comes a time when you may have to make a decision between getting something repaired, or just replacing it outright. Most of the time, your inclination will be to save that money and spend a little less on repairs to keep an appliance or fixture going. So when does it make sense to replace something? Let’s take a closer look.
The Kitchen Sink
Odds are you’ll never need to replace the kitchen sink, or even repair it! The kitchen sink itself has no moving parts and is really only designed to hold the water that comes from your taps while in use for food preparation, or dishwashing if you don’t have a dishwasher.
However, if you should have a serious accident that actually breaches the sink, causing it to leak, it’s more worthwhile to replace it than repair it. This is especially true if you plan to sell your home, or you’re renovating your kitchen.
The Shower Top
The most common issue that will plague a shower top is leaks, and this problem, fortunately, can be dealt with through relatively minor, budget-conscious repairs. But if you’re not happy with your shower water pressure, it may be time to replace the shower top instead.
A big mistake some homeowners make in the quest for a more refreshing, high-pressure shower is to raise the water pressure for the entire home. This puts extra stress on all water pipes in the home, and may eventually lead to damage, just to get more pressure from one shower top. Instead, replace the shower top with a modern model that pressurizes the water at the shower instead of throughout the home.
The Washing Machine
The washing machine often gets put through a real workout over the years. Some issues with it, such as leaks, make more financial sense to repair, due to the lower cost and relative ease of the job.
But there are other issues that may need more expensive to repair, such as if the washing machine always moves out of place every time it’s put to use.
The age is another factor; if you’ve got an older machine, ten years or more, that’s still a top-loader, that’s much less efficient than newer models.
The Water Heater
Like the washing machine, the water heater may experience some minor issues that can be repaired, such as problems with the heating element.
Or there can be major issues where if you replace the water heater, that makes more financial sense than a more costly repair.
If your water heater is leaking, or the tank itself is contaminated, so you get rusty/dirty water from your taps, it’s time to retire the unit and get a new one.
One of the key things to keep an eye out for in your Louisville, KY home is the age of appliances. They all have different “lifespans,” and if one such appliance is past that useful threshold, you can actually add more value to your property by replacing rather than repairing it.
