The Home Appliances Most & Least Likely to Break Down

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The Home Appliances Most & Least Likely to Break Down
Think you’re upgrading because it’s a boutique name… think again. These everyday brands top the list of best appliances for your buck.
BY SHERYL COONAN

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Be sure to do your research on appliances before you make your purchase.

“ And many times, when you try to fix an appliance yourself, it can make it worse (hello, husbands!) and cause further frustration.”

Busy couples know that life can just be plain stressful. From the daily work grind, errands and home upkeep, bills, family, friends and trying to squeeze in the occasional date every so often, there’s not much down time (and if you have kids, your free time whittles down even more).

For young couples and families, it can be a challenge to make ends meet. So when an appliance breaks down unexpectedly, it can add another layer of stress and financial strain. With household appliances now boasting a life expectancy of just 10 years, according to the National Association of Homebuilders, it’s important to prepare in the event of a costly repair or appliance replacement.

Since information is the best way to arm yourself, we’ve come up with a list of the appliances and brands that are most and least likely to need repairs.

Least Reliable Appliances and Brands

Among the appliances that have the worst track record for breaking down are refrigerators and icemakers (another interesting bit of info, icemakers need to be cleaned every six months). To be fair, the items on this list are tallied based on the number of service calls, regardless of how major or minor the issue was. And here is a list of the 10 appliance brands that needed the most repairs in 2015, according to Yale Appliance & Lighting, a sales and service provider of appliances:

1. Liebherr
2. True
3. Capital
4. Sub-Zero
5. Bertazzoni
6. U-Line
7. Bosch Benchmark
8. Marvel
9. Gaggenau
10. Frigidaire Pro

Most Reliable Appliances and Brands

On the other hand, the appliances that seemed to need the least amount of repairs include sink disposers, hoods and grills. In addition, here is the list of appliances that were deemed "most reliable" in 2015--again, according to Yale Appliance & Lighting:

1. Whirlpool
2. Frigidaire
3. Samsung
4. Miele
5. LG
6. Bosch
7. Frigidaire Gallery
8. Electrolux
9. Maytag
10. Wolf

Peace of Mind

It’s tough to know when to repair something on your own or even when to replace it. And many times, when you try to fix an appliance yourself, it can make it worse (hello, husbands!) and cause further frustration.

Many people mistakenly think appliance repair is covered under homeowners insurance. Not so. Homeowners insurance covers the repair of structural damage due to catastrophic events like fire, water or wind damage, and it also covers you for lost items due to theft. But it does not cover large household appliances. According to TotalProtect, a home warranty covers the expense of repairing or replacing home appliances and systems (such as heat/AC, plumbing, electrical, etc.) when they break down from everyday use.

In addition to maintaining an expensive appliance per the user instructions, it’s also smart to protect yourself in case an appliance needs to be repaired or replaced. Just as you’d insure a car or a diamond ring, the same should go for insuring household appliances. The cost of repairing an appliance can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

For a complete list of the best places to buy large and small appliances, check out this article from Consumer Reports, or this appliance store buying guide.

Sheryl Coonan is a lifestyle and wellness writer and reporter out of metro Detroit.

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