Posted on 05/13/2017 9:10:35 PM PDT by grey_whiskers
Remarkable
You can put surge protection outlets over the existing outlet. They usually turn 2 outlets to 6, and they have some surge protection built in that can help prevent excess power coming into the appliances at that point. You can also get a home surge protector that can be wired into your house panel to give protection to every circuit right at the breakers.
There is a whole house surge protector from Amazon that is only $86. You have to find space for it on the panel near the main breaker. I think I will have an electrician do it because I hate messing with panels. I would hate to fry in order to keep my appliances from frying.
Eaton home surge protectors. You can put them in yourself if you shut down the entire panel at the mains just to be really safe. Then you don’t have to worry about any of the side buses being energized. You just need two adjacent spaces free because it protects each 120v bus.
And also it does not have to be right next to the main breaker if you can’t do it easily. It will still protect the house further down the panel. If it is not hard to put underneath the main, then do it. But if the open spaces are down a bit, that should be okay.
1980’s wage 4 to 5 dollars an hour. Today !2 to 15.. that is why things coast more..
Have I? No- but we dealt with a fella from a company who was hired for their obsolescence department- We dealt with thigns such as dehumidifers, washing machiens etc and was commentign on how they didn’;t last very long (we bought several new dehumidifiers and they were fubarred within a few months time under a year- tried a couple of brands too- We got ahold of an old old one at a garage sale- looked like it wouldn’t work, but have been using it for several years now- no fancy electronics, thing rattles terrible, but it just keeps working-) and the fella described his job to us and how they are designed that way now- although usually they last longer than ours did-
Toasters are another item that fail quickly these days- Again- we got ahold of an old model- and it just works- it aitn pretty- no shiny chrome or anythign electronic about it- handle is busted- but still works-
Anectdotal evidences I know, but backed up with what the fella described about his department- I believe things are designed ot break and stop working much quicker htese days- Heck- we even have a washing machine decades old now- had to replace a few minor parts- but still working- no expensive elctronics panels to replace- no diagnostic tools needed - just replace rubber parts or dial knob, or whatever- and it keeps on working-
My Wife bought a new GE range last fall to replace our 30+ year old stovetop and oven.
The new “GE” range was made in china by haier. It’s the biggest POS appliance that I have ever came across. Soup cans have thicker sheet metal than this thing.
I’ve installed and repaired all of the appliances that I have ever owned, and the price vs. build quality on the new appliances are way out of whack with reality.
Ive got a whole house surge protector but it hasn’t helped with ceiling fan remote chips.
and the extended warranties aren’t worth the paper they are printed on
ethanol kills small engines.
We have installed a whole house surge suppressor and plug all appliances and electronics into surge protectors. Mostly works great for power fluctuations. We did get a really nearby lightning strike several years ago that fried a handful of unprotected items. But it could have been a lot worse.
I’m trying to buy a high end dishwasher now and can’t because they’re all junk.
Don’t look now, but a Korean company will be making appliances in the U.S.
As for lasting 20 years, try the simpler home appliances. Contrast a car to a microwave. If something goes wrong with a microwave, you throw it out. It’s “totaled,” meaning not worth repairing. But, with a car, if something goes bad, you repair or replace that one thing. Cars are so expensive, that they’re only totaled when they sustain significant damage.
If you do buy a top-end home appliance, e.g., a refrigerator with things like an ice dispenser, consider buying a warranty along with it. Let the manufacturer worry about repairing it or totaling it. Or, buy multiple simple appliances. One to refrigerate and the another to make ice.
Instead of buying a top-end refrigerator with ice-make costing $1500 to 3000, buy one of these along with a simple refrigerator:
https://www.amazon.com/ice-makers/b?ie=UTF8&node=2399939011
“built like a Russian tank”
I love it!
Free trade is always good for the country that practices. All those agreements, NAFTA, etc. are NOT free trade. They are managed trade with government controlled benefits and liabilities for certain entities. Calling these managed trade agreements “Free Trade” is a device of the government controllers to make people think that actual free trade is detrimental.
My water heater is 20 years old!
... on the plus side, the dishes *were* dry.
I don’t lose sleep over this but I really would like to buy new appliances. Those I have are sinfully ugly. The washing machine is a youthful 15 years, the dryer about 30, my dad bought the fridge in 1976 and the stove I found in an old house I bought, it has to date to the 1930’s.
But they are reliable.
I can afford new. Then I start shopping and shopping starts with reading reviews and becoming informed.
After that, my old appliances are as safe as my grandparents. Not gonna be shown the door because they’re no longer shiny and sleek.
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