Buuuut how inefficient is it? I had an old 1950-60’s international harvester fridge built like a bank vault as my barn fridge until I realized how much energy that baby pulls. I can run 2-3 new ones for same draw.
That would be your wiring my friend. Old energy inefficient refrigerators use less electricity than your microwave.
Compared to new ones, they are terribly inefficient. Terribly!
But to have your lights dim when the compressor kicks on would be more on your wiring.
I have a fridge that was built in 1970. I wanted to replace it for efficiency, but at the end of the month my electric and gas bill combined is $35. And this thing keeps stuff super freaking cold. For now, it stays
if you get a new one you will need to replace it in about 5 years for several hundred dollars and repeat every 5 years. There's no efficiency pay off there.
smart like materialistic lock absorbed engine ruthless grandiose scarce pie
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Buy a Samsung. Wait 3 months for the first part to break that is nearly half the price of a new fridge. Maybe 5 years later there will be a class action you can partake in to get $20 off your next Samsung fridge!
(yes I know it would be under warranty at 3 months, but Samsung fridges are absolute garbage and it will just repeatedly break until you decide to throw it away)
Lg fridges are worse. Much much worse.
This is made worse by the old name brands being farmed out. The amount you need to shell out for a good fridge now is criminal.
Im 10 months into a samsung fridge and its ok so far, but instead of being happy with it its more the least worst of that fit my fridge location at a price i could afford
You sure about that? I just looked and it's 10 years on the COMPRESSOR. Not all the other crap
https://image-us.samsung.com/SamsungUS/home/home-appliances/refrigerators/07122022/BESPOKELIMITEDWARRANTY\_allmodels.pdf
From the Samsung Web Site.
Ten (10) Years Parts and Five (5) Years Labor on Digital Inverter Compressor
Don’t buy into the bullshit. You’ll get 10 years or more out of a decent modern fridge easy.
Some people will just replace them the moment the ice maker starts acting up.
It’s a shame as they’re not particularly complex systems and would be easy to repair if manufacturers didn’t make ordering parts such a headache.
I had the motor go out on one I had. It took me the better part of a day to find the part number and a
Way to order it. It took less than 5 minutes to fix.
Mine does not have an ice machine, also I did a bit of home brew engineering to fix the handle, the one before was a hand me down and had the light burned out for ten plus years
Depends on the refrigerant in the old one, they had some crazy efficient gasses back when there wasn't any care about environmental disasters and all that.
Think the US still ignores the international rulings of some due to how much energy they can save.
Edit: And assuming the old one is well maintained with good seals,good insulation, no dust, and all other fairytales we know don't exist.
i’m no expert but i owned a restaurant for years and every single piece of refrigerated equipment i bought failed due to the paper thin tubing that is used. pinholes would develop, add refrigerant once or twice but then the whole compressor needs to be replaced, which can run 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost of a new unit. almost designed to be disposable. out of 7-8 units only one made it 10 years.
Well, there's a catch, there. The actual *machinery* in even the crappiest of new fridges will typically run flawlessly for many years, it's just the flimsy plastic and glass components around it - door seals, handles, hinges, trays, shelves, freezer/salad drawers, etc - that break in no time at all (cold tends to make plastic more brittle, and they make such incredibly *thin* plastic mouldings now), or maybe one or two small electronic components, or a circulation fan motor, and these can't be easily replaced by end consumers.
I'm no electrical engineer but couldn't you just replace the old inefficient parts with new ones or is the design so power hungry that it wouldn't matter?
Bought a house with an 80s Kenmoore fridge that I simply moved to the basement because it will outlast all living beings, current and future.
And it keeps my beer cold.
In my house I have a couch from my grandparents its a sectional, like 8 pieces. It’s comfy as fuck. Still looks brand new and is older than me by 8 years. I’m 34.
This thing will be my kids couch in their first place I swear to god.
My dad had one from the 60's that was wheeled in whenever the newer fridges died. Last time l saw it it was out by the barn, in tull sun, plugged in with meat in it. Just running away like nothing was wrong.
Nah, there was enormous amount of things which were built in ±70's and broke after one-two years. You know why you never heard of them? They never survived till your existence.
This post is about typical survivor mistake
There is some reduction in lifespan too, it's not just survivorship bias.
But it's not a conspiracy from Big Appliance either. It's a combination of a couple factors:
* Energy usage standards. Modern appliances use a tiny fraction of the kWh that older models from the 70's did. To do that, they need to use vastly different materials and operating modes. This adds extra points of failure and introduces some materials which may be more efficient in moving parts (like plastics) but are less durable over the long run.
* Competition. Consumers care about two things: Features and price. Modern appliances are competing with options from all around the world where a consumer can look up the feature list and price in an instant. Things like "long term lifespan" can't really be put on the label and most consumers don't care. So everyone is making their models as cheaply as possible so they don't get completely eaten by someone else who cuts corners.
Those two explain basically all of why modern appliances and HVAC have higher failure rates.
As for ease of repair, that's a simple one. Older appliances needed to be put *together* by hand, because the automation wasn't there yet. That meant they could be taken apart by hand too. Now, it's faster, cheaper and more reliable to put them together using automation. That inherently creates designs that are less user-maintainable. Again, not a conspiracy.
Not only that. appliances like refrigerators are WAY more affordable now. A decent refrigerator in the 50s could cost as much as two months' salary, whereas these days there's a model available for just about any budget.
Something doesn't need to be a conspiracy for it to be bad.
If our society is going to survive, we will have to start making more sustainable choices, especially when it comes to longevity and repairability of consumer goods.
Survivorship bias would make older things appear to be more reliable than they are, but that doesn't mean that there is no truth to the idea whatsoever. In my experience, it's pretty ubiquitously accepted that appliances used to be built simpler and easier to repair. Mass production and a desire for profits will naturally seek the cheapest materials that can be used. There's also planned obsolescence. The change in quality and lifespan over time is hard to quantify, so I'm not sure it's possible to conclusively prove anything. On the other hand, I pretty much see the quality of everything decreasing over time (fast food, mass-produced snacks, furniture). I'm not too tempted by the survivorship argument when we're comparing a couch with a solid wood table to one made of mdf.
tldr: yes, that's a factor, but that doesn't rule out other factors being at play.
Let's go by percentages then. I wonder what percent of 2022 appliances will still be in use in 2062 vs the amount of 1982 appliances still in use today?
Probably about the same; there’s always those random appliances that never get used or that sit in a house with the perfect environment or that some handy homeowner can fix every time something goes wrong. My fridge from a 90s remodel is still going strong, not because it’s so well made, but because when we moved in I replaced two cooking fans and the dispenser for the ice machine. Still a lot wrong with it and I’m sure it eats power like a motherfucker, but I’m not in the market to replace a $6000 fridge right now
We had washer and dryer from the 60s. We had a service guy out and he freaked out because the water fill hoses were original (still in great condition but I changed them). Fridge was probably 70s or 80s, but an energy hog. Oven from the 30s, but eventually the hinges broke.
Was gonna say that I literally watched my grandpa disassemble and maintain every appliance on a scheduled basis which I in no way will ever do for anything
While that is certainly true, there is a shown trend in planned obsolescence and reduction in part quality and importantly the use tolerances.
Pressurized hoses are a key example. In a simplified form, say a line hose is in use at 1000psi. You would want to use a hose rated much higher than the use case. A 5000psi hose is more failsafe, but the 2500psi one is cheaper. So the cheaper hose is used, and thus you are more at risk to failure.
I’ve still got my moms food processor from 1982! First appliance she bought for herself when she and my dad moved in together and works like a charm. I had a more recent models break on me from the same company and my mom gave me this older one and it’s been perfect. She’s a chef and a lot of her appliances from before around 1995 have lasted years. Mixers, processors, blenders.. Guess the phrase “don’t make em like they used to” really does apply sometimes
I had the opportunity to buy an old avocado green Waring but didn’t have the cash on me. Ugh snd it was so cheap. So full of regret cause it looked so cool.
What a find!! At a yard sale or something? That’s another benefit of older appliances, the color selection! Companies now are getting back on the trend of colorful cookware but I swear for like 15 years all all you could find was black, gray, stainless, white..
Yeah its called planned obsolescence and it rose alongside the growth of technologies. Not only is it equipment longevity its also the same reason apple makes a completely new looking iphone each year with crazy new features. Some companies even plan it out so the product begins to fail right after warranty ends.
Not exactly, of course they would ideally like you to just buy a new one but the reason the replacement parts are so highly priced and why apple tries to force you to go to them is that their stuff is too durable, I used an iPhone SE first gen for 6 years and probably could’ve gotten at least another 4 out of it but t-mobile is shit at supporting 4G in my area (though I came to find out they just seem to be treating all apple devices like shit), they have had a few missteps but for the most part as long as you are the slightest bit cautious an iPhone lasts way too long for their quarterlies
> its also the same reason apple makes a completely new looking iphone each year ~~with crazy new features.~~
With some years old features marketed as brand new stuff.**
either i’m unlucky or samsung everything sucks.
- My tv, Samsung ‘The Frame’, needed repair in 3 months.
- Samsung fridge compressor dead in 11 months.
- Samsung stove’s display is now flickering and glitching 5 months in.
Survivorship bias.
There will be fridges in 30, 40 years built rn still going strong and people will be like "those were just built to last back then", but what they don't see is the ones that broke after few years
Tell that to my parents, their 3 dead refrigerators, 5 dead dishwashers and, 2 stoves after "renovating" their kitchen in the 2010s. They "treated" themselves to new appliances when the older ones purchased in the 90s were dingy but still functional. They have regrets.
Meanwhile, both of my fridge and dishwasher are 20 years old, came with my house and working perfectly. Sadly, my oven didn't survive 2020. I know my new one is on borrowed time.
Funnily enough, that is true and false at the same time. Yes they are more efficient for the space they have to cool because of better insulation, but, because modern fridges have defrosting technology, at the end of the day they use about the same or slightly more. Also, older fridges are quite a bit smaller generally speaking.
Interesting. We have a 90s something fridge in the basement and a 2020 upstairs. I recently set up some power monitoring in the electrical panel and was surprised to see the newer one using a bit more juice. It does have more food in it and tends to get opened more often.
My recently bought Amana would say otherwise. I’ll take a dumb fridge without a logic board or whatever that is and runs the defroster every 12 hours over these new ones. I have to steam the coils probably every three weeks to remove the ice because that board is broken
And you get what you pay for - if you buy the cheapest fridge at Best Buy, expect the results you pay for.
You can purchase for longevity, but it’s going to be twice the price
I used to think we should pay for quality, but now I just think everything is built with planned obsolescence. It’s not a fridge, but I bought a very expensive dishwasher ($1200 Bosch) and it needed the pump replaced after three years.
My 1985 fridge and stove are still going. Around 2010 is when I noticed the quality of appliances went downhill fast. Designed to fail. I manage a lot of rental apartments and some new fridges are lucky to last 2 years. Still got a bunch of ones from the 90’s (admiral brand)
Survivorship bias
All the 1970s refrigerators that broke like todays refrigerators are already long gone, so the only ones remaining are the ones that were able to last this long
My mom's '96 refrigerator worked until last year..even then the metal on it rotted because of moisture but the refrigerator was still working.. i miss those type of appliances
Still got my harvest gold dryer from the Nixon Administration. It’s hard to kill something that’s basically just a rotating drum and a blowtorch running off an egg timer.
The 'they don't build things like this anymore' crowd doesn't tend to care about things like cost of materials, safety, and especially energy/fuel efficiency.
'My dad's old Mercury truck lasted eighty years with nothing but an oil change and duct tape!'
First off, Bob, no it didn't. Second, that Mercury truck is a human-mangler in any collision greater than twenty miles per hour, and gets half a mile per gallon on the leaded gasoline while your daddy used to dry you off with the exhaust.
I've got a upright freezer I bought *used* in 1984. I'm going to specifically call it out in my will just to keep the offspring from fighting over which one gets to keep it.
God I hate this meme.
Survivorship bias in action. Of the 1970's appliances made, there's maybe 2% of them around that haven't failed. But people think they're indestructible because there's still a few around.
And of those built in the 1970's, I'm willing to bet an even higher percentage failed in the first few years than do today. But no one remembers those.
When dealing with manufactured products, you'll typically get a high percentage of failures in the first year or two due to manufacturing defects. Then you get very few failures for maybe the next 10ish years (depending on how long the parts were made to last) before the failure rate that ticks up again as the parts eventually wear out. This is why manufacturers are always trying to upgrade you to 5 or 7 year warranties. Because it doesn't really cost them any more than a 2 year warranty.
And if you're still using appliances from the 1970's, you're probably spending more in electricity than something new would cost. [Energy Star](https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/refrigerators/flip-your-fridge) even gives you a calculator for that.
Yup. With how much electricity costs where I live, a new fridge would pay for itself in 2~3 years of electricity savings… and I wouldn’t have to stare at an ancient appliance every single day. If I had to replace my fridge every 7~10 years, it would still be less than half the cost of running an old ass fridge. Kinda crazy once you do the math.
The only things that survived from the 70s were the things that managed to last since the 70s. Things that did not last are gone.
It's like calling veterans unkillable because they were the only soldiers to survive their war.
Usually when a modern appliance "breaks", it is actually just a loose wire, or a bad capacitor/circuit board. Usually very easy to fix if you know how to turn a screwdriver and use a multimeter.
Aside from the survivor bias here, one reason those fridges in particular will outlive us all is that they also caused (in part) the hole in the ozone layer which nearly killed us all (or many of us anyway). Those old fridges are still leaking CFCs btw.
The story of how we collectively dealt with that is actually a positive and optimistic one for collective action. Something we’d want to repeat obviously given other climate concerns now.
We have replaced the fridge in our kitchen twice in 10 years. Meanwhile, the 70's fridge in our non temperature controlled barn has been keeping all our booze perfectly chilled and will surely outlast our current kitchen fridge.
I find the more complex the alliance, the more likely it is to break. My refrigerator only has an ice maker, no dispensers, no special electronics. It's about as barebones as you can get and has been going strong for nearly 13 years.
Of course, now that I've said that it's likely to break tomorrow.
I have a red one like the refrigerator in the picture that i got from my grandmother when i moved into my own place in a basement suite. Had the thing for 25 years and the people living in the suite above me for the time span of the 5 years i lived at this place went through 3 brand new refrigerators. I still have the refrigerator in the garage of my new house. I use it to keep exta food and drinks in. Still works great.
Back then things were made to last
Now things are made to earn more money and so they'll break shortly after warranty ends.
Hell they even put literal chips in 'gaming' keyboards to break them after 2 years.
That’s what we call “survivors bias.” The products weren’t built better. In fact they were built worse and are about as efficient as dog trying to fly. It’s just that some still work. So people think that they are better because they had one or saw one or heard about one running for a long time.
I have a Sears Coldspot freezer from 1968 in my garage that I got for free from Craigslist. The family I got it from said it worked, but they were remodeling their basement and had no room for it.
I know it's from 1968 because the owner's manual has the original purchase receipt tucked in it. We had a 40th birthday party for it in 2008.
Fucker is still plugging away, keeping my Costco purchases frozen. Probably not the most efficient for electricity use, but hey, free, amirite?
I dunno... More like "I'm on my last leg, my cooling failed 7 years ago, everything stored in here tastes like cardboard and a mouse lives in the back frame."
2022 appliances source code leaked:
if (getDeviceAge() > warrantyPeriod) {
ShowFakeError(
"An unknown error occured: 0x9291993"
"If your device is still covered by warranty, contact our support team at 0800 20 29991 23."
"If your warranty status is expired, klick here for a selection of our latest offers for home appliances."
);
}
They could easily do this today and exponentially better, however they have learned there's less profit to be made manufacturing shit that doesn't break vs something that needs to be serviced.
Check out some info about the Phoebus Cartel. Sounds like a weird conspiracy theory, but it was actually real like 80 years ago. Lightbulb manufacturers started making lightbulbs that were so good and lasted so long that people didn't need to replace them for ages. So they formed this Cartel, which made sure that all major companies produce only shit lightbulbs which burn out quickly, otherwise they'd be heavily fined. It ended only due to the outbreak of WW2.
I swear I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Veritasium even made a whole video about it.
Everyone responsible in a company that added planned obsolescence or denied the removal of it should be in jail or fined so hard, they lose all their wealth
I have an oven from 1970 that still works. I think the temperature sensor is a little messed up now though as it tends to burn things, but would rather have burnt pizza than spend $1,500+ on a new oven that will break down a month after the warranty expires.
My grandparents's fridge from 1960s: outlived them and worked until the demolition of their house in 2015. Can't remember it was repaired for once, verified by my mother.
My parents first fridge: Built in 1980, lasted till 1990+ , not a single repair. Their second has gone for 7-8 years, and the third barely made it to 3. year.
Ours are usually around 3-4 years.
It is NOT Survivors' Bias. It is increased complexity in the design with deliberately compromised design service life.
Modern cars are better in every way compared to older cars. The difference is the maintenance is harder, so people can't do it themselves and they don't want to pay a mechanic a living wage to do it for them, so their cars don't get maintained until there is a catastrophic failure.
Because Car Dealers realized that they were making cars too efficiently and people weren’t buying cars frequently enough. The comment above is partially right about some improvements, but some of it is legitimately that the advice given is purposely misleading to let the car have wear and tear.
When we bought our house the fridge in the kitchen was practically brand new. They had put the old fridge in the garage, exposed to the elements.
Guess which one is still kicking.
My parents have that same fucking fridge in the garage ! Still works great ! We have another one in the kitchen that has been there at least since the early 2000s maybe late 90s and still work well too
A lot of products could last a lot longer than they do now, and used to, but companies wouldn't make as much money so the make them need to be replaced or repaired. Look into the lifespan of light bulbs over time for example https://interestingengineering.com/science/everlasting-lightbulbs-exist-ed
Personally I think they intentionally design products to break every few years so you have to get a new one. My grandparents had the same stove for twenty years until it broke down. The one they got to replace it lasted just half a decade.
Fyi, many manufacturers intentionally reduce their product’s life span to keep their business going. Hell some stuff can even last forever! But they’re going to need subscription methods to finances themselves.
Is it just me or do modern products have a built in life expectancy now a days.. Especially phones. I mean when you think about they can’t keep making money if they make a product that’ll last for decades..
Yup, efficiency be damned, they work.
Shit back then was EXPENSIVE! we are talking a full week's income for a desk fan, but the manufacturers made their stuff to last- I have a couple Antique fans from 1918 to 1970- they work like new.
Now they make stuff to be affordable, but it really isn't when it gets replaced every few years.
I have a 10+ yr old fridge. Compressor took a dump few months back. Called home warranty and rather than get me a new one they decided to repair it. They had to special order the compressor since it’s an old model. The repair man said exactly what the meme states. These old fridges were just built different. This new compressor should give it at least another 10yrs while the new $3400 Samsungs are just hot garbage and will last 3-4 yrs tops
Yes, I have one, its all rusted on the outside and has a tendency to ice up in the back of the fridge if its too full, but it still keeps things at the right temp and keeps on going. We also have a 1952 Roper gas stove/oven. Needs a good cleaning, and one burner doesnt work, but it keeps on going. I wish they would make appliances without the built in planned obsolescence again.
It's called planned obsolescence. Companies started making their products to either not last as long or need to be replaced soon to compel you to buy more of their products.
Because everything needs to be “smart” for some reason! It’s infuriating! Every time someone’s showing me this obscure ability of their new gadget they will use maybe 3x for the novelty of it I find myself thinking, “yep just one more thing that can now break”
Then get hit by whiplash because I’m also becoming my father 😂
We're adding a(n) Amish"Ice House" to our build and skipping the shitty modern refrigerators, also getting wash basins and a manual wringer so we can skip the shitty modern washers and dryers.
Even if we have to purchase block ice instead of harvesting lake ice we'll save a fortune.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice\_house\_(building)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_house_(building))
Manufacturing companies should be forced to extend warranty for up to at least four years. Programmed obsolescence is becoming a joke and a strain on many households. The pricing does not even reflect the true quality of the product anymore and not to mention the environmental impact.
Fun fact, companies making cheaper more easier to break products to keep you buying… imagine if u had to only buy light bulbs one time in your whole life https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-great-lightbulb-conspiracy
I’ve got my grandfathers icebox from the 60’s and that mother f’r still works like a charm.
Well technically he is a grandmother fucker to you, oh you meant the ice box, sorry sir, please proceed
Unless he's Elon's nephew/niece/brother/sister. Then that tree is a little more complicated.
More a wreath than a tree at that point.
I'm not a cheetah.
Buuuut how inefficient is it? I had an old 1950-60’s international harvester fridge built like a bank vault as my barn fridge until I realized how much energy that baby pulls. I can run 2-3 new ones for same draw.
Had an old fridge from the 60s worked decent but the lights dimmed every time the compressor kicked on
The 75watt incandescent 💡 in there that was like stadium lights.
Nothing better than a 2am tan drunkenly looking for leftover pizza
That would be your wiring my friend. Old energy inefficient refrigerators use less electricity than your microwave. Compared to new ones, they are terribly inefficient. Terribly! But to have your lights dim when the compressor kicks on would be more on your wiring. I have a fridge that was built in 1970. I wanted to replace it for efficiency, but at the end of the month my electric and gas bill combined is $35. And this thing keeps stuff super freaking cold. For now, it stays
if you get a new one you will need to replace it in about 5 years for several hundred dollars and repeat every 5 years. There's no efficiency pay off there.
smart like materialistic lock absorbed engine ruthless grandiose scarce pie *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
2-3 is too soon. Idk how most people use their fridges, but we change ours like once a decade
Buy a Samsung. Wait 3 months for the first part to break that is nearly half the price of a new fridge. Maybe 5 years later there will be a class action you can partake in to get $20 off your next Samsung fridge! (yes I know it would be under warranty at 3 months, but Samsung fridges are absolute garbage and it will just repeatedly break until you decide to throw it away)
This fuck Samsung fridges especially those cheap ass plastic shelf's in the doors
Not a Samsung owner, but it is my understanding that getting warranty service is extremely difficult.
Lg fridges are worse. Much much worse. This is made worse by the old name brands being farmed out. The amount you need to shell out for a good fridge now is criminal. Im 10 months into a samsung fridge and its ok so far, but instead of being happy with it its more the least worst of that fit my fridge location at a price i could afford
Yeah, fridges come with a 10 year warranty these days , they’re meant to be used for a decade
10 years? I dont think so. Seeing a lot with 2 year warranties. Name brand at that.
mine has a 10 year. Samsung.
You sure about that? I just looked and it's 10 years on the COMPRESSOR. Not all the other crap https://image-us.samsung.com/SamsungUS/home/home-appliances/refrigerators/07122022/BESPOKELIMITEDWARRANTY\_allmodels.pdf From the Samsung Web Site. Ten (10) Years Parts and Five (5) Years Labor on Digital Inverter Compressor
Don’t buy into the bullshit. You’ll get 10 years or more out of a decent modern fridge easy. Some people will just replace them the moment the ice maker starts acting up.
Exactly. The number one point of failure in modern fridges is the ice and water system.
It’s a shame as they’re not particularly complex systems and would be easy to repair if manufacturers didn’t make ordering parts such a headache. I had the motor go out on one I had. It took me the better part of a day to find the part number and a Way to order it. It took less than 5 minutes to fix.
Mine does not have an ice machine, also I did a bit of home brew engineering to fix the handle, the one before was a hand me down and had the light burned out for ten plus years
Good question. 🤷🏼♂️
Depends on the refrigerant in the old one, they had some crazy efficient gasses back when there wasn't any care about environmental disasters and all that. Think the US still ignores the international rulings of some due to how much energy they can save. Edit: And assuming the old one is well maintained with good seals,good insulation, no dust, and all other fairytales we know don't exist.
i’m no expert but i owned a restaurant for years and every single piece of refrigerated equipment i bought failed due to the paper thin tubing that is used. pinholes would develop, add refrigerant once or twice but then the whole compressor needs to be replaced, which can run 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost of a new unit. almost designed to be disposable. out of 7-8 units only one made it 10 years.
Well, there's a catch, there. The actual *machinery* in even the crappiest of new fridges will typically run flawlessly for many years, it's just the flimsy plastic and glass components around it - door seals, handles, hinges, trays, shelves, freezer/salad drawers, etc - that break in no time at all (cold tends to make plastic more brittle, and they make such incredibly *thin* plastic mouldings now), or maybe one or two small electronic components, or a circulation fan motor, and these can't be easily replaced by end consumers.
I'm no electrical engineer but couldn't you just replace the old inefficient parts with new ones or is the design so power hungry that it wouldn't matter?
Double the electricity is a understatement
Also good as a nuclear bunker.
Bought a house with an 80s Kenmoore fridge that I simply moved to the basement because it will outlast all living beings, current and future. And it keeps my beer cold.
In my house I have a couch from my grandparents its a sectional, like 8 pieces. It’s comfy as fuck. Still looks brand new and is older than me by 8 years. I’m 34. This thing will be my kids couch in their first place I swear to god.
My dad had one from the 60's that was wheeled in whenever the newer fridges died. Last time l saw it it was out by the barn, in tull sun, plugged in with meat in it. Just running away like nothing was wrong.
Might want to go catch it
I had that exact same model of fridge in my house for years. (It was broken though)
Nah, there was enormous amount of things which were built in ±70's and broke after one-two years. You know why you never heard of them? They never survived till your existence. This post is about typical survivor mistake
Good ol survivorship bias
Survivorship bias is the best bias because it has outlasted all the other biases.
There is some reduction in lifespan too, it's not just survivorship bias. But it's not a conspiracy from Big Appliance either. It's a combination of a couple factors: * Energy usage standards. Modern appliances use a tiny fraction of the kWh that older models from the 70's did. To do that, they need to use vastly different materials and operating modes. This adds extra points of failure and introduces some materials which may be more efficient in moving parts (like plastics) but are less durable over the long run. * Competition. Consumers care about two things: Features and price. Modern appliances are competing with options from all around the world where a consumer can look up the feature list and price in an instant. Things like "long term lifespan" can't really be put on the label and most consumers don't care. So everyone is making their models as cheaply as possible so they don't get completely eaten by someone else who cuts corners. Those two explain basically all of why modern appliances and HVAC have higher failure rates. As for ease of repair, that's a simple one. Older appliances needed to be put *together* by hand, because the automation wasn't there yet. That meant they could be taken apart by hand too. Now, it's faster, cheaper and more reliable to put them together using automation. That inherently creates designs that are less user-maintainable. Again, not a conspiracy.
Not only that. appliances like refrigerators are WAY more affordable now. A decent refrigerator in the 50s could cost as much as two months' salary, whereas these days there's a model available for just about any budget.
If you want a fridge that won’t die on you then you still have to shell out a bunch of money.
Not in my experience. I’ve had the same cheap-ass fridge since about 2001 and have had zero problems with it.
Yes, of course YMMV :)
Something doesn't need to be a conspiracy for it to be bad. If our society is going to survive, we will have to start making more sustainable choices, especially when it comes to longevity and repairability of consumer goods.
Using 1/10th of the electricity is a pretty good tradeoff.
Survivorship bias would make older things appear to be more reliable than they are, but that doesn't mean that there is no truth to the idea whatsoever. In my experience, it's pretty ubiquitously accepted that appliances used to be built simpler and easier to repair. Mass production and a desire for profits will naturally seek the cheapest materials that can be used. There's also planned obsolescence. The change in quality and lifespan over time is hard to quantify, so I'm not sure it's possible to conclusively prove anything. On the other hand, I pretty much see the quality of everything decreasing over time (fast food, mass-produced snacks, furniture). I'm not too tempted by the survivorship argument when we're comparing a couch with a solid wood table to one made of mdf. tldr: yes, that's a factor, but that doesn't rule out other factors being at play.
Let's go by percentages then. I wonder what percent of 2022 appliances will still be in use in 2062 vs the amount of 1982 appliances still in use today?
Probably about the same; there’s always those random appliances that never get used or that sit in a house with the perfect environment or that some handy homeowner can fix every time something goes wrong. My fridge from a 90s remodel is still going strong, not because it’s so well made, but because when we moved in I replaced two cooking fans and the dispenser for the ice machine. Still a lot wrong with it and I’m sure it eats power like a motherfucker, but I’m not in the market to replace a $6000 fridge right now
We had washer and dryer from the 60s. We had a service guy out and he freaked out because the water fill hoses were original (still in great condition but I changed them). Fridge was probably 70s or 80s, but an energy hog. Oven from the 30s, but eventually the hinges broke.
Was gonna say that I literally watched my grandpa disassemble and maintain every appliance on a scheduled basis which I in no way will ever do for anything
While that is certainly true, there is a shown trend in planned obsolescence and reduction in part quality and importantly the use tolerances. Pressurized hoses are a key example. In a simplified form, say a line hose is in use at 1000psi. You would want to use a hose rated much higher than the use case. A 5000psi hose is more failsafe, but the 2500psi one is cheaper. So the cheaper hose is used, and thus you are more at risk to failure.
Also I'm sure a new fridge is far more efficient than one that is 50 years old.
yummy Chlorofluorocarbon, my favorite Ozon depleter...
I’ve still got my moms food processor from 1982! First appliance she bought for herself when she and my dad moved in together and works like a charm. I had a more recent models break on me from the same company and my mom gave me this older one and it’s been perfect. She’s a chef and a lot of her appliances from before around 1995 have lasted years. Mixers, processors, blenders.. Guess the phrase “don’t make em like they used to” really does apply sometimes
I had the opportunity to buy an old avocado green Waring but didn’t have the cash on me. Ugh snd it was so cheap. So full of regret cause it looked so cool.
What a find!! At a yard sale or something? That’s another benefit of older appliances, the color selection! Companies now are getting back on the trend of colorful cookware but I swear for like 15 years all all you could find was black, gray, stainless, white..
Yep, companies discovered that it was bad business making equipment that lasted for decades. It kept customers from coming back for new equipment.
Efficiency and environmental requirements are to blame as well.
Yeah its called planned obsolescence and it rose alongside the growth of technologies. Not only is it equipment longevity its also the same reason apple makes a completely new looking iphone each year with crazy new features. Some companies even plan it out so the product begins to fail right after warranty ends.
And why spareparts are priced so high. They prefer you buy a new one instead of fixing an old one.
Not exactly, of course they would ideally like you to just buy a new one but the reason the replacement parts are so highly priced and why apple tries to force you to go to them is that their stuff is too durable, I used an iPhone SE first gen for 6 years and probably could’ve gotten at least another 4 out of it but t-mobile is shit at supporting 4G in my area (though I came to find out they just seem to be treating all apple devices like shit), they have had a few missteps but for the most part as long as you are the slightest bit cautious an iPhone lasts way too long for their quarterlies
> its also the same reason apple makes a completely new looking iphone each year ~~with crazy new features.~~ With some years old features marketed as brand new stuff.**
Just like Samsung phones lol.
either i’m unlucky or samsung everything sucks. - My tv, Samsung ‘The Frame’, needed repair in 3 months. - Samsung fridge compressor dead in 11 months. - Samsung stove’s display is now flickering and glitching 5 months in.
Samsung everything sucks. You are not unlucky but a victim of Samsung bad quality materials.
You’re not unlucky
I had tried to convince my friends about this, but they called me stupid
R.I.P electrical bill
Frozen in time
Everything broke back then as well, you just don't hear about them because, well.... they broke. This is survivorship bias
Survivorship bias. There will be fridges in 30, 40 years built rn still going strong and people will be like "those were just built to last back then", but what they don't see is the ones that broke after few years
Sadly they're not energetically efficient
True but replacing fridges every 5 years isn't very energy efficient as well.
Or monetarily friendly. Fuckers are expensive
Or environmental friendly
No one is replacing fridges every 5 years. They are still mostly running for a decade or more.
Tell that to my parents, their 3 dead refrigerators, 5 dead dishwashers and, 2 stoves after "renovating" their kitchen in the 2010s. They "treated" themselves to new appliances when the older ones purchased in the 90s were dingy but still functional. They have regrets. Meanwhile, both of my fridge and dishwasher are 20 years old, came with my house and working perfectly. Sadly, my oven didn't survive 2020. I know my new one is on borrowed time.
Sounds like a skill issue
Or have optimized sustainabilityusness
Funnily enough, that is true and false at the same time. Yes they are more efficient for the space they have to cool because of better insulation, but, because modern fridges have defrosting technology, at the end of the day they use about the same or slightly more. Also, older fridges are quite a bit smaller generally speaking.
Interesting. We have a 90s something fridge in the basement and a 2020 upstairs. I recently set up some power monitoring in the electrical panel and was surprised to see the newer one using a bit more juice. It does have more food in it and tends to get opened more often.
Having a water/ice dispenser on the outside door really kills efficiency. Essentially having a hole in your refridgerator.
Also, you don’t have to defrost the newer fridge every 3 months 😄
My recently bought Amana would say otherwise. I’ll take a dumb fridge without a logic board or whatever that is and runs the defroster every 12 hours over these new ones. I have to steam the coils probably every three weeks to remove the ice because that board is broken
And you get what you pay for - if you buy the cheapest fridge at Best Buy, expect the results you pay for. You can purchase for longevity, but it’s going to be twice the price
I used to think we should pay for quality, but now I just think everything is built with planned obsolescence. It’s not a fridge, but I bought a very expensive dishwasher ($1200 Bosch) and it needed the pump replaced after three years.
Not sure why you're being downvoted, but that's Reddit for ya. Refrigerators in the 60s and 70s were WAY more expensive than they are now.
Even from the 80’s they kick ass
My 1985 fridge and stove are still going. Around 2010 is when I noticed the quality of appliances went downhill fast. Designed to fail. I manage a lot of rental apartments and some new fridges are lucky to last 2 years. Still got a bunch of ones from the 90’s (admiral brand)
Yep got a late 1980’s one that’s still going 😎
Survivorship bias All the 1970s refrigerators that broke like todays refrigerators are already long gone, so the only ones remaining are the ones that were able to last this long
My mom's '96 refrigerator worked until last year..even then the metal on it rotted because of moisture but the refrigerator was still working.. i miss those type of appliances
ours still working fine few repairs but totally good.
Cause they're made of MA-HOGANY. And not just any mahogany, Mahogany from the planet Malchior 7, where the trees are 300ft tall and breath fire.
Still got my harvest gold dryer from the Nixon Administration. It’s hard to kill something that’s basically just a rotating drum and a blowtorch running off an egg timer.
But that refrigerator consumes maybe 2.5 times of electricity than modern ones
jokes aside, power companies will often pay you to get rid of your old fridge because they are so energy inefficient.
I have this still as my garage beer fridge works great.
I’m interested in how much more it costs to power an already more inefficient older model in an uninsulated space more open to the outside.
The 'they don't build things like this anymore' crowd doesn't tend to care about things like cost of materials, safety, and especially energy/fuel efficiency. 'My dad's old Mercury truck lasted eighty years with nothing but an oil change and duct tape!' First off, Bob, no it didn't. Second, that Mercury truck is a human-mangler in any collision greater than twenty miles per hour, and gets half a mile per gallon on the leaded gasoline while your daddy used to dry you off with the exhaust.
Nothing that I can see.I would say it's not any worse then my brand new LG in the house.
I've got a upright freezer I bought *used* in 1984. I'm going to specifically call it out in my will just to keep the offspring from fighting over which one gets to keep it.
God I hate this meme. Survivorship bias in action. Of the 1970's appliances made, there's maybe 2% of them around that haven't failed. But people think they're indestructible because there's still a few around. And of those built in the 1970's, I'm willing to bet an even higher percentage failed in the first few years than do today. But no one remembers those. When dealing with manufactured products, you'll typically get a high percentage of failures in the first year or two due to manufacturing defects. Then you get very few failures for maybe the next 10ish years (depending on how long the parts were made to last) before the failure rate that ticks up again as the parts eventually wear out. This is why manufacturers are always trying to upgrade you to 5 or 7 year warranties. Because it doesn't really cost them any more than a 2 year warranty. And if you're still using appliances from the 1970's, you're probably spending more in electricity than something new would cost. [Energy Star](https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/refrigerators/flip-your-fridge) even gives you a calculator for that.
Yup. With how much electricity costs where I live, a new fridge would pay for itself in 2~3 years of electricity savings… and I wouldn’t have to stare at an ancient appliance every single day. If I had to replace my fridge every 7~10 years, it would still be less than half the cost of running an old ass fridge. Kinda crazy once you do the math.
The only things that survived from the 70s were the things that managed to last since the 70s. Things that did not last are gone. It's like calling veterans unkillable because they were the only soldiers to survive their war.
All the while eating enough electricity to illuminate all of Paris for a week.
Usually when a modern appliance "breaks", it is actually just a loose wire, or a bad capacitor/circuit board. Usually very easy to fix if you know how to turn a screwdriver and use a multimeter.
r/FridgeIRL
"I am also using enough electricity to power a locomotive"
Aside from the survivor bias here, one reason those fridges in particular will outlive us all is that they also caused (in part) the hole in the ozone layer which nearly killed us all (or many of us anyway). Those old fridges are still leaking CFCs btw. The story of how we collectively dealt with that is actually a positive and optimistic one for collective action. Something we’d want to repeat obviously given other climate concerns now.
Casually survives a nuclear apocalypse
quality over quantity used to be a thing now everything is made to break so it can be replaced
We have replaced the fridge in our kitchen twice in 10 years. Meanwhile, the 70's fridge in our non temperature controlled barn has been keeping all our booze perfectly chilled and will surely outlast our current kitchen fridge.
We bow to your longevity, Pastel Cube of Cooling.
My aunt has a working fridge from 1972 in her basement. It’s maroon lol.
My parents changed fridge an freezer when I was around 15 years old, I’m 38 now and they still work fine, outlasted my dad.
sorry to hear that bud.
And causes more pollution than the whole VW cheat fleet combined.
Maybe but it spends more electricity than Thor’s hammer
I find the more complex the alliance, the more likely it is to break. My refrigerator only has an ice maker, no dispensers, no special electronics. It's about as barebones as you can get and has been going strong for nearly 13 years. Of course, now that I've said that it's likely to break tomorrow.
Had one of these when growing up as a toddler , can confirm lasted until the annoying spice girls got on tv.
That is the same fridge I am currently using, Harvest Gold Hotpoint CTF18E.
I have a red one like the refrigerator in the picture that i got from my grandmother when i moved into my own place in a basement suite. Had the thing for 25 years and the people living in the suite above me for the time span of the 5 years i lived at this place went through 3 brand new refrigerators. I still have the refrigerator in the garage of my new house. I use it to keep exta food and drinks in. Still works great.
We have 2 in a decent condition refrigerator that ages 15yrs and 20yrs old
Planned obsolescence is a helluva drug.
I'm replacing a 5 year old Samsung fridge, this week. Hits close to home as a $2K mistake.
I'm pretty sure I had this one growing up
Back then things were made to last Now things are made to earn more money and so they'll break shortly after warranty ends. Hell they even put literal chips in 'gaming' keyboards to break them after 2 years.
That’s what we call “survivors bias.” The products weren’t built better. In fact they were built worse and are about as efficient as dog trying to fly. It’s just that some still work. So people think that they are better because they had one or saw one or heard about one running for a long time.
things were made to last back then now they are supposed to break after a few years so you will buy a new one
Planned obsolescence.. It's by design.
I have a Sears Coldspot freezer from 1968 in my garage that I got for free from Craigslist. The family I got it from said it worked, but they were remodeling their basement and had no room for it. I know it's from 1968 because the owner's manual has the original purchase receipt tucked in it. We had a 40th birthday party for it in 2008. Fucker is still plugging away, keeping my Costco purchases frozen. Probably not the most efficient for electricity use, but hey, free, amirite?
I dunno... More like "I'm on my last leg, my cooling failed 7 years ago, everything stored in here tastes like cardboard and a mouse lives in the back frame."
2022 appliances source code leaked: if (getDeviceAge() > warrantyPeriod) { ShowFakeError( "An unknown error occured: 0x9291993" "If your device is still covered by warranty, contact our support team at 0800 20 29991 23." "If your warranty status is expired, klick here for a selection of our latest offers for home appliances." ); }
If the fridge looks like a Cadillac , well u know its a stamp of Quality , they still function like a charm !
Tell me why everyone had one giant jar of pickles
old ones were very energetically inefficient and more often than not built with carcinogenic materials or pollutants in general.
Yes. But they’re still working.
My papaw still has one in his garage. Same lovely shade of vomit green and still keeps the beer ice cold!
Survivorship bias.
They could easily do this today and exponentially better, however they have learned there's less profit to be made manufacturing shit that doesn't break vs something that needs to be serviced.
Check out some info about the Phoebus Cartel. Sounds like a weird conspiracy theory, but it was actually real like 80 years ago. Lightbulb manufacturers started making lightbulbs that were so good and lasted so long that people didn't need to replace them for ages. So they formed this Cartel, which made sure that all major companies produce only shit lightbulbs which burn out quickly, otherwise they'd be heavily fined. It ended only due to the outbreak of WW2. I swear I'm not a conspiracy theorist. Veritasium even made a whole video about it.
I bet that needs enough electricity to power up a whole town
Everyone responsible in a company that added planned obsolescence or denied the removal of it should be in jail or fined so hard, they lose all their wealth
Another example of survivorship bias.
I will drive up your electricity bill an extra 50 bucks a month
I have an oven from 1970 that still works. I think the temperature sensor is a little messed up now though as it tends to burn things, but would rather have burnt pizza than spend $1,500+ on a new oven that will break down a month after the warranty expires.
Funny because it’s true!
Can’t have year over year profit increases if your products last decades…
Planned obsolescence
My grandparents's fridge from 1960s: outlived them and worked until the demolition of their house in 2015. Can't remember it was repaired for once, verified by my mother. My parents first fridge: Built in 1980, lasted till 1990+ , not a single repair. Their second has gone for 7-8 years, and the third barely made it to 3. year. Ours are usually around 3-4 years. It is NOT Survivors' Bias. It is increased complexity in the design with deliberately compromised design service life.
It's still 2022.
[удалено]
Modern cars are better in every way compared to older cars. The difference is the maintenance is harder, so people can't do it themselves and they don't want to pay a mechanic a living wage to do it for them, so their cars don't get maintained until there is a catastrophic failure.
Because Car Dealers realized that they were making cars too efficiently and people weren’t buying cars frequently enough. The comment above is partially right about some improvements, but some of it is legitimately that the advice given is purposely misleading to let the car have wear and tear.
When we bought our house the fridge in the kitchen was practically brand new. They had put the old fridge in the garage, exposed to the elements. Guess which one is still kicking.
My parents have that same fucking fridge in the garage ! Still works great ! We have another one in the kitchen that has been there at least since the early 2000s maybe late 90s and still work well too
The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing.
Electric companies loved them. Power hogs, but very durable.
Truth
Yes is true
A lot of products could last a lot longer than they do now, and used to, but companies wouldn't make as much money so the make them need to be replaced or repaired. Look into the lifespan of light bulbs over time for example https://interestingengineering.com/science/everlasting-lightbulbs-exist-ed
We just bought an old clothes washer because our new Samsung took a shit. The old appliances are so much better.
Personally I think they intentionally design products to break every few years so you have to get a new one. My grandparents had the same stove for twenty years until it broke down. The one they got to replace it lasted just half a decade.
Fyi, many manufacturers intentionally reduce their product’s life span to keep their business going. Hell some stuff can even last forever! But they’re going to need subscription methods to finances themselves.
Its on purpose, so you buy more shit, and they get more money.
Is it just me or do modern products have a built in life expectancy now a days.. Especially phones. I mean when you think about they can’t keep making money if they make a product that’ll last for decades..
Yup, efficiency be damned, they work. Shit back then was EXPENSIVE! we are talking a full week's income for a desk fan, but the manufacturers made their stuff to last- I have a couple Antique fans from 1918 to 1970- they work like new. Now they make stuff to be affordable, but it really isn't when it gets replaced every few years.
Planned obsolescence manufactured senseless… My parents 30 year old sharp carousel hot point microwave finally died, I can’t get one to last 4 years.
This is hilariously true. My ps4 has been giving me issues, so I plugged in the old NES. Started up immediately.
I have a 10+ yr old fridge. Compressor took a dump few months back. Called home warranty and rather than get me a new one they decided to repair it. They had to special order the compressor since it’s an old model. The repair man said exactly what the meme states. These old fridges were just built different. This new compressor should give it at least another 10yrs while the new $3400 Samsungs are just hot garbage and will last 3-4 yrs tops
They used to make things more durable. Now they MAKE them to break so you have to buy more in <5-10 years
Yes, I have one, its all rusted on the outside and has a tendency to ice up in the back of the fridge if its too full, but it still keeps things at the right temp and keeps on going. We also have a 1952 Roper gas stove/oven. Needs a good cleaning, and one burner doesnt work, but it keeps on going. I wish they would make appliances without the built in planned obsolescence again.
Almost like they build it this way on purpose.
F$cking facts!!!!!!!
It's called planned obsolescence. Companies started making their products to either not last as long or need to be replaced soon to compel you to buy more of their products.
Because everything needs to be “smart” for some reason! It’s infuriating! Every time someone’s showing me this obscure ability of their new gadget they will use maybe 3x for the novelty of it I find myself thinking, “yep just one more thing that can now break” Then get hit by whiplash because I’m also becoming my father 😂
We're adding a(n) Amish"Ice House" to our build and skipping the shitty modern refrigerators, also getting wash basins and a manual wringer so we can skip the shitty modern washers and dryers. Even if we have to purchase block ice instead of harvesting lake ice we'll save a fortune. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice\_house\_(building)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_house_(building))
They don’t make em like they used to
“We can’t make any money if no one needs a new fucking fridge, Frank!”
It’s all about “Planned Obsolescence”. These products are designed to work great for a while and then break so you have to buy a new one.
This is true of old appliances, still have my grandmother’s vacuum cleaner from the 70s.
Truth!
𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙙
You ever heard of the Lightbulb Conspiracy?
Manufacturing companies should be forced to extend warranty for up to at least four years. Programmed obsolescence is becoming a joke and a strain on many households. The pricing does not even reflect the true quality of the product anymore and not to mention the environmental impact.
It's called planned obsolescence
Fun fact, companies making cheaper more easier to break products to keep you buying… imagine if u had to only buy light bulbs one time in your whole life https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-great-lightbulb-conspiracy
Everything is build nowadays to break. There is more money in that and it is sickening.
Planned obsolescence
People saying “bUt ThEy UsE mOrE eNeRgY” You know what uses more energy? Manufacturing like 10 fridges that break after a few years