How long do home appliances last?
Knowing roughly how long things last is useful for two decisions: whether to repair or replace something that has broken, and how much to budget for the things that have not broken yet but will.
The figures below are typical ranges drawn from widely cited industry estimates. Any individual unit can beat or miss them substantially depending on build quality, how hard it is used, water hardness, and whether it was maintained at all.
Kitchen
| Appliance | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 10–15 years |
| Chest / upright freezer | 15–20 years |
| Electric range | 13–15 years |
| Gas range | 15–18 years |
| Range hood | 13–15 years |
| Dishwasher | 9–12 years |
| Microwave (over-range) | 9–10 years |
| Garbage disposal | 10–12 years |
Laundry
| Appliance | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Washing machine | 10–13 years |
| Clothes dryer | 10–13 years |
Heating, cooling and water
| System | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Gas furnace | 15–20 years |
| Central air conditioner | 12–17 years |
| Heat pump | 10–16 years |
| Tank water heater | 8–12 years |
| Tankless water heater | 18–20 years |
| Sump pump | 7–10 years |
| Water softener | 10–15 years |
Around the house
| Item | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|
| Asphalt shingle roof | 15–30 years |
| Metal roof | 40–70 years |
| Vinyl windows | 20–40 years |
| Interior paint | 5–10 years |
| Carpet | 8–10 years |
| Hardwood flooring | Decades, with refinishing |
| Smoke alarm | About 10 years |
| Carbon monoxide detector | About 5–7 years |
| Garage door opener | 10–15 years |
What actually shortens these
- Hard water — brutal on water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and kettles. In a hard-water area, expect the lower end of every range unless you soften or descale.
- Skipped maintenance — an unflushed water heater or an unserviced furnace can lose years.
- Restricted airflow — clogged furnace filters and blocked dryer vents make the equipment work harder for less output.
- Overloading — consistently stuffing a washing machine wears bearings and suspension early.
- Heavy use — a household of five runs a dishwasher three times as often as a couple, and the lifespan reflects that.
Repair or replace?
Two rules of thumb, used together:
The 50% rule
If the repair costs more than half the price of a new equivalent, replace it.
The lifespan rule
If the unit is past about 75% of its typical lifespan, lean towards replacing even for a cheaper repair — you are likely buying a short reprieve before the next failure.
A dishwasher at year three with a $200 repair is an easy fix. The same repair at year eleven is usually money spent twice.
Two things shift the maths. First, check whether it is still under warranty before paying for anything — people routinely pay for repairs on covered appliances because they cannot find the receipt and assume the worst. Second, on old heating, cooling and water-heating equipment, a new unit is often significantly more efficient, and the running cost difference is real money over the years you will own it.
Why the purchase date is worth recording
Every judgement on this page depends on knowing how old the thing is. Most people genuinely do not — "about five years?" turns out to be nine, or three. Recording the purchase date and price once, when you buy, means that years later the repair-or-replace decision is arithmetic rather than a guess, and that you never pay for a repair that a live warranty would have covered.
See also: what you need for a warranty claim and whether extended warranties are worth it.
Keepit remembers this so you don't have to
Record what you paid and when, alongside the warranty date — so the repair-or-replace decision is based on facts rather than a guess.
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