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We’ve said it before, here, but we’ll say it again, below we list some approximate lifespans for household appliances.
Average appliance life span in years
Compactors: 6
Dishwashers: 10
Disposers, food waste: 9
Dryers, electric: 12
Dryers, gas: 12
Freezers: 11
Microwave ovens: 9
Ranges, electric: 16
Ranges, gas: 17
Range/oven hoods: 11
Refrigerators: 12
Washers: 11
Water heaters, electric: 13
Water heaters, gas: 11
Air-conditioners, room: 9
Air-conditioners, central: 11
Boilers, gas: 20
Dehumidifiers: 7
Furnaces, gas: 15
Furnaces, oil: 17
Heat pumps: 12
Courtesy of heraldnet.com
Related Reading:
Name of Product: Maytag®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® brand refrigerators
Units: About 46,000 (1.6 million units were previously recalled March 2009)
Manufacturer: Maytag Corp., of Newton, Iowa
Hazard: An electrical failure in the relay, the component that turns on the refrigerator’s compressor, can cause overheating and pose a serious fire hazard.
Incidents/Injuries: Maytag has received 23 additional reports of refrigerator relay ignition, including 4 reports of property damage ranging from smoke damage to extensive kitchen damage.
Description: The recall includes certain Maytag®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag® and Crosley® brand side-by-side and top freezer refrigerators. The affected refrigerators were manufactured in black, bisque, white and stainless steel. They have model and serial numbers printed on a label located on the top middle or left upper side of the refrigerator liner and have the following model and serial number combinations:
Serial Numbers ENDING with AND Model Numbers BEGINNING with Side by Side Refrigerators CN, CP, YY, YZ MZ Top Freezer Refrigerators CA, CC, CE, CG, ZB, ZD, ZF, ZH CT15G4, CTB152, CTL151, CTM152, CTN151, MTB195, MTB215, MTB245, MTF195, MTF215, PTB155, PTB175, PTB195, PTB215
Refrigerators with freezers on the bottom are not included in this recall.
Sold at: [...]
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The stunning De Dietrich DKP837B looks impressive and is cleverly designed. This 60cm wide black refrigerator with bottom freezer offers 315 litre capacity and weighs just 74kg, so you can move it around your kitchen with ease while considering where exactly its sleek black mirror finish gives the best light and shadow play. Or put it in your living room. We seriously think that the only problem you ever have with this ‘A+’ rated bottom freezer refrigerator is how to fit it in your existing decor. You may be forced to get the whole new appliance set, in black that is. The freestanding refrigerator has anti-bacterial interior and brings No Frost technology to avoid the build up of ice inside. Its refrigerator section offers 249 litre net volume, open-door alarm, multilevel neon lighting system, 4 glass shelves, 4 door bins, a door shelf and auto defrost. The 66 litre, 4-star freezer bottom freezer maintains freezing temperature for up to 13 hours in case of power failure. It comes with temperature alarm, SuperFreeze function, 3 drawers and ice tray. And this black refrigerator also has LCD touch control screen, reversible door and is [...]
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MicroFridge, the industry leader in compact specialty appliances, today introduced the next generation in small space convenience. The new product line includes patent-pending Safe Plug® technology and also features a Dual Outlet Charge Station that enables people to safely and conveniently charge a range of popular electronic devices such as laptop computers, MP3 players, cell phones, digital cameras and more.
Combining a spacious refrigerator, freezer and microwave in a single unit, a MicroFridge appliance is perfect wherever space is limited and there’s a need for food and refreshments – including hotels, college residence halls, assisted living residences, military housing, offices and at home too. The compact MicroFridge refrigerator features over two cubic feet of storage space, while the separate freezer boasts a 0.75 cubic foot capacity. For food preparation, there is a fully programmable 700-watt microwave oven. The refrigerator’s Smart Store Door allows the upright storage of two-liter bottles or half-gallon containers to eliminate leaks and spills that can result when storing tall containers on their side. And the roomy zero-degree freezer ensures that items like ice cream stay perfectly frozen.
The microwave features three, distinct “Express Cook” settings, along with pre-programmed recipes for soup, beverages, pizza and popcorn; the [...]
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By the Numbers: Energy-efficiency investments would pay huge dividends, says McKinsey & Company report
.2 trillion
 Amount U.S. consumers and businesses could save by 2020 by boosting their energy efficiency, according to “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy,” a new report from management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. (The report covers nontransportation energy use.)
Under current conditions, the United States wastes more energy each year than Canada consumes. Our nearly 130 million homes, many of which lose energy to leaky ductwork, underinsulated attics, and inefficient appliances, account for roughly 35 percent of the potential energy-efficiency gains, says the report. (You can make your old windows less drafty by caulking gaps, as shown. And use a programmable thermostat to boost your household-energy savings.)
As the report details, an initial investment of 0 billion would be needed to reduce annual energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020, which translates into .2 trillion in savings and an end-use reduction of 9.1 quadrillion British thermal units.
Those savings are key, because worldwide energy use is projected to soar over [...]
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SiteSeeing: ApplianceRepair.com offers useful how-to troubleshooting tips for home appliances
 Stuck with a leaky, noisy, bouncy, smelly, or otherwise underperforming appliance? The folks at RepairClinic.com, who have helped us with “Can This [fill in the blank] Be Saved?” sidebars on refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and other household gear, has a new site that provides even more sage appliance-repair advice for DIYers. (We haven’t tried out any of the repairs, so use your judgment to determine whether the you want to proceed with the recommended fixes.)
At the heart of ApplianceRepair.com are dozens of transcripts of the site’s Sunday-morning radio show with host John Sowden (shown). Each transcript is quite effectively divided into detailed descriptions and savvy solutions to problems like:
• Musty, noisy, or dancing washing machines.
• The balky top burner on a Kenmore range.
• Refrigerator lightbulbs that won’t stay lit.
• Enigmatic error codes for GE electric ranges.
• Cures for a shaky garbage disposer. See our [...]
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Hard times don’t mean college students have to give up healthful, tasty food.
These appliances will come in handy whether your son or daughter lives in a dorm or an off-campus apartment.
And while this gear won’t turn your college-age cooks into an Iron Chef, they can save them some money and add variety and spice to their diet.
Be sure to check your school’s guidelines about appliances, and see the rest of our back-to-school coverage.
Compact Refrigerators
The “dorm-room refrigerator” moniker shows how closely compact refrigerators have become identified with college life, but only some of the models we tested made the grade. Many models have a single temperature-control dial, so you can’t find an ideal temperature between the refrigerator and freezer sections. And all that we tested for this report are comparative energy hogs.
Only two refrigerators we tested had freezer sections that were able to keep frozen confections from turning to mush, and the 3.7-cubic-foot Avanti 308YWT, 0, flunked basic refrigeration. Choose the 4.6-cubic-foot Frigidaire FRC05L5D, 0, if your student will be a frequent frozen-food diner. Tell your kid to discard frozen foods that have [...]
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You’re hearing it more and more…the kitchen is the new living room. The drum beat is getting louder. I think we were shocked by the financial