Fix or replace?

It began as a quiet weekend. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way.

My mother was doing laundry. All went well, until she noticed the sound of water running when it shouldn't be running. She investigated, and found that the washer's water intake valve had broken. No big deal, she thought. Just turn off the water at the tap. She grabbed the tap handle. It was stuck. She turned harder, and the handle broke off. She then raced for pliers, which could be used to turn off what remained of the tap handle. They didn't work, either.

It was a thrilling race that evening. We kept resetting the timer dial on the washer to drain, and then racing around to find a way of shutting the water off. At least, the clothes got well rinsed that evening.

Eventually, my mother was able to get someone out who was able to get the tap turned off. There was no further disaster, like the tap breaking off the wall and letting loose an Old Faithful-like geyser. The washer was fixed the next day.

This incident is quite memorable, but the most memorable part might have taken place a few days later. I told a college professor about the washer incident. He was interested—maybe because it's fun hearing about plumbing disasters. Just as long as they aren't your own disasters, of course. But he was puzzled by something. Why did my mother have the washer fixed? Why not just buy a new washer? Particularly given how much the repair was?

That may have been the first time I heard: "Don't bother fixing it! Just buy something new!" It certainly wasn't the last. Indeed, I know of no one who has done any sort of major appliance repair in the last 20 years. It's no longer just the Maytag repairman who has nothing to do. It's the repairmen for even the worst appliance brands. Because when the washer breaks, it's off to buy a new one.

It's not just washing machines. It's almost everything smaller than a car. I can easily remember when we had a TV repair shop a mile from our house. I can also remember when it went out of business in the early eighties.

In a way, this feels strange and wasteful to me even now. I grew up in a household where the first course of action was always repair. Try and get as much service as possible out of something. My father fixed some things himself, like replacing knobs on pan lids. Other things were repaired professionally, like our TV and our washing machine.

Of course, times change... It's not as practical to fix things now. Repairs aren't cheap. A lot of what we own is cheap—both in terms of cost and also quality. Parts may not be available. Technology may have improved dramatically with some items, such as computers.

However, I sometimes do think our throw away mentality perhaps should be reexamined. Perhaps we should consider buying things that can last, and be viably repaired when needed. It surely can't be good for the environment replacing a washing machine every five years. It certainly is a huge time drain to shop for something new. And repairing things helps support local business.

Indeed, my mother's washing machine is a good example. It was not cheap new, and I'm sure my parents cringed as they wrote the check. I'm sure my mother cringed when she had to write a check for repairs. But she got more than 20 years of service out of it. It was the only washer she ever owned. And it probably cost less per year than today's approach of buying a throw away washer every five years.