by Isabelle Esteves

Created on: February 20, 2013

Appliances have a limited life. As much as you hope your range will last forever, at some point you'll have to decide if you should repair or replace it.

The average life of an electric range is 17 years.  Obviously, there are a lot of variables that could cause it to break down sooner or last longer than that—in general, how much you use the appliance will affect how long you can expect it to last.

Stove age

If your range is older than 17 years, it may be time to consider replacement. If, however, your range still has quite a bit of potential life left in it, repair may be the better option.

History

One determining factor in whether to replace or repair is the history of your range. Has it been repaired before? Is this the first time you've had an issue?

If the range has broken down before it's probably time to replace it, as constant repairs may wind up costing more than a new appliance. If this is the first time you've had any issues, then it is probably a good idea to do the repair.

Cost

How much a repair will cost is an important factor when deciding whether to replace or repair. If the cost of the repair is more than half the cost of the range, it is time to consider replacing. It is hard to determine how much a repair can potentially cost until you have already asked a repairman to do an estimate. You could also try to diagnose it yourself, and this website can help. There are many repairs that are quite simple, and there may even be some that you can do yourself if you have DIY skills.

How to diagnose

If you are unsure about what may be wrong with your range, try going to the website for your brand and model. You may find that there are common issues that other owners have had and many brands offer a forum for owners to communicate.

When your range has provided great service, helped you cook wonderful meals and done all that you asked of it, it is hard to just give up on it and welcome in a new appliance, which you will have to learn to operate and adjust to. This can be intimidating. On the other hand, there are lots of new features that you might love in a new appliance.

If the repair is minor, keep your old appliance. If not, it is time to look for a new range.

Learn more about this author, Isabelle Esteves.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.