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Goodbye non-KISS appliances

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Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#311

Post by jader201 »

Nifty3929 wrote: post #283
mlrtime wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a little confused about these fridge posts. There are refrigerators that do not have any tech that will last [most likely] longer than you stay in your home. I've had multiple Subzero basic commodity or commercial refrigerators last 15-20 years with only minor parts replacements which are easily found. Of course these are not cheap, but isn't that what everyone here is asking for? Something made well that lasts a…

People SAY that want well made, simple things. But people will generally not PAY FOR simple, well made things when much cheaper options are available. You and I might, and many others as well. But the vast majority of folks will not pay more for a higher quality, longer lasting item. Another example is Speed Queen for washers and dryers. They are substantially more expensive and look very plain and even old fashioned…

Most consumers don’t need commercial-level quality for appliances.

Those appliances are built to handle much more usage, and for a much longer time. E.g. a washer in a laundromat will be used probably 10x compared to a consumer washer over the same amount of time.

Also, a laundromat wants the washer to last as long as possible, probably 20-30 years, but at least 10-15.

There’s no reason for consumers to spend 10x on commercial appliances, when they’re not used as often, and won’t need to endure the misuse/abuse that commercial appliances take.

Also, few residents stay in one place long enough to need an appliance to last more than 15 or so years, and most consumer appliances last that long.

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#312

Post by barrkel »

snazz wrote: post #301
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be so sure: The Royal Society of Chemistry is calling on the UK Government to overhaul its drinking water standards, after new analysis reveals more than a third of water courses tested in England and Wales contain medium or high-risk levels of PFAS, more commonly known as forever chemicals. https://www.rsc.org/news-events/articles/2023/oct/pfas-clean...

Is an activated charcoal filter like in a fridge or Brita or something enough to filter out that kind of contaminant?

Brita filters also have ion exchange resin as well as activated charcoal. However it's not enough to remove PFAS, there was a lawsuit about this, if you do a search.

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#313

Post by sfritz »

snazz wrote: post #301
fauigerzigerk wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't be so sure: The Royal Society of Chemistry is calling on the UK Government to overhaul its drinking water standards, after new analysis reveals more than a third of water courses tested in England and Wales contain medium or high-risk levels of PFAS, more commonly known as forever chemicals. https://www.rsc.org/news-events/articles/2023/oct/pfas-clean...

Is an activated charcoal filter like in a fridge or Brita or something enough to filter out that kind of contaminant?

my understanding is not as much and not as consistently as more advanced filters

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#314

Post by ProllyInfamous »

beAbU wrote: post #131
kmoser wrote: post #23

My parents have a clothes drier from the 1970s and a fridge from the 1990s. They have needed repairs, but they were infrequent and not so costly as to necessitate buying a new unit. My A/C is only four years old and the maintenance guy is telling me one of the fans is drawing too much power and will need to be replaced soon. Despite the part being free under warranty, they want $600 to replace it. This seems to be st…

That dryer will probably use a shocking amount of power. Depending on local power costs a modern compressor dryer will easily pay for itself in a couple of years compared to sticking with the old one.

Similarly, I just installed a hybrid water heater and it is incredible. My kWH usage for hotwater went from 10% monthly bill to just 3% (and the heat pump tank cools/dehumidifies the basement it's within).

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#315

Post by EasyMark »

alwa wrote: post #294

One of the happier things I’ve done for myself lately, at the advice of this forum, was to get a rock-solid, dumb, black-and-white Brother laser printer. It sits there and just does its job and I never have to think about it. Does anyone have any tips as to the white-goods equivalents? Fridge, freezer, laundry machines, that kind of thing?

buy the simplest devices you can. I believe whirlpool still makes some models in the USA. Evidently (according to reddit) never buy a Samsung or LG kitchen appliance. Whateve r you do get online (reddit and other places) and look for the specific model you're looking at, never buy on a whim, do research. You can eat out for a couple nights if the fridge goes.

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#316

Post by Projectiboga »

thsksbd wrote: post #285
SteveNuts wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d be shocked if home appliance filters are capable of filtering PFAS anyways.

A RO undersink system costs $200 dollars. And it blocks everything but dissolved gasses.

Only downside with RO is it uses more water, but depending on water quality and cost it is often wirth it. Over on the carbon filter side there is KX media, which does a redox reaction and can kill giardiasis and help with slight contamination. It also does a great job against chlorine but chloramine is harder to filter.

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#317

Post by EasyMark »

cmiller1 wrote: post #302
alwa wrote: post #294

One of the happier things I’ve done for myself lately, at the advice of this forum, was to get a rock-solid, dumb, black-and-white Brother laser printer. It sits there and just does its job and I never have to think about it. Does anyone have any tips as to the white-goods equivalents? Fridge, freezer, laundry machines, that kind of thing?

A commercial fridge and a chest freezer.

I bought a chest freezer and regretted it. Not because it failed but because it's too easy to bury stuff. Sold it to a buddy after 3 years for 1/3 the original cost. He's still using it, but he's a hunter/fisherman, going on 10 years now.

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#318

Post by taude »

alwa wrote: post #294

One of the happier things I’ve done for myself lately, at the advice of this forum, was to get a rock-solid, dumb, black-and-white Brother laser printer. It sits there and just does its job and I never have to think about it. Does anyone have any tips as to the white-goods equivalents? Fridge, freezer, laundry machines, that kind of thing?

I didn't get the advice do to this, but this is where I landed with my home printer needs, cheap Brother wirelsss B&W Laser Printer.

Unfortunatley for appliances these days, to get fewer options you actually have to go up in price. It took me a long time, for example to even land on an oven that was minimalistic with knobs that you turn to set the temperature and turn it on (overall the oven isn't simple enough, because it still has too many logic boards that were replaced three times in the first year, until they got it right).

I gave up my old gas stove that cost $400 new, worked for 25 years, without fail.

Even when I was at the new appliance store, looking at the fancy stuff, the sales guy was impliying short life span, and repair contract needs, etc...

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#319

Post by taude »

EasyMark wrote: post #315
alwa wrote: post #294

One of the happier things I’ve done for myself lately, at the advice of this forum, was to get a rock-solid, dumb, black-and-white Brother laser printer. It sits there and just does its job and I never have to think about it. Does anyone have any tips as to the white-goods equivalents? Fridge, freezer, laundry machines, that kind of thing?

buy the simplest devices you can. I believe whirlpool still makes some models in the USA. Evidently (according to reddit) never buy a Samsung or LG kitchen appliance. Whateve r you do get online (reddit and other places) and look for the specific model you're looking at, never buy on a whim, do research. You can eat out for a couple nights if the fridge goes.

I had an LG refrigerator that was a nightmare. I've had better luck since upgrading to a Bosche.

I second Whirlpool, though, when I remodeled, I donated my working whirlpool washer and dryer that I inherited that was from circa 1980 or so....

Re: Goodbye non-KISS appliances

#320

Post by EasyMark »

arter4 wrote: post #52
brodsky wrote: post #25

When we upgraded our appliances, the "smart" or "wifi-enabled" ones were specifically avoided like the plague. "Dumb" appliances - especially fridges, for some reason - are becoming hard to come by, but they do exist. Electrolux, KitchenAid, even LG all make some no-frills models that can save both money and frustration. Hopefully those companies continue serving the "luddite techie" market.

Yes, I agree. I'm not a luddite per se - heck, I make a living out of making stuff talk to one another on a network. But I don't get the appeal, from a customer standpoint, of having all physical objects talk to you or to the Internet. Like, why? I get it when it comes to alarm systems. Being able to get a notification when someone breaks in is nice, because the alarm system is mostly doing its job when you're not at…

the only thing I see worth using "smart" appliances on are lighting, thermostat, and security system. Everything else in my experience is extraneous and useless.
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