EU Mandates: Better Refrigerators, Washing Machines, Furniture and Tires

[rcjordan]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/better-refrigerators-washing-machines-furniture-and-tires-are-mandated-for/

lotsa luck

[Brad]

Yeah, good luck.  Here in the US we won't see it 1. because of unregulated greed, 2. Trump.  But our appliances are rapidly turning into crap.

[rcjordan]

>crap

My feeds say the average expected lifetime for a new major appliance is 7 years.

Mark Cuban needs to bring back old-school, analog Kenmore appliances.  We were pissed if they didn't go 20 years.

[Brad]

Mark Cuban needs to bring back old-school, analog Kenmore appliances.  We were pissed if they didn't go 20 years.

Gosh this is so spot on.  Just throw away the circuit boards and go back to analog.  It worked better and lasted longer and could be repaired.

I've had better luck with Korean Samsung appliances vs. US brands.

>7 years

Even really major home things like hot water heaters and forced air furnaces don't last much longer or they quit making parts.

[rcjordan]

>>7 years

"Appliance Technician: Repairman1981
I'm an independent servicer. Government regulations only require parts to be kept for seven years."
https://www.justanswer.com/appliance/outcj-weren-t-appliance-manufacturers-supposed-keep-parts.html

Debbie thought it was 7 years but my quick search couldn't find the actual legislation.  That said, most of the proposed/adopted US state 'right to repair' laws (Calif) also only require 7 year parts availability (and even that is pretty narrowly defined).

Conspiracy Theory Du Jour:  Manufacturers are purposely limiting the appliance lifetime to 7 years to increase sales turns while just meeting (weak) legal requirements.

[Brad]

>analog

Today I saw a meme on XTwitter showing a analog washing machine and saying they would pay more for appliances with zero smart features and just physical knobs buttons and controls for everything.

https://x.com/KathleenWinche3/status/1920217661117440187

So memes about this are showing up on social media, now we will see if it grows into a larger movement.  Pushback can work, the auto industry is backing off touchscreens for everything and going back to buttons partly because of customer complaints.