Keep the fridge, forget the motherboard
- Laura Moore: Housebroken
- November 30, 2021
- 1333
Is anyone else aware of the shorter life span of new appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers? These things have not only gotten more expensive, but also live much shorter lives. Our very first refrigerator lasted about 25 years before it passed on to appliance heaven.
Now if our newer appliances last until they are paid off, we must consider ourselves lucky. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Of course, today’s appliances are far more sophisticated. Ovens can clean themselves, and refrigerators boast automatic ice. Thankfully, dishwashers, at least ours, haven’t gotten too complicated for us to operate.
My Taller Half blames all our difficulties on motherboards. He has determined any appliance fitted with a motherboard is not user friendly. Trying to find an appliance without such a thing is nigh impossible. Somehow or another, Taller Half thinks motherboards are the cause of our appliances living shorter lives. Because he isn’t really sure what a motherboard actually does, he could be mistaken.
We recently had to replace our elderly refrigerator. It was a very small appliance requiring my Taller Half to literally get on his knees to find anything stored on the lower shelves. And the little thing was way too small for our needs.
The prices of new refrigerators sent us spiraling into shock. We had no idea modern appliances had doubled, even tripled in price. Even the small units were bigger than our older model and were, of course, fitted with motherboards. They came with instruction booklets a half-inch thick. Taller Half almost ran out of that appliance store.
The store clerk managed to stop him and explain a used refrigerator, about 10 years old, might fit our needs. The clerk assured him the older model, which was good for at least 10 more years, came without a motherboard and had just a three-page manual. Sold!