The other day, the 24 or 25 year old dishwasher caused trouble for the very first time. The water valve/solenoid decided it didn't want to work anymore, so the water was still flowing with everything off. Fortunately, we caught it early, 'cause a problem like this gets expensive right quick....

Now this is a quarter-century old Hotpoint, GE's lower- echelon unit, but it is two to three times older than the expected life of even the best dishwashers today. A new water valve is $18 on-line vs. $400 to $600 for a new D/W, a significant expense right now.

Now I like things that last: I drive a 40 year old 4x4, cut wood with a 32 y.o. chainsaw and heat with a three decade old wood stove. Now Land-Rovers, Stihls and Vermont Castings were build to last. Appliances like dishwashers, not so much....

So, fix or toss? I can fix just about anything, but failure in a washer can get right expensive PDQ. A neighbor had an improperly-installed hot water fitting on a new claw-foot tub on the second floor let go right after they left for dinner and a movie. They came home to an $80,000 mess....

Cheers