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fix my oven or buy new one

Should I Fix My Oven or Buy a New One?

Is it time to buy a new oven?- This question must arise at some point whenever you’re deciding whether to fix your oven or buy a new one. Ovens or ranges have a life expectancy of 13-15 years. But faults can come up from time to time during the oven’s lifespan.

If your main aim is to save cost, then fixing your oven is a better option. The only time to consider buying a new range is when it’s close to the end of its life cycle and if the repair cost is quite high.

You can save costs by repairing some of these faults yourself by using simple DIY methods. However, if the problem becomes difficult for you to fix, it’s time to call for an expert appliance repair company. This article will help you decide when to buy a new oven or if fixing the previous one is a better idea. 

Should I Fix My Oven or Buy a New One?

Ovens are essential appliances in every home, and being without one can be disturbing at times. However, the usefulness of ovens makes it grace the home of 85% of Canadians. Ovens provide wonderful experiences by allowing you to cook or bake whenever and however you want to. 

The oven or range also enables you to unwind or relax by allowing you the opportunity to try out new dishes or improve existing ones. However, a bad or faulty oven will cause you to rely only on salad and microwave food. It won’t take too long till you begin to crave homemade meals. 

You can always scout for oven repair services or try out basic DIYs to repair your oven. But if the faults become too recurrent, you may have to start thinking about a replacement. As simple as this decision process sounds, it can be quite tough to pick a side.

Fortunately, some factors will help your decision process. Below, you’ll see the explanation of these factors that’ll enable you to arrive at better suggestions or answers.

Costs

Money is one thing that’s essential to everybody in the world. Cost is one of the most important factors when it comes to deciding on oven repair or replacement. So it’s not a sin to save money when and how you can, even when your oven breaks down. 

This section will look at how cost can influence your decision from two different angles. It’ll give you a better knowledge of how to be cost-effective in your decision.

Repair

Of course, repairing your oven isn’t free. You have to spend money one way or the other to fix the problem or fault properly. Although, the cost of fixing your oven isn’t fixed due to certain factors, which include:

  • Your location
  • Availability and  cost of replacement parts
  • Service or labor fee
  • Oven type (gas or electric)
  • Brand

The factors above directly affect your oven repair budget. However, if you put in the effort to identify the oven fault and source for the replacement part, you’ll be saving yourself some good bucks. 

In addition, with the use of DIYs, you can fix some of the faults yourself while taking the necessary precautionary motives. See a list of some problems you can try to fix by yourself.

  • Oven door problems
  • Interior light issues
  • Gas burner
  • Heat problems (Igniter or heating element)
  • Self-cleaning cycle
  • Thermostat

In addition, you need a particular level of expertise and skills to fix these problems. Kindly contact any oven repair services around you or search online in the absence of such skills and requirements. However, it’s mostly cheaper and better to fix your oven.

Replacement

As you may have figured, a complete replacement of your oven will cost more than simply fixing or repairing a small part. New cheaper brands will still take their toll on your bank account balance. So unless you’re quite sure, getting a brand new oven may not be the best option when you’re trying to save costs.

Asides from the cost of buying a new oven, you may be charged for installation costs. In addition, if your oven type is different from the last one, you may also need to get new installation materials (cables, pipes etc.). But if your previous oven is beginning to develop many faults, it may be smarter to start making plans to buy a new one. 

Time and Convenience

time and convenience

Fixing your oven is a process that requires time for planning and completion. If you have a tight work schedule with no one else in your house, you may find it difficult to find time to fix your faulty oven. So which will be a better option? Repair or replace?

Repair 

It may take you up to 10 minutes to assess or diagnose the problem, e.g., a broken thermostat. To order a thermostat that’ll be perfect for the make and model of your oven online may cost you extra five minutes. However, it usually arrives within five working days.

Once it arrives, you can apply a DIY method to fix the thermostat and voila! Your oven is back at full-functioning capacity in less than a week. There’s no need for you to spend hours surfing the internet for the replacement parts, and fixing the faulty part doesn’t last more than 2 hours.

So, apart from fixing the thermostat, the process is quite hassle-free and less time-consuming. However, if you can’t fix the new part conveniently, you can contact any oven repair service to help you. 

Replacement

Completely replacing your oven is more time-consuming and can be inconvenient. You have to take a look at the recycling store’s work hours. It’ll likely clash with yours. So you’ll need to take a break from work. Other times, you’ll have to be patient and wait until the weekend arrives before taking your oven there.

Next is the time you’ll spend shopping. It may take you about three hours of online shopping to find the oven of your choice. Then, before purchase, you’ll want to inspect the oven physically. Finally, you have to create time to visit some showrooms before making up your mind completely.

The whole process, including the delivery arrangements and installation, can take up to three weeks, and that’s if things go as planned. In some cases, it may even take up to a month or more to complete your oven replacement process. So replacing your oven is more inconvenient than repairing it when you consider the amount of time and money you’ll have to spend.

Related Article: Common Issues That Can Happen To an Electric Oven

Life Span

Ovens have a life expectancy of fifteen years. However, that’s not always the case. The lifespan of an oven largely depends on how well you manage and use the oven. For example, the oven in the home of a single individual may last more than that of a family house. The reason is that a single person may not use the oven as frequently as a family will use theirs.

However, if your oven is less than fifteen years, it’s always best to move in favor of a repair rather than replacement. But if the faults keep recurring more often, it may be time for you to start planning on buying a new one.

Energy Efficiency

It’s important to consider energy/power costs when you’re trying to decide on whether to fix your oven or buy a new one. However, instead of replacing your range, you can make it more energy efficient by considering the following steps.

  • Cook multiple dishes at the same time by being strategic with your oven racks
  • Use lesser temperature for cooking by using glass or ceramic pans
  • Try using the self-cleaning option after cooking. It’ll use lesser energy to heat up
  • Keep the oven door closed to avoid heat escaping
  • Cut down cooking time by thawing your food first
  • Use flat bottoms and straight sides with tight-fitting lids to allow your food to heat up quickly.
  • Clean your burner from time to time

If you try out these steps and your oven isn’t energy efficient, then it may be time to call for effective oven repair services to give it a look. But before that, you can run a quick test to know if it’s better to buy a new oven or not. The step involves running two quick comparisons.

  • Firstly, compare your current oven’s preheating time against a new oven’s own.
  • Compare your oven’s cooking time to the lowest cooking time of a new oven’s features such as steam, induction, convection and speed cooking.

These two comparisons will help you determine whether you can achieve meaningful energy savings by getting a new oven.

Kitchen Redesign

People have different choices and style preferences which is completely fine and personal. There are times that you may just want to redesign your home or kitchen. It’s fine if you choose to replace your oven because you feel it doesn’t match your preferred color and style. 

It may warrant you to buy a new oven if you prefer the modern and nicest looking range. Also, if recent oven features like induction cooktops and steam ovens are important to you, it may be time to get a new oven.

However, this type of situation is rare. So instead of changing or replacing the oven, choose a design that’ll suit the color of the range you already have. It’ll help you save costs, especially if you’re trying to redesign your kitchen on a budget.

USEFUL TIP:- When changing your oven, it’s good to seek the help of an expert to help you get a good buy. Also, when redesigning your kitchen, try to buy or replace everything in your kitchen at once. If not, the design may change by the time you’re ready to get the others.

Type of Fault

type of fault

Certain faults can make it difficult to decide whether to fix your oven or buy a new one. However, you can tackle a decent number of these oven issues using DIY materials on youtube. If you encounter any fault that’s difficult for you to tackle, then it’s time to call for experts. 

The unavailability of replacement parts also contributes to the problem of fixing the faults in an oven. The replacement parts of some oven brands may be difficult to get in your location. In addition, the shipping cost of such replacement parts can affect your decision on fixing your oven or getting a new one.

Is Fixing My Oven Worth It?

Fixing your oven is always worth it, except it’s getting to the end of its lifespan. So when deciding if you’re to fix your oven or buy a new one, it’s not difficult to see that it’s better and cost-effective to opt for the former. 

You simply have to ensure that you get authentic replacement parts at the best available prices and a very competent professional to carry out the job. With these in place, your oven will get a good repair and value for your money. 

The only time your oven may not need repairs is when you factor how much it’ll cost to fix it and what’s left of the lifespan. If the answer you get is satisfactory to you, then you can go ahead with the repairs. If otherwise, you may have to start planning to buy a new oven.

Related Article: What is the Cost of Repairing an Oven in Toronto?

Final Take

It’ll always get to the point where you have to decide whether to fix your oven or buy a new one in every home. It’s easy to ascertain that it’s relatively cheaper to fix your oven than to replace it. 

However, there are times it can become difficult to continue fixing your oven due to constant faults. When your range starts developing problems constantly, it’s a sign that it’s coming to the end of its life cycle. But before you conclude on when to buy a new oven, contact a professional to give the oven one last check.

Prime Appliance Repair is always ready to check the condition of your oven and advise you accordingly on the right repair or replacement steps to take. In addition, you can check out our appliance repair technicians for effective same-day oven repair. We’re professional, and we deliver quality services at affordable rates. Contact us today! Let’s get your oven running again!

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