Repair vs Replace Washer: Break-Even Cost Calculator 2026

Repair or replace the washer? Compare the totals over the time the old one has left

The sticker prices lie: a $250 repair looks cheap next to an $800 new washer — until you count what the new washer saves and what the old one still owes you. The honest comparison is the total cost of each side over the years the old washer has left: repair total = the repair cost; replace total = the new washer's price + the disposal fee − the annual running-cost saving × the old washer's remaining life; difference = replace total − repair total (> 0 means REPAIR wins; < 0 means REPLACE wins; 0 is a tie). Cost per year is the total divided by the remaining life. On the defaults — a $250 repair, an $800 new washer, 3 years left, a 10-year new washer, $40/yr saving, a $50 disposal fee — the repair total is $250.00, the replace total is $800 + $50 − $40 × 3 = $730.00, and REPAIR wins by $480.00. The cost per year is $83.33 to repair against $243.33 to replace. The break-even repair cost is $730.00. The break-even replacement price is $320.00. The break-even remaining life is 15.0 yrs — beyond any realistic remaining life, so replacing only wins on this lens if the old machine would last 15 more years. The break-even annual saving is $200.00/yr. And there is NO break-even disposal fee: the fee that would tie is −$430.00, so a disposal fee would have to pay you $430.00.

At the defaults — repair cost $250, replacement price $800, remaining life 3 years, new washer life 10 years, saving $40/yr, disposal fee $50 — the repair total is $250.00, the replace total is $730.00, the difference is $480.00 in repairing’s favour, and the winner is REPAIR wins. The cost per year is $83.33 to repair against $243.33 to replace. The break-evens are: repair cost $730.00, replacement price $320.00, remaining life 15.0 yrs, annual saving $200.00/yr, disposal fee none (−$430.00). The 10-year lens is a second answer: repairing now and replacing in 3 years costs $1,100.00, replacing now costs $850.00 — replacing now saves $250.00 over 10 years before energy savings, because the repair is paid ON TOP of the eventual replacement, which is why the short-horizon and long-horizon answers differ. Check the identities: repair = R; replace = C + D − S × Lo; difference = replace − repair; cost per year = total / Lo; break-even repair cost = C + D − S × Lo; break-even replacement price = R − D + S × Lo; break-even remaining life = (C + D − R) / S; break-even annual saving = (C + D − R) / Lo; break-even disposal fee = R − C + S × Lo; 10-year repair-then-replace = R + C + D; 10-year replace-now = C + D. The winner is decided from the ROUNDED (to-the-cent) repair vs replace totals: equal rounded values are a tie. When the annual saving is $0, there is NO break-even in remaining life: the page shows “—” with that explanation, not a number. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: repair cost $250, replacement price $800, remaining life 3 years, new washer life 10 years, saving $40/yr, disposal fee $50.

Line 1 — the repair total. The repair costs $250.00 over the 3-year horizon.

Line 2 — the replace total. $800 + $50 − $40 × 3 = $850 − $120 = $730.00.

Line 3 — the difference and the winner. $730.00 − $250.00 = $480.00; positive, so REPAIR wins.

Line 4 — the cost per year. $250.00 / 3 = $83.33 to repair, against $730.00 / 3 = $243.33 to replace.

Line 5 — the break-even repair cost. $800 + $50 − $120 = $730.00. A repair dearer than $730.00 loses to replacing.

Line 6 — the break-even replacement price. $250 − $50 + $120 = $320.00. A new washer cheaper than $320.00 wins.

Line 7 — the break-even remaining life. ($800 + $50 − $250) / $40 = 15.0 yrs. The old washer would have to last 15 more years for replacing to win on this lens.

Line 8 — the break-even annual saving. ($800 + $50 − $250) / 3 = $200.00/yr. The new washer would have to save $200.00 a year for replacing to win.

Line 9 — the break-even disposal fee. $250 − $800 + $120 = −$430.00 — none. A disposal fee would have to pay you $430.00 to flip the answer.

Line 10 — the 10-year lens. Repair now and replace in 3 years: $250 + $800 + $50 = $1,100.00. Replace now: $800 + $50 = $850.00. Replacing now saves $250.00 over 10 years before energy savings — because the repair is paid on top of the eventual replacement.

Reverse: the break-even repair cost is $730.00 (exact $730.0000); a $730.00 repair costs $730.00 = the replace total — a tie (verdict: TIE). The break-even replacement price is $320.00 (exact $320.0000); a $320.00 new washer costs $250.00 to replace, tying the repair — a tie (verdict: TIE). The break-even remaining life is 15.0 yrs (exact 15.0); at 15.0 yrs the replace total is $250.00 = the repair — a tie (verdict: TIE). The break-even annual saving is $200.00/yr (exact $200.0000); at $200.00/yr the replace total is $250.00 = the repair — a tie (verdict: TIE). The break-even disposal fee is none — the fee that would tie is −$430.00 (verdict: NONE).

Every branch, checked

Repair cost $100: repair $100.00, replace $730.00 — REPAIR wins by $630.00. A cheaper repair only widens the gap.

Repair cost $600: repair $600.00, replace $730.00 — REPAIR wins by $130.00. A dearer repair narrows the gap but does not close it — $600 is still below the $730.00 break-even.

Repair cost $800: repair $800.00, replace $730.00 — REPLACE wins by $70.00 (FLIP). Past the $730.00 break-even repair cost, replacing wins — the first flip.

Replacement price $400: repair $250.00, replace $330.00 — REPAIR wins by $80.00. A cheaper new washer narrows the gap — $400 is still above the $320.00 break-even price.

Replacement price $1,200: repair $250.00, replace $1,130.00 — REPAIR wins by $880.00. A dear new washer makes repairing a bargain.

Remaining life 1 year: repair $250.00, replace $810.00 — REPAIR wins by $560.00. One year of savings is only $40.00, so replacing is at its dearest.

Remaining life 5 years: repair $250.00, replace $650.00 — REPAIR wins by $400.00. Five years of savings are $200.00, but the new washer is still dearer.

Remaining life 10 years: repair $250.00, replace $450.00 — REPAIR wins by $200.00. Ten years of savings are $400.00, and replacing still loses — the break-even life is 15 years, not 10.

Annual saving $0/yr: repair $250.00, replace $850.00 — REPAIR wins by $600.00 (break-even life: —, none). With no savings at all, replacing never wins — there is no finite break-even remaining life.

Annual saving $100/yr: repair $250.00, replace $550.00 — REPAIR wins by $300.00. Two and a half times the saving and replacing still loses — $100 is below the $200.00 break-even.

Annual saving $250/yr: repair $250.00, replace $100.00 — REPLACE wins by $150.00 (FLIP). Above the $200.00 break-even saving, the new washer pays for itself inside the horizon.

Disposal fee $0: repair $250.00, replace $680.00 — REPAIR wins by $430.00. Free disposal narrows the gap by $50.00 but does not close it.

Disposal fee $150: repair $250.00, replace $830.00 — REPAIR wins by $580.00. A dearer haul-away only helps repairing.

Reverse — the other way round: the break-even repair cost is $730.00; the break-even replacement price is $320.00; the break-even remaining life is 15.0 yrs; the break-even annual saving is $200.00/yr; there is NO break-even disposal fee (the fee that would tie is −$430.00).

What the defaults assume

The model assumes the old washer lasts exactly the remaining life you enter after the repair, the new washer's running-cost saving stays the same every year, and the disposal fee is paid only when you replace. It assumes the repair is paid once and the new washer is paid once, and it assumes the 10-year lens buys the same $800.00 washer in 3 years at today's price — it does not model inflation, the price of a better washer, or the cost of a second breakdown. It leaves out the water damage a leaking washer can do, the noise, and the value of a warranty. With a $0 repair, the repair total is $0.00 and REPAIR wins by $730.00 — a free repair always wins. With 1 year left and $0 saving, the repair total is $250.00, the replace total is $850.00, REPAIR wins by $600.00, and the break-even life is — (no finite break-even when the saving is $0). Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum; the reverses are nearest-value solutions, and the exact unrounded figures ($730.0000, $320.0000, 15.0, $200.0000, −$430.00) are stated wherever the rounded figures appear.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner with a $250 repair quote: they learn repairing wins by $480.00 when the old washer has 3 years left — so they know the repair is worth doing, and they check the $800 repair branch (REPLACE wins by $70.00) before approving a dearer repair.
• The buyer eyeing an $800 energy-saving washer: they learn the new washer would have to save $200.00 a year to win — so they know $40 a year is not enough, and they check the $250-a-year branch (REPLACE wins by $150.00) before buying for the savings alone.
• The owner of a washer with 10 years left in it: they learn repairing still wins by $200.00 at 10 years — so they know the break-even life is 15 years, not 10, and they check the 1-year branch (REPAIR wins by $560.00) before assuming a short life means replacing.
• The homeowner thinking about the 10-year cost: they learn replacing now saves $250.00 over 10 years, even though repairing wins over 3 — so they know the two horizons give different answers, and they check the 10-year lens ($1,100.00 vs $850.00) before deciding on the short horizon alone.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: repair = R; replace = C + D − S × Lo; difference = replace − repair; cost per year = total / Lo; break-even repair cost = C + D − S × Lo; break-even replacement price = R − D + S × Lo; break-even remaining life = (C + D − R) / S; break-even annual saving = (C + D − R) / Lo; break-even disposal fee = R − C + S × Lo; 10-year repair-then-replace = R + C + D; 10-year replace-now = C + D. The winner is decided from the ROUNDED (to-the-cent) repair vs replace totals: equal rounded values are a tie. What the model cannot do is know how long your washer will really last: check the remaining life, because the answer flips at 15 years — at 10 years repairing wins by $200.00, at 15 it is a tie. It assumes the saving stays the same every year and the 10-year lens buys the same washer at today's price. It leaves out inflation, a second breakdown, water damage, and the value of a warranty. It is a cost comparison, not a repair guide: for whether to repair or replace a laptop, see the repair vs replace laptop calculator; for a phone, see the repair vs replace phone calculator.