The 50% rule says: repair if the fix costs less than half the price of a comparable new appliance and the unit is less than halfway through its expected life; replace when both numbers pass halfway. It is a starting frame, not a verdict. Part type, built-in status, and the appliance's repair history all bend it, and this article shows how.
Run the rule with real ages
Step one is the appliance's true age, from its model tag, not from memory: our age decoder page shows where tags hide and how brands encode dates. Step two is the expected lifespan for that appliance type, on our lifespan chart. Step three is a real repair quote from an actual diagnosis, not a guess; three different causes for one symptom price three different ways, as our cost guide explains.
Example, with invented-but-typical proportions: a 5-year-old washer needs a drain pump quoted well under a fifth of its replacement cost. The rule says repair, easily. A 12-year-old dishwasher needs a wash motor and a board quoted past half its replacement cost. The rule says replace, and the dishwasher's remaining racks and tub agree.
Where the rule bends
Wear parts bend it toward repair at almost any age: pumps, elements, igniters, fans, and belts are the consumables an appliance was designed around, and replacing a machine over a wear part is like trading in a car for tires. Major systems bend it toward replacement near end of life: compressors, tub bearings, and control boards on units already past their range.
Built-ins and premium equipment bend it hardest toward repair, because the replacement number must include cabinetry, panels, and premium pricing; a built-in fridge at 15 years with a compressor fault is often a repair, where the same fault ends a standard fridge at 12. And a unit with three repairs in a year is telling you its own story regardless of any single quote.
The factors nobody puts in the rule
Downtime has a price: a family of six in Fields of Canterbury without a washer for two weeks pays in laundromat trips and sanity. Efficiency has a price too: a 15-year-old fridge replaced with a modern unit saves real electricity every month. And honesty about trajectory matters: a repair that restores a healthy machine is an investment, while a repair that rents you three more months is a toll.
Our job in this conversation is to price the repair exactly, report the machine's condition truthfully, and do the math in front of you. Whichever way it lands, you should leave knowing why. Start with the lifespan chart, then call (615) 583-1836 if you want the numbers run on your actual appliance.