Understanding lifetimes and failure modes of defective washing machines and dishwashers

Paolo Tecchio,Fulvio Ardente,Fabrice Mathieux

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.044

Paolo Tecchio, Fulvio Ardente + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.044

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Journal: Journal of cleaner production	Publication Date: Jan 7, 2019
Citations: 37	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Joint Research Centre

Abstract

The available literature on average lifetimes and failure modes of household appliances is mainly based on results of surveys conducted among end-users, but very little precise information can be found on specific failure modes and repair rates.The main objective of this study is to provide quantitative data about frequent failures and average service lifetimes of two household appliances, through the analysis of repair services performed by professional repair operators.We based our analysis on available datasets provided by a representative independent repair centre based in Europe, and we focused on the failures most frequently occurring and the potential repair or discard of the appliances. A database of about 11,000 diagnoses on defective washing machines and dishwashers was analysed, and frequent failure modes and repair rates were identified. The analysis was supported by a tailored visualisation of results.Concerning washing machines, recurring failures diagnosed by the repair operator regarded the electronics, shock absorbers and bearings, doors, carbon brushes and pumps. While the highest repair rates (repaired devices over total diagnosed devices with a specific failure mode) were observed for doors, carbon brushes and removal of foreign objects, the lowest rates were observed for bearings, drums and tubs, circulation pumps and electronics. Regarding dishwashers, recurring failures involved pumps, electronics, aquastop and valves, foreign objects and doors. The lowest repair rates, however, were again observed for circulation pumps and electronics. We also observed that the average service lifetime of an appliance not repaired by repair centre operators is 12.6 years for washing machines and 12 years for dishwashers.This work brings important knowledge on lifetimes and failure modes of defective washing machines and dishwashers, concerning in particular weak and critical components, but also age of appliances to be repaired. Based on the exercise on the two appliances, we discuss a possible classification scheme for repair services of household appliances, including both information retrieved by professional repair operators and information retrieved through interviews with end-users.

Highlights

Expected lifetime of products is key information to estimate the stock of materials in products and potential end-of-life (EoL) flows
One of the first analyses performed on the database was to classify the different failure modes reported by Reparatur-und Service-Zentrum (RUSZ), in order to handle a limited number of classifiers
In order to stimulate the discussion on the parameters to be monitored during the repair services, the development of metrics to support the circular economy and the identification and grouping of the failure modes, we provide our database for the year 2016 as Supplementary material

Summary

Introduction

Expected lifetime of products is key information to estimate the stock of materials in products and potential end-of-life (EoL) flows. In the raw material area, product durability is recognised to have the potential to play a key role in enhancing resource efficiency, as recalled by the European Raw Materials Initiative in its third pillar (European Commission, 2008). P. Tecchio et al / Journal of Cleaner Production 215 (2019) 1112e1122 et al, 2016b, 2012; Tecchio et al, 2018), refrigerators (Bakker et al, 2014b) and other small electric and electronic equipment (Bovea et al, 2017). The actual lifetime of products, such as mobile phones, televisions, washing machines, coffee machines and dishwashers, is often perceived as short by end-users and not always matching their expectations (Hennies and Stamminger, 2016; Wieser and Tro€ger, 2016). According to a 2014 Eurobarometer survey, 77% of the European consumers would rather repair their goods than buy new ones, but have to replace or discard them because they are discouraged by the cost of repairs and the level of service provided (European Commission, 2014)

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