Selecting Appliances

My regular fridge is getting realy rusty but it's my fault. I know somebody who has religiously kept her white refrigerator & washer/dryer waxed & hers is the same age as mine with no rust spots. Refrigerator magnets, in my case are my friends. 🙂

I don't think stainless rusts.

Stainless steel DOES rust down here.

There are over 150 different alloys of stainless steel. Some resist corrosion better than others.

The typical stainless used in appliances/sinks is 304 (of which there are many subtypes) and it does and will rust and corrode. If you have and use air conditioning or dehumidifying, it may not corrode or perhaps not as fast. The combination of humid salt air, corrosive ash from Montserrat, and the Saharan dust make a corrosive paste that can waste your metal (stainless, iron, chrome, etc) at an appalling rate. Very frequent cleaning can slow it down. You can also protect the metal with a thin coat of wax or other products after cleaning.

I rented a condo that had enameled appliances. Even those were rusting in spots. I guess a small dings/chips in the enamel let in the corrosive air. Rust city. The appliances weren't old. Once a spot of rust developed, it slowly tracked under the enamel and caused widening of the affected area and peeling of the enamel.

The 316's are known as "food grade", "surgical grade", "marine grade", etc and resist corrosion better than other alloys. I have not seen any appliances that use SS316, though.

Recently I bought a condo. The kitchen was remodeled about a year before I purchased. The stainless steel appliances had already developed some rust and corrosion. The cabinets had already started to swell at their dovetail joints and were already looking bad. I gutted the place and am remodeling. I had high-efficiency mini split airconditioners installed, as much for their dehumidifying abilities as for cooling. Hopefully this will prevent the interior fixtures and cabinetry from such rapid deterioration.

I didn't know that! Great info, Jules.

Addendum:

I have seen some appliances that use SS 316 but they were commercial appliances and were very pricey.

SS 316 alloys cost roughly 3 times as much as SS 304.

I do know that car wax is a great way to keep the rust from taking hold...3 or 4 times a year....Use it on appliances and sinks and faucets and alll that...

Everything is a trade off. Using A/C 24/7 is an expensive propositation.

Jules,

That was a wonderful post!

When I tell people that don't live here that my stainless steel items (good German knives, scissors, etc.) are rusting, they say all say the same thing, "stainless steel doesn't rust." My reply has always been, "well it does in my house."

I have always meant to learn about why this is so that I can explain it to people. But now I don't have to because here it is!

BTW Molly not only do things rust, but I am completely amazed at how quickly this starts to happen. I personally would not invest in higher-end appliances -- unless the extra features, etc., are really, really important to you. JMHO

🙂

Another problem with some appliances has to do with our power and how dirty/spiky it is.

Surges can ruin the electronics in digitally-controlled appliances and fixtures. Apparently the "old-fashioned" controls are less susceptible to damage from power surges.

My first week here the TV cable box went "POOF" and burned up (good thing I noticed the fire extinguisher earlier that day). The dishwasher soon followed, although that might have been due to wires that jiggled loose. I've talked to other people who had expensive repairs on their refrigerators and such due to dirty power.

One thing I haven't yet done but intend to do is put a power conditioner/surge protector on the whole house (condo). You can get them for individual outlets but they are expensive. I haven't researched all of the details yet, but apparently you can protect an entire home for the cost of 2-3 individual outlet protectors.

As for the expense of running air conditioning, I'll soon find out. I had 3 Mitsubishi "Mr. Slims" installed several months ago and have let them run on a fairly high temp (78 degrees) for nearly a month.

Linda J, it seems to me that I'll pay either way-- either to constantly replace items that have been ruined by humidity/salt/corrosive air or by paying a higher electric bill.

Mell-- yep, my good German knives rusted within months. The part of the tangs that stuck out from the butcher block rusted very quickly. I guess it wouldn't have happened so fast if I had been a better housekeeper, but it's almost inevitable if you live with your windows open.

I don't own a microwave but those who do say to leave it unplugged & only plug it in when using. They really blow out fast with the surges. I have a refrigerator that's rusting & I hate it but I've had it since 1996 & the danged thing won't die.

We have not had any problem with electrical surges damaging our appliances since buying our house on STX in 2002. We have multiple TVs, 3 refrigerators, 3 mini-splits (which we don't use), 2 microwaves, stereo systems, computers, washer and dryer, etc., much of which came with the house, and have not had to replace anything due to failure. We do have a few rust spots on the washer and dryer, but they are at least 10 years old. None of the appliances are stainless steel or high end. We do have surge protectors on the more sensitive items, but nothing on the appliances. Living up pretty high on the north shore undoubtedly helps, but our stuff has held up much better than I expected.

A good quality whole house surge protector that protects both phases of the 220v, the neutral and the ground will cost around $115. It needs to be installed on the main panel using tw0 circuit breakers. If you aren't comfortable working on your main panel hire an electrician.

For you home entertainment center and flat screen TV you probably shoud install an isolation transformer.

None of these items will protect your appliances and electronics from the over 60htz power that WAPA seems to deliver. The over clocked power from WAPA burns out wall wart transformers which are designed for 60htz power.

Jim

'We've lived of STX for almost 4 years and with only plug-in surge protectors for the computer and the fridg and - knock wood - we've not had any problems with appliances blowing out.

Jules, my point was that if you are using the a/c primarily for control of humidity/salt etc, you are probably paying more than if you just replaced appliances every 4-5 years.

Thats a very good point. Also something I seen on the island again and again is people over build their houses or put too much money in them. The island (especially stx) is still about 50 years in the past. A kitchen/bathroom redo will help your resale but keep it on the more modest scale unless you have a fab location with a view. Top of the line everything on stx is overkill, just seening a kitchen thats not 20 years old is usually a selling feature. Now putting money into great shutters, windows, better roof, etc is almost always money worth spending and you should see it on the resale, plus it may get you better insurance breaks.

Thanks so much everyone! Sounds like the sensible thing is to buy cheap and replace every 4 to 5 years. I love to cook so I will miss my big gas stove, maybe I'll try to master outdoor grilling.

Molly gas stove is definitely the way to go. Electric is too expensive and will only tax your generator more during a power outage or hurricane. If you own a home most people buy gas stoves.