What goes into the map
Planning life is 11 years for a washer and 10 for a dishwasher. These are visible model assumptions—not manufacturer guarantees. “All-in replacement” means delivery, installation, required parts, tax, and haul-away when known.
How the score becomes a zone
The repair quote contributes up to 60 points. Age contributes up to 25, with a 6- or 12-point checkpoint near or beyond planning life. Poor condition, repeat repairs, and an uncertain diagnosis add up to 19. Entered five-year utility savings can add up to 10. A written repair warranty subtracts up to 8.
A repair quote at or above 75% of all-in replacement cost enters the replacement zone even if the combined score is lower. The visible quote ratio is repair ÷ replacement; life used is age ÷ planning life.
What the extra visuals mean
Repair cost is divided by estimated reliable years remaining. Replacement cost is spread over planning life, minus only the annual utility savings you entered.
The model holds every non-price answer steady and shows the repair quote where the repair zone ends.
The five-year line is a planning view, not a failure forecast. If estimated reliable life ends inside five years, it illustrates when a later replacement may enter the repair path.
Safety is outside the score
Burning smell, shock, smoke, overheating, water near wiring, a stop-use recall, or a qualified safety finding must be resolved first.
Parts availability, unusual installation expense, accessibility needs, and a technician’s model-specific finding can also outweigh the planning result.
What enters analytics
Never the typed dollar amounts, exact age, condition, diagnosis, or warranty. The local QA event keeps only appliance category, result, broad quote and life ranges, and calculator version—and currently remains in this browser tab.
How updates will be governed
- Every logic change gets a new calculator version and boundary tests.
- Old and new result distributions stay separable.
- Outcome reports require explicit consent.
- Rankings, ads, and referral revenue never set thresholds.
- Material changes are dated here before publication.
Reference sources
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall searchOfficial recall and stop-use source.
- ENERGY STAR dishwasher guidanceEfficiency context; visitors enter their own EnergyGuide difference.
- FTC EnergyGuide labeling guidanceOperating-cost comparison context.