Giving Appliance Parts a Second Life helping the right to repair UK
Over the last few weeks, GS Appliance has been working closely with Paul and the team at How To Repair on a project that we believe could make a genuine difference to the appliance repair industry.
The idea is simple.
Why scrap a perfectly usable component when it could keep another appliance running?
The problem with appliance parts
As appliance repair engineers, we are seeing a growing problem with spare part availability.
Appliances are coming into our workshop that are perfectly capable of being repaired, but the component required is either no longer manufactured, extremely difficult to source or has become so expensive that the repair is no longer financially viable.
This creates a frustrating situation for customers and engineers.
A washing machine, dishwasher, cooker or tumble dryer might have years of useful life remaining, but one unavailable component can result in the entire appliance being replaced.
We think there is a better way.
Looking at old appliances differently
When an appliance reaches the end of its useful life, it does not necessarily mean every component inside it has reached the end of its life.
An appliance might be written off because of a failed drum, damaged cabinet, uneconomical repair or another major issue.
Inside that same machine there could still be numerous perfectly serviceable genuine components.
Instead of seeing these appliances simply as waste, we are starting to look at them as a potential source of valuable replacement components.
The important part is making sure this is done properly.
Building a proper reuse process - the right to repair uk
This isn't about simply removing random parts from scrap appliances and putting them on a shelf.
Over the last few weeks we have been developing a structured process with the team covering how appliances are assessed, tested, dismantled and recorded.
Before suitable components are recovered, appliances go through electrical safety checks including earth continuity and insulation testing, together with functional testing where appropriate.
We then make a decision on whether the appliance should be repaired, dismantled for reusable components or sent for recycling.
When an appliance is selected for dismantling, suitable components are carefully removed and inspected.
Parts are identified using genuine manufacturer information and genuine part numbers wherever possible. They are cleaned, photographed and recorded before being added into the stock system.
Condition and any visible marks or damage also need to be accurately recorded.
The objective is to create a controlled and traceable process rather than simply accumulating second hand parts.
A simple example: the oven door
One of the easiest ways to explain the problem is an oven door.
Imagine accidentally smashing the glass in your oven door.
The oven itself could be working perfectly.
Depending on the model, replacing the complete door or individual glass panels could potentially cost hundreds of pounds.
For older appliances, the correct part may no longer be available at all.
That can leave a customer considering replacing an entire appliance because of a damaged piece of glass.
At the same time, another oven of exactly the same model could be heading for recycling because of a completely unrelated fault.
Its door could still be in excellent condition.
Recovering that genuine door gives the component another useful life and gives another customer the opportunity to repair their appliance rather than replace it.
Genuine parts that already exist
There is another important benefit to component reuse.
These are often genuine manufacturer components that were originally fitted to the appliance.
As appliances get older and manufacturers discontinue components, those genuine parts become increasingly difficult to obtain.
Carefully recovering suitable components from appliances that would otherwise be recycled can help create an additional source of genuine replacement parts for engineers and customers.
This becomes particularly valuable for older models where new stock has disappeared from the traditional supply chain.
Working with How To Repair supporting the right to repair uk
Our partnership with Paul and the team at How To Repair gives us an opportunity to develop this further.
How To Repair has spent years helping people diagnose and repair domestic appliances.
By combining that knowledge with the appliances, engineers, workshop facilities and testing processes available through GS Appliance, we can start building a more organised route for suitable recovered components to get back into circulation.
Over the last few weeks we have been working on the complete process.
That includes electrical testing, functional testing, dismantling procedures, component identification, cleaning, photography, genuine part number recording, pricing, stock control, storage and packaging.
There is a lot more involved than simply removing a component from an old machine.
If we want reuse to become a credible part of the appliance repair supply chain, the process behind it needs to be taken seriously.
Reducing unnecessary appliance waste
The environmental argument is also straightforward.
Manufacturing a complete new appliance requires raw materials, energy, manufacturing, packaging and transportation.
If an existing appliance can remain in service because a suitable replacement component has been recovered from another machine, we have potentially prevented two useful things from becoming waste.
The original appliance stays in service and a usable component from another appliance avoids being unnecessarily destroyed during recycling.
Recycling will always have an important role for components and materials that cannot be reused.
But where something can safely and economically be reused, we believe reuse should come before recycling.
Making repairs financially viable
This project is not only about sustainability.
It is also about making appliance repair financially viable.
Customers understandably compare the cost of repairing an appliance with the cost of replacing it.
When a single new component becomes extremely expensive, that calculation can quickly move towards replacement.
Having another option can change that decision.
A correctly identified and tested genuine reused component could make the difference between an appliance being repaired and an appliance being scrapped.
That is particularly important as households continue to face increasing costs.
Building something for the wider repair industry
Our ambition is bigger than simply keeping a few used components in our own workshop.
We want to develop a repeatable system that helps put useful appliance components back into circulation.
That means knowing what the part is, which appliance it came from, its genuine part number, its condition and where it is stored.
It also means maintaining proper stock control when components are used or sold.
Creating that structure is what we have been concentrating on over the last few weeks.
There is still plenty to learn and develop as the volume increases, but we believe the principle is right.
Repair more. Reuse more. Waste less.
The appliance industry has spent decades becoming very good at manufacturing and distributing new products and new components.
We believe there is a major opportunity to become much better at managing the useful components that already exist.
Not every part should be reused.
Not every appliance should be dismantled.
But when a safe, genuine and serviceable component can prevent another perfectly good appliance from being scrapped, it makes sense to give that component another life.
That is what we are working towards with Paul and the team at How To Repair.
Repair more. Reuse more. Waste less. supporting the right to repair
And hopefully, keep thousands more appliances working instead of unnecessarily sending them to scrap.
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