Life Expectancy Reports

Use our reports to understand the typical life expectancy of your major home systems.

Life Expectancy of Household Components

Appliances

  • Compactors: 10 years
  • Dishwashers: 10 years
  • Dryers: 14 years
  • Disposal: 10 years
  • Freezers, compact: 12 years
  • Freezers, standard: 16 years
  • Microwave ovens: 11 years
  • Electric ranges: 17 years
  • Gas ranges: 19 years
  • Gas ovens: 14 years
  • Refrigerators, compact: 14 years
  • Refrigerators, standard: 17 years
  • Washers, automatic and compact: 13 years
  • Exhaust fans: 20 years

Bathrooms

  • Cast iron bathtubs: 50 years
  • Fiberglass bathtubs and showers: 10–15 years
  • Shower doors, average quality: 25 years
  • Toilets: 50 years

Cabinetry

  • Kitchen cabinets: 15–20 years
  • Medicine cabinets and bath vanities: 20 years

Closet Systems

  • Closet shelves: Lifetime

Countertops

  • Laminate: 10–15 years
  • Ceramic tile, high-grade installation: Lifetime
  • Wood/butcher block: 20+ years
  • Granite: 20+ years

Doors

  • Screen: 25–50 years
  • Interior, hollow core: Less than 30 years
  • Interior, solid core: 30–lifetime
  • Exterior, protected overhang: 80–100 years
  • Exterior, unprotected, and exposed: 25–30 years
  • Folding: 30–lifetime
  • Garage doors: 20–50 years
  • Garage door opener: 10 years

Electrical

  • Copper wiring, copper-plated, copper-clad aluminum, and bare copper: 100+ years
  • Armored cable (BX): Lifetime
  • Conduit: Lifetime

Finishes Used for Waterproofing

  • Paint, plaster, and stucco: 3–5 years
  • Sealer, silicone, and waxes: 1–5 years

Floors

  • Oak or pine: Lifetime
  • Slate flagstone: Lifetime
  • Vinyl sheet or tile: 20–30 years
  • Terrazzo: Lifetime
  • Carpeting (depends on installation, amount of traffic, and quality of carpet): 11 years
  • Marble (depends on installation, thickness of marble, and amount of traffic): Lifetime+

Footings and Foundation

  • Poured footings and foundations: 200 years
  • Concrete block: 100 years
  • Cement: 50 years
  • Waterproofing, bituminous coating: 10 years
  • Termite proofing (may have a shorter life in damp climates): 5 years

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

  • Central air conditioning unit (newer units should last longer): 15 years
  • Window unit: 10 years
  • Air conditioner compressor: 15 years
  • Humidifier: 8 years
  • Electric water heater: 14 years
  • Gas water heater (depends on the type of water heater lining and the quality of water): 11–13 years
  • Forced air furnaces, heat pump: 15 years
  • Rooftop air conditioners: 15 years
  • Boilers, hot water, or steam (depends on the quality of water): 30 years
  • Furnaces, gas- or oil-fired: 18 years
  • Unit heaters, gas, or electric: 13 years
  • Radiant heaters, electric: 10 years
  • Radiant heaters, hot water, or steam: 25 years
  • Baseboard systems: 20 years
  • Diffusers, grilles, and registers: 27 years
  • Induction and fan coil units: 20 years
  • Dampers: 20 years
  • Centrifugal fans: 25 years
  • Axial fans: 20 years
  • Ventilating roof-mounted fans: 20 years
  • DX, water, and steam coils: 20 years
  • Electric coils: 15 years
  • Heat Exchangers, shell-and-tube: 24 years
  • Molded insulation: 20 years
  • Pumps, sump, and well: 10 years
  • Burners: 21 years

Home Security Appliances

  • Intrusion systems: 14 years
  • Smoke detectors: 12 years
  • Smoke/fire/intrusion systems: 10 years

Home Security Appliances

  • Intrusion systems: 14 years
  • Smoke detectors: 12 years
  • Smoke/fire/intrusion systems: 10 years

Insulation

  • For foundations, roofs, ceilings, walls, and floors: Lifetime

Landscaping

  • Wooden decks: 15 years
  • Brick and concrete patios: 24 years
  • Tennis courts: 10 years
  • Concrete walks: 24 years
  • Gravel walks: 4 years
  • Asphalt driveways: 10 years
  • Swimming pools: 18 years
  • Sprinkler systems: 12 years
  • Fences: 12 years

Masonry

  • Chimney, fireplace, and brick veneer: Lifetime
  • Brick and stone walls: 100+ years
  • Stucco: Lifetime

Millwork

  • Stairs, trim: 50–100 years
  • Disappearing stairs: 30–40 years

Paints and Stains

  • Exterior paint on wood, brick, and aluminum: 7–10 years
  • Interior wall paint (depends on the acrylic content): 5–10 years
  • Interior trim and door paint: 5–10 years
  • Wallpaper: 7 years

Plumbing

  • Waste piping, cast iron: 75–100 years
  • Sinks, enamel steel: 5–10 years
  • Sinks, enamel cast iron: 25–30 years
  • Sinks, china: 25–30 years
  • Faucets, low quality: 13–15 years
  • Faucets, high quality: 15–20 years

Roofing

  • Asphalt and wood shingles and shakes: 15–30 years
  • Tile (depends on the quality of the tile and the climate): 50 years
  • Slate (depends on grade): 50–100 years
  • Sheet metal (depends on gauge of metal and quality of fastening and application): 20–50+ years
  • Built-up roofing, asphalt: 12–25 years
  • Built-up roofing, coal, and tar: 12–30 years
  • Asphalt composition shingle: 15–30 years
  • Asphalt overlay: 25–35 years

Rough Structure

  • Basement floor systems: Lifetime
  • Framing, exterior and interior walls: Lifetime

Shutters

  • Wood, interior: Lifetime
  • Wood, exterior (depends on weather conditions): 4–5 years
  • Vinyl plastic, exterior: 7–8 years
  • Aluminum, interior: 35–50 years
  • Aluminum, exterior: 3–5 years

Siding

  • Gutters and downspouts: 30 years
  • Siding, wood (depends on maintenance): 10–100 years
  • Siding, steel: 50–Lifetime
  • Siding, aluminum: 20–50 years
  • Siding, vinyl: 50 years

Walls and Window Treatments

  • Drywall and plaster: 30–70 years
  • Ceramic tile, high-grade installation: Lifetime

Windowshigh-Grade

  • Window glazing: 20 years
  • Wood casement: 20–50 years
  • Aluminum and vinyl casement: 20–30 years
  • Screen: 25–50 years

Assess the Current Condition

While the list above is a useful guide, only a professional, on-site inspection can tell you the true condition of your home's systems and components today. Schedule your inspection with Home Inspections San Diego to get the real answers.

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