An appliance is a device or piece of equipment that performs a task. Some things are obviously appliances. However, not everything is crystal clear. For example, is a toaster an appliance? How about your firepit?
Major Appliances
Your major appliances are the ones people talk about when they talk about appliances. These include your refrigerator, stove & oven, dishwasher, clothes washer & dryer, and microwave.
Small Appliance
After your major ones, you have your small appliances. A small appliance is generally any portable machine that performs a task in your house. For that reason, your toaster is a small appliance. Additionally, things like your lawn mower are also appliances.
Because it is such a broad category, I can’t list them all, but here are some:
- Vacuum
- Toaster
- Blender
- Coffee machine
- Roomba
Water Heater
People go both directions on whether a water heater is an appliance or a plumbing fixture. It fits into its own category and that’s fine. I prefer to think of them as appliances. However, this can be a major point of contention when buying or selling. Be sure to specify in the contract if only some of the appliances are sticking with the house.
HVAC
Your heat pump, air handler, furnace, etc are all considered appliances in my mind. Some people call them fixtures, so you have to make sure to specify in any real estate contracts.
Grills and Firepits
Grills are certainly appliances. However, firepits can sometimes fall into that category. It all depends on how functional it is versus just a hole for burning wood. Obviously, if you just dug a hole in the ground, that’s not in the same category as a fire pit with built in air blower and grill top.
Fixtures
As alluded to above, if something isn’t an appliance, it might be a fixture. Fixtures are those things that are attached to the house and perform some core function of that house. For example, your ceiling lights are fixtures, but standing lights are appliances. The sole difference there was being attached to the house. Sinks, toilets, and showers are all fixtures as well.
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