We've had various hot water dispensers in our kitchen over the past 30 years, and grown to take them for granted. Most have performed satisfactorily for 5-7 years before finally failing. When our last one died, a few months ago, we looked at the prices of new units - and were surprised to see how much prices had increased. So, we decided to try a month or two without one. Finally decided that it was a "luxury" we had to have, Our new unit has been in about a month, and continues to perform flawlessly.