My Rheem high efficiency heat pump is 34 years old. I live in C. Florida so from March until October the unit runs daily. From November to February, off and on heat or cool on when needed. I've replaced the fan motor, capacitor and contacts just once each. No leaks. I clean the evaporator and compressor coils occasionally and change the filter about monthly. I got an AC guy who maintains my rentals and gives me great prices. He told me "run it 'til it dies". Amen.

My Heat Pump is a 26 year old system that runs awesome. I have had problems with it and have called HVAC companies to fix it in a few occasions but have gotten outrageous quotes and the usual “your unit is too old and should be replaced”. I have learned how to work on my system and have replaced the evaporator fan, condensers (2), replaced a Schrader valve and added refrigerant R22 saving a ton of money!

My over 40 year old system is still running. Good ol sears. It was installed by my dad before I was born and now I'm still using it

I caught a tech trying to condemn a system at a widow's house who just returned from her husband's funeral. He quoted her a $9,000 system to get back going. I asked him what the problem was right now-today. He said bad capacitor. I said dude, put the new part on and leave. He changed the cap no-charge out of shame.

Too true! I once had 4 different A/C companies out to look at my unit and NONE of them told me the same thing, but they were all very eager to change out major parts of the system. One told me it ALL needed to be replaced. I did my research online and found out 2 things: my blower fan capacitor needed to be replaced ($12) and my motherboard needed to be replaced ($110). Did them both myself. The estimates I was give were between $1,500 and $3,500!

I live in North Dakota and use my A/C about 4 months a year I have lived in this house for 23 years and I think we recharged it one time ! It is actually a system from Sears that was installed about 51 years ago now !!!!!

I added a portable ac window unit to help combat these louisiana summers. i turn the house unit setpoint up to 80 degrees and let the portable AC keep my room cool at 72 degrees from 10a-10p. i get direct sun all day and my bdrm windows only have a UV film and blackout curtains, so its HOT HOT. best purchase ever

My ac units (York 3 and 4 ton) are 19 years old. I had some leaks in the evap coils, but took a chance on some Easy Seal. I bought some Yellow Jacket gauges and injected them in each unit. Leak tested before and after and they definitely worked.

My Rheem classic 3.5 ton heat pump from 2003 still works great & never struggles to heat and cool my home. In the last 6 years, I personally replaced the capacitor twice, the heater control board, and most recently the contactor.

I had one similar to the one at the start of the video at my last house. Over 14 years I had the freon recharged twice, and the fan motor replaced once, but it still ran great. I think that thing was maybe from the early 80s. I asked the repairman if I should upgrade to a new system, and he said if it were him, he'd keep it as long as he could because they just don't make them like that anymore.

As a tech I always tell people run it until it dies. There are four reasons to consider a replacement. Compressor failure, leak in evap coil, leak on condenser coil, busted heat exchangers. These only matter if the unit is out of warranty. They can still run around $1k where I live to replace even if the part is covered by warranty though.

Mines been working 22 years and still going strong. Take care of your equipment and learn a little and it’ll last you forever. Most hvac stuff is really simple. Too many folks get taken advantage of.

Nice to have this input from you!. My Day and Night AC unit is going strong after 30 yrs. Yes we done stuff to it but nothing major. Most recent was the condenser fan. Thanks.

20+ years out of an HVAC system is what I was raised to expect. I've had HVAC techs "condemn" perfectly functional systems on me. Fell for it once when I was traveling and my wife panicked over what the tech told her. Now I get second opinions and avoid the shops known for paying big commissions to service techs.

Great video!!!! My parents Lennox lasted 27 years and just has heat strips since it is in FL. It was still working fine when they replaced it they just wanted a new system. It had a fan with a grease fitting it was so old.

KEEP CONDENSER FINS CLEAN. CHANGE THE FILTER. These 2 things WILL extend the life of your HVAC units.

33 year HVAC guy and my experience is EXACTLY yours, to the letter.

I just had mine changed last year because I'm getting old and it really wasn't cooling very well. In the 30+ years I've lived here, I had it serviced twice with no apparent problems. I did some mods to it myself that did improve it's performance. I believe it's the original one when this condo was built in the 70's.

You make excellent HVAC videos. To the point - - which is what I like!

I’m in North Texas and my 1999 system finally gave up the ghost, so can’t complain after 25 years of service with only maybe $1,200 spent over 17 years replacing capacitors and furnace igniter. Based on these videos, will call Atlas (if in service area).

Something to consider when you have an aging system is efficiency. I had a 20-ish year old system in my small home in Florida. During the summer I was getting bills for upwards of $275. After replacing the system, my bill was literally cut in half. Yes, it cost me a few thousand to replace, but at a savings of $100-150 per month on average, it paid for itself pretty quickly.

My 41-year-old straight cool system is still going, and this is in Florida so it gets a lot of use. It used to burn up condenser fan motors every few years, until I replaced the 1/4 hp motor with a 1/3 (I found out the original came with an option of 1/4 or 1/3). Capacitors needed replacing twice in the last 18 years. It once had a pinhole leak near the filter drier which I replaced, but otherwise nothing has gone wrong. The compressor is getting a bit loud, but I'm hoping to get a few more years out of it. You might think a new system would pay for itself with energy savings, but if you do the math and include moderate interest on the cost of a new system, it would take at least 30 years, and I don't expect a new system to last that long.

Thank you so much for these videos! These are great!

Great series of videos that you all have put out. Thank you for your service; however, have you considered making any video about mini-splits. Which brands to consider, reliability operation life, or even how hard is it to get them serviced. Thank you!

I agree with folks saying they saw an efficiency improvement with a new system. I am licensed hvac, but as a facilities mgr I do mostly package rooftop units and refrigeration, so I know how to repair and maintain and I got 21 years out of my Bryant 410a units at home. I replaced them this June (same tonnage and gas but higher seer) and saw a $250+ per month savings for July and August. We did have a cooler summer than last year, but I was more than pleasantly surprised.

I had two companies come out to service this year. First one was apparently only wanting to replace the entire system; after all, it's been around for 17 years, so that means it needs to be replaced !! Gave a quote for basically $18K to $23K. Stated the refrigerant was a bit low, but that the refrigerant is no longer available. Noted that the AC compressor is drawing towards the higher side of the rating, and the fan is sort of noisey. Believe he also said that a new fan for the condensor is $1100, and compressor towards $6K ( 3.5 ton unit ) . The second came out and actually put refrigerant in the system. Also gave a quote, a bit cheaper, but never heard of the DAIKIN brand. But the AC is back in working order. Debating when to change it out; but right now, it is working; leaning towards leaving it till next year and seeing how it goes.

My old central AC was still working perfectly fine at about 40 years old. But I replaced it with the furnace also about 40 years old. The new one works good too, but I notice my power bill went down around 50 percent with the new one.

My systems lasted 47 yrs. Replaced them because the cabinets were rusting very badly, the compressors needed to be rewired and I replaced a contactor with the last one of its type in existence. So parts were becoming an issue. Got a good deal with 2 complete systems with everything from T-stats to circuit breakers to cutoffs, etc. with transferrable 10 yr parts and labor on everything for about $6200. I know how to install a system and the installer did a really excellent job. Installation is absolutely critical and there's only ONE right way to do it. If you don't know what that means, READ and LEARN. My advice to most homeowners is that, once a correct installation is done, keep the area around the outside cabinet (condenser/compressor) clear so air flows freely and don't let anyone touch it. No "routine PM" ever so long as the systems are functioning well. Techs will damage the Schrader valves and they will leak. They will contaminate your refrigerant. They will use harsh coil "cleaners" and damage them, etc. Make a note of your capacitor type and buy a spare or 2. Do not cover the units completely in the winter. Replace your own inside filters when needed. Do not exceed MERV 8. Do not buy complex and very expensive systems in the name of "efficiency". Simplicity is almost always best. Brand is not important. Inexpensive units are just fine. VERY expensive brands are usually mistakes for a variety of reasons.

I live in North Texas. Running the AC constantly is common from around June - Sep. Setting it at 78 degrees is not practical (especially if you're retired and live in the home all day). PM contracts are cheap and well worth it (I use Bill Joplin's...A+++ BTW). My HVAC is serviced twice a year and I routinely change the filters and use bleach solution to keep the drainage lines clear. My HVAC system is Carrier and when I purchased my new home three years ago, it came with a 10 year warranty. My HVAC technician is the same guy every time. He knows my system very well and I always pick his brain on do's and don'ts of HVAC. That's another benefit of having regular PM done by the same company.

If PROPERLY serviced annually, at LEAST 20 years! I have seen older, but they were terribly inefficient on electric bills. Now, the biggest headache is the neverending change of new expensive refrigerants that won't work in existing systems. Even worse is the poorly educated or crooked service people and crooked contractors that give an honest trade a bad image.😡 I was in the trade for over 45 years and NEVER tried to cheat or bamboozle a client.

I have 2 4- plexes built in 1982. One had cheap units and I replaced them last year. I was going to change the other ones but haven't had any problems for years. And there in Arizona. So they last longer than you think.

This information was very helpful. Thank-you.

I like your video very much, but I like the detailed price list that you linked to even more!

You are a great resource I'm right on the ocean on A1A in Daytona Beach they always say 3 to 5 years 5 years max just across the bridge inland 15 years

We have always had Trane units simply because our HVAC guy recommends them. We have several at work and home and the oldest was installed back in the 90s and still works. We have them serviced twice a year and cleaned.

I pressed the LIKE button when I read the title !! And subscribed. 😊

My heat pump has lasted since 1997! I have had a few parts replaced but other than that it runs great! Going on 27 years and still running great!

I love the videos. Really good information thank you ya'll

We had a Rheem of 1994. It still works. All it needed was a new capacitor. We and the previous owner never set the temperature below 70F. Most of the time we set it to 77F (75f measured in room)

Mine is 52+ years old x works great

Nice job. I would differentiate the environment they operate in, I'm commercial, and we usually say 12-15 year lifespan. Equipment these days, unfortunately isn't built like it used to be. Commission sales techs make all of us look bad.

Thanks for your honest information!

central valley in california - 100 to 110 is pretty common. I like your clear, precise videos. Thank you. Wish you guys were in our area..our 2011 day and night (mare) system - condenser and evaporator have been replaced multiple times - bad batch of oem components - well known problem. Installer has retired . Went with a new company to trouble shoot when it wouldn't stay within 2 degrees of setpoint - always a tip off that it's low on refrigerant. 450$ service call and replaced capacitor BEFORE checking the pressures (same visit)- it had leaked down over the winter. Couldn't isolate the line set, but pressurized the lines with nitrogen and determined it's either the line set or the evaporator (in the attic with the gas furnace and blower) - quoted 3-4k$ for replacement evaporator. decided to replace with a carrier- performance.. single stage - ac and gas - 15k , vs 10k of 2011 day and night.. I might have made a huge mistake :) But for a 1500 sq foot house, your video's have helped me with my "confirmation bias" - the new company didn't really give me options - good, better, best. just said - here's our estimate for anew system.. with temps heading up - I did not want to delay. And your video on refrigerant again changing in 2025, now is not a bad time to get a new system, but 13 years seems really a short life time. :) Thank again.

24 years, Rheem 10 SEER. It was still working fine when we replaced it. Charged maybe a few times and I changed the starter contactor twice. Just didn't want to worry each year if "this" will be the summer it quits. Plus now with this 16 SEER I'm saving on the bill. Was a good decision to replace ti. I wished I would have replaced it sooner with the bill savings.

My dad's HVAC was over 30-years old MN. he and mom changed the filter ever 3-months. The guy my dad had come over is a hometown guy a little over 3000 population. I was classmate of his brother, my sister and his sister. Everyone knew his grandfather.

I just had my heat pump full system replaced yesterday by Atlas and the whole experience was great. From Jorge the initial tech, Pete in sales, and Isreal and his dad installing the system. They were all very thorough and install was great. I had been researching companies for awhile when I came across this channel. I appreciate the honesty, upfront pricing, and no commissions. It is what sold me on going with them.

I know my parents had a unit for almost 30 years Raheem.. The only thing that used to go bad on it was the contactor still have a bunch of contactors for it... But that thing still blows cold I just repaired myself luckily the compressor Never went bad and this is Arizona Phoenix metro so that thing was working overtime Half the year... Recently we sold the house because my parents passed.. But the unit was still blowing good.. The heat pump we rarely used it's the same just the AC in reverse The temperature on dial was always around 75 ish or 78 ish Even on 115° day

I live in central Florida. My home was built in 2004 and we have the original AC unit still operating fine. We have has several issues that have run a few hundred dollars to fix like circuit boards and different things needing replaced but it’s still running. In the winter on freezing days (yes we have freezing here) the outside unit ices over but that defrost as the morning temperatures rise. I actually was asking the technician when I should plan on replacing my unit and he was hesitant to answer me. Guess I’m fortunate to have an honest opinion.unfortunately the company owner is retiring so I’m going to need to find a new maintenance provider. Crossing my fingers.

Glad we went with two trane xe800 units in 1991 when building our home. One of the units had shut down on us but we had that fixed sometime in the 2000s.

I have 29 years on my Trane XL 1200 and it still works.

My last AC unit lasted 41 years. The plate was so worn you couldn't read anything on it. It still worked, just not so well, and since I had to replace the furnace, also 41 years old, it was worth it to replace it.

I have replaced for $40 the fan motor and we have to replace the starting capacitor about every 6-8 months because of the lightning in the Tampa Bay Area.

Referring to proper installation: Many people think they are saving money by having an unlicensed person install their new unit. I know for certain, they will lose money. The unlicensed person who installs your unit has very little knowledge of how it works. He does not know much of anything about the refrigerant he is using. He simply goes by what pressures he has learned from other unqualified persons. He is usually just a parts changer. He will not pull a vacuum on the system because he dose not own a vacuum pump(they are very expensive). He dosen't know what pulling a vacuum on a system does. (It removes the moisture from the air in they system, which interacts with the refrigerant, causing it to turn acidic. The acid in the system will eat away the thin coating on the compressors' wiring, causing them to short together, necessitating replacement of the compressor. This will shorten the lifespan of a compressor drastically. Where a system should last 20 years, it usually fails 10 years or earlier. They also will mix refrigerants to "top off" a system. This results in the oil becoming solidified, clogging up the metering devices on your unit, necessitating replacement of your entire system. Many of these unlicensed "tech's" are from the multifamily communities. In many cases, your warranty on your equipment will be denied by the manufacturer, unless installed by a certified, licensed individual. Improper installation is the biggest reason your system fails before the warranty runs out. Be forewarned.

My parents ac unit was installed in 1986 and still running strong. Same with dishwasher and refrigerator. In my home in 10 years I’m on my 3rd dishwasher and refrigerator. Planned obsolescence. Remember when led lights didn’t burn out? No mine are lasting as long as filament bulbs

Very helpful. Thank you.

Great info thank you!

Repairs are fine but my ac even when working struggles to keep the house below 80 in Florida in summer. Just put down deposit today for a much higher system and Im mildly excited for it.

Thanks for the info. My system is 5 years out and the blower motor took a hit and there rust on the blower housing

Thank you for your work. 😊😊😊

I've got 30 years so far on my AC and Furnace. I live in Colorado and have both furnace and AC serviced once per year. I expect to probably replace in the next few years.

I had mine checked twice last year by the same company. I got 2 different answers. One was clearly a sales pitch.

great info Atlas :)

Yeah, I've got an old York gas pack that was installed in '97. What's amazing is this house was a rental for over a decade with a lot of different tenants, so you know it took a beating.

My home cental AC system is running strong almost 40 yrs old (36yrs). Just normal maintenance and filter change every year

I have a unit from original house being built... 1998. I've changed the capacitor 3 times and the top fan. It's been serviced only 1 time and after that I've been maintaining it myself with KZfaq videos. They even checked it couple months a lookgo by local hvac tech and he said it's old but it's still running ok. No leaks and he said it was still pretty cold. At this point i can see it failing anytime soon. It's been really running hard on 100 degree weather. But i can definitely see me replacing this to save money on electric bill.

Here in Canada, really hot days are few and far between. According to my smart thermostat, our AC has only been running for less than 20 hours in total per year. I hope that means it will last a long time.

Thanks for the info! What do you think about hard / soft start capacitors? Are there any good thermostats that you recommend?

My nephew works in this field and he just switched employees because his old one made them lie to customers to replace entire systems. He refused to lie to customers. This caused problems so he switched companies. On my own unit I replaced 2 capacitors and one fan motor. I set my own furnace ran my own duct work (laid out by the owner of the mechanical distributor). He also installed the line set to my system. I did the rest. When my system does go out again I will likely fix it again. Just like I am roofing my own house right now. Just like I rebuilt my outboard boat motor last month. I find all of this stuff to be pretty elementary. You can read a book over the weekend and know all you need to know in 90% of the situations. Well that doesn't apply to everyone. My brother in Law is a skill trade electrician and can't even light his own hot water heater.

I work on HVAC for a living my system is 21 years old here in the Midwest i use it from May to October because of my allergies and the day that the compressor does die I'm more than likely going to change the compressor and use a r22 replacement refrigerant and then get 20+ more years out of it . By the way great video it's awesome to have someone call out these fake HVAC techs that don't care to learn about proper troubleshooting and use scare techniques to try and replace equipment that is really still good or should be repaired.

All good comments below. One thing to factor in too are the rebates (utilities) and credits (federal govt) are giving. My fiance's house needed a new electrical panel. It also had a 15 year old electric water heater, that was going to get more usage now. I got a heat pump water heater: one sale; with a utility rebate, and a fed tax credit. Work on electrical panels as part of other energy savings work allows the fed tax credit to apply to that, so that was free money. I'm having the 15 yr old HVAC system looked at (by her relative, who did the original install). If it looks good, then great. If not, because there are bonus rebates if that is also replaced, then I'd look into that this year, and get some extra savings.

Sorry about that but an Atlas crew just left my home and I couldn't have been more happy. Smart, polite, professional, hardworking and fun as hell to be around. Love all those guys. This crew was out of Temple. I wished I had before pictures of my attic. It was ugly and tough to navigate in. You should see it now! Almost enough room now to consider a "Bonus Room" up there. They added a safety vent should have been there all along and an extra return air in a boarder room covered in windows facing the sun. The results in that corner of the house were 200% better. Man I learned a lot from these guys. I'm 68 and had a lot of bad experiences, you know, they ain't what they said they was!! Not this time...one of my best, no regrets, experiences. Crazy about my crew and the job. Now Atlas, the company, was also everything they said they were. Service, pricing, on-time, communication...all. Total rating of 5 out 5 10 out of 10 and 100 out of 100. Too bad you all don't do other services beside HVAC. Could've used great help a number of times. Robert Clark

My cousin was an HVAC technician and he advised me on how to extend the life of both my home ac system and ac in my autos. Most of us use the ac from say April through September but not often from October through March. He told me from October to March turn the ac system on for 5-10 minutes once a week. There are lubricants inside the system that circulate and keep the seals pliable and intact. If one doesn’t continue to let the system run from October through March those seals will deteriorate and cause problems. I have been doing this for years and my home ac unit lasted 27 years and I have a 2001 Honda Accord and a 2004 Jeep Wrangler and both vehicles still blow cold and keep the vehicles cool in summer.

I’d love to see the video idea you mentioned about good vs bad installations. I hear all over and all the time that the installer matters most. But as just a dumb homeowner, how can I tell?

In 2019, my elderly mother didn't ask me about it first and called a local AC company about their Lennox heat pump leaking water onto the floor. My dad was out of it with Dementia or he would have caught it. The company was such crooks that they recommended an entire new unit be installed. My mother told them she would think about it. She called them back the next day and they came back out. One of the crooks even told my mother that he laid awake the night before thinking about it and had come to the conclusion that she in fact DID need a new unit. Obviously his conscious was bothering him. Meanwhile she called me while they were actually there and I told her the condensate drain was probably clogged. She dismissed them and they got mad and told her NOT to call them ever again! Unbelievable. I called a plumber friend that sent over a man that does AC work for him and the man blew out the line and wouldn't even take money that we tried to give him. That system is still running so far in September 2023. There are some REAL crooks out there.

I had a "comfort maker" in Temecula, CA for 20 years. It was still working when I replaced it, but it had some old coolant in it that could not be replaced.

In my first home, the house was built in 1975 and I bought it in 1986. I sold the house in 2000, so one time I pass by recently since I know the guy who bought it and I saw the AC was still the same one so that is about 49 years old.

Two most important things .... replace air filters because not only will it wreck the efficiency because of low air flow if you get that evaporator coil full of dirt it's going to cut the air flow and wreck dehumidification .... Second is keeping the condenser coil clean .... A dirty condenser coil will make your compressor work harder than it needs to lowering it's lifespan and both will cause you to burn much more electricity than you need to

Great Videos!!! I'd like to learn, "Intake and Filters". On a build/rebuild, should the Intake be at floor level or on the ceiling? I prefer my filters to be in the intake, oversized, and 2" to 4" thick. I eagerly await your expert knowledge.

My 1979 BCD(Bryan/Carrier/Day&Night) lasted until 2018 in Las Vegas.

I knew a lady who owned a bunch of rentals that had a heat pump installed new…the tenant complained the ac wouldn’t work so she sent us over to take a look at the typical stuff like cleaning the filters etc….i walked down the stairs and saw the copper line hanging…it had never been finished being installed!!! The only way she could get it fixed for the tenant was by having it replaced again! My guess is that he never installed a new one and simply just finished installing the new one that was sitting there that he never finished a few years back…the guy was a crook but she couldn’t find anyone to do the hvac on her rentals …they simply wouldn’t show up or even call her back….its such a joke how picky these hvac guys are with whom they’ll do work for….she wasn’t a poor woman either and had plenty of work that would have kept a retired hvac guy pretty well covered with cash flow…..it’s crazy how many new acunits get trashed after only a few years too because these guys won’t work on anything and want to do all new installs pathetic really

Had an AC/Gas furnace combo that dated from 1987. Had to replace it last year cause the bottom of the furnace started rusting badly and the gas eventually burned through the air cycling pipes. There really wasn't much of a diff in cost from a repair and a replacement at that point.

I am lucky! I found a great A/C guy who doesn’t constantly upsell! In fact, I had to talk him into replacing my 16 year old cheap, “builder grade” heat pumps! Each unit was internally leaking coolant and had been costing me ~$600 a years for at least 5 years. Although he said he could squeeze a few more years out of it, I was in the rare situation that I had the money to do the work now and I figure that the cost would just be higher a few years later plus with the savings on the electric bill each month (the new system cut the bills in half, by the way), there was no real benefit in putting it off! Those old systems from the 1960-1980s were great in that they were built like tanks with copper and brass cooling parts that could be repaired if they started leaking, unlike all the thin aluminum used today. It wasn’t uncommon to see late 1960s units still running strong in the mid south in the early 2000s! The only downside to them was their lack of efficiency and high coolant recharge costs. I suppose most of the units that old have expired by now, from complete exhaustion if nothing else!

We live in the scorching desert of Arizona and our Trane is 31 years old and running strong. Proper maint and we don't run the heatpump in the winter. I'm thinking/hoping we can get another 9 years out of it. we run it at 80 as when it's 100+ outside 80 feels great

Called a local HVAC company, that my family had trusted for years to come out and check out my system which had started making noise when the heater gas blower motor would come on. He looked at it for 5 minutes and then spent the next 30 minutes trying to sell me a new system, saying that it would go out soon. I later found out that it was just some trash in the air intake pipe, which still makes noise sometimes when the heater comes on and that was 3 YEARS AGO............ But here's the "Coop De Grassy;" about a week later I get a bill for 80 bucks for his visit and he did absolutely nothing.

I built a new home in 2008. I live in Iowa and installed geothermal. It is a Climate Master. Never had a problem with it.

Turns out none of the technicians could tell me what was wrong and they wanted me to tell them and then would try and fix it. Turns out HVAC system had a lot of leaks and had refill with Freon frequently. Since system was not even 10 years old very frustrating. Decided to replace entire system and cost about $7,000. Basically , just trying to screw you in end and just as likely just flat out don’t understand their craft. If I were you, I would learn everything I could before I got estimates and repairs.( I needed the old type Freon so that was a big factor. The old stuff is expensive and harder and harder to get)

78-80 degrees lol. 74 is about the threshold for tolerable in the south during the summer.

I have a 1979 sears AC still running strong. Have replaced the contactor twice and one capacitor. I’ll use it as long as possible.

I'm on my 3rd heat pump unit in a 24 year span. The second unit (Ducane) required a pound of refrigerant ($200) at the 11 year mark (previous refrigerant) - noticeable improvement. 3 months later, the unit failed (accumulator?). Now on my 3rd heat pump unit (Also Ducane - new A coil this time) - 1/2 ton larger and uses the new refrigerant. Same contractor for the last 2 installs.

Great information

My 25 year old compressor finally kicked the bucket yesterday so I'm looking for a new one. I knew it was on borrowed time. I'm trying to decide if I should get window units instead, they are definitely less expensive.

Company came out to check my AC. Airflow was a little weak. Freon pressure was good. Said evaporator coils were dirty. They said the system was working "great" but since it was 13 years old he recommended replacing the whole thing (heat pump). When I came home, I saw that the CONDENSER was impacted on the eastern side with thick dust. He never told me that.

Who wants a home at 78-80°? Size the system right to be able to handle the heat load. Midwest here and AC is 65° all summer. Very rare to see those 100+ days however we do get many above 90. Two story home and I find even 70° upstairs is uncomfortable during the summer months.

I got 25 years with a Ruud 5 ton unit that i never put a cover on. My issue was the coil in the air handler in attic anyway. I am driving a 38 year old truck though...

In 2021 I replaced my HVAC system for my apartment in NYC. The installer, All AC & Heating, did a hack job installation. I had them reposition the new indoor coils and furnace to be inside the closet instead of the attic space, to better have access to that stuff in case of repairs. The installer passed through the ceiling the two 10 inch flex ducts, the 2 refrigerant lines, power cord, and thermostat cable, all together, through 1 big rough square hole, 2 feet by 2 feet, with sharp jagged edges (aluminum sheet ceiling area). So, 2 flex ducts touching each other, with cuts on them, and no seal between the closet space and the attic, allowing the system to draw in air from the attic space, and vermin and condensation, when the system is working, and letting conditioned air escape into the attic space when the system turns off, which would lessen the life of the system if left like that. He did cut out one hole just for the exhaust pipe, but made the hole too big with an unsealed air gap around the pipe. The spliced connections between the thermostat and the other components were left exposed instead of putting them in a junction box. I spent 7 weeks fixing all that before using the system the first time. I'm also in court suing the jerk off.

Great video.

I'm in central Florida and run the AC @ 80* and the original unit lasted 35 for years, with me performing the required maintenance.

True last home I never had it serviced by HVAC tech but this was Northern California and Carrier system new home 1992 to 2017 same working system that passed home inspection when sold. Now in South Texas and don't think I would get away with almost 25 years again with this heat and humidity.

My Trane 24 years old and still going. Cleaning once a year, filters and every 10 years replace the contactor and capacitors. The only problem is R-22 refrigerant. It gets a lot of work here in Florida.

30years old heat pump. in Florida. going great. I get it maintained yearly and will replace components as needed. Compressor once. main board twice. and capacitor multiple times. How well it is maintained and checked is the key in my opinion.