Mine’s pushing 21 and I’m in the same boat—every year I think, “Is this the one where it finally gives up?” but it just keeps going. I hear people talk about the energy savings with new units, but honestly, I’d have to run the numbers to see if it’d actually pay off for me. I do the same thing with a backup window AC, just in case. I figure as long as it’s not guzzling power or making weird noises, I’ll keep babying it along. Sometimes old machines just want a little TLC and they’ll surprise you.
That’s wild—my old furnace made it to 24 before it finally tapped out, and honestly, I was half-expecting it to last forever with the way I babied it. I totally get the hesitation about swapping for a new one just for the energy savings. When I finally did the math, the payback wasn’t as quick as I’d hoped, but the quieter operation and better air quality were a nice bonus. Have you noticed any changes in your utility bills over the years, or has it stayed pretty steady?
When I finally did the math, the payback wasn’t as quick as I’d hoped, but the quieter operation and better air quality were a nice bonus.
That’s actually good to know. I’ve been on the fence about replacing mine too, mostly because the bills haven’t really spiked—maybe a little higher in winter, but nothing wild. I do wonder if I’m missing out on the “better air quality” part you mentioned, though. My place gets kinda stuffy sometimes, but I always chalked it up to old windows. Maybe it’s the furnace after all...
If your place feels stuffy, it could be a mix of things—old windows definitely don’t help, but older furnaces can circulate dust and don’t always filter air as well as newer models. Have you checked your ductwork or tried swapping out to higher quality filters? Sometimes just cleaning the ducts or upgrading the filter makes a noticeable difference. Curious if you’ve ever had an indoor air quality test done... it’s surprising what those can turn up.
Twenty years with the same HVAC? That’s a solid run. I’ve flipped a few places where the original units were still chugging along after two decades, but man, the difference in air quality after swapping them out is night and day. Even just changing out the old fiberglass filters for pleated ones made a bigger difference than I expected—less dust on surfaces, and it didn’t smell as “old” in the rooms.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical about duct cleaning at first. Thought it was just another upsell, but after pulling out a handful of what looked like cat hair tumbleweeds from one house’s vents (the previous owner had three cats), I was converted. Ever popped open your vents to see what’s lurking in there? Some of the stuff I’ve found would make you want to wear a hazmat suit...
Curious—are you still running the original thermostat too, or have you upgraded that over the years? Sometimes those old mercury ones are part of the problem, especially if they’re not reading accurately anymore.
