Hitting 20 years on the same HVAC is wild—definitely a bit of luck, but I’d bet there’s some solid maintenance in there too. I’ve had a couple properties where the units just kept chugging along, but every time I got lazy with the tune-ups, something small would go sideways. Usually it’s not dramatic—just a capacitor or a contactor—but those little things can snowball if you’re not watching.
About the ducts, totally agree they’re sneaky. Had one rental where tenants swore the air was fine, but when we finally checked, it looked like a dust bunny convention in there. Air filters only do so much if your ducts are basically a petri dish.
And yeah, during renos, I always tell contractors to kill the HVAC until the drywall dust settles. Learned that one the hard way after a blower motor ate it from all the junk in the system... not cheap.
Guess my take is: 20 years is awesome, but I wouldn’t push your luck too far. Stuff adds up fast once things start wearing out.
Hitting that 20-year mark is impressive, but I totally get the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’ve seen older units hang in there longer than anyone expected, and it’s usually because someone actually bothered with regular filter swaps and annual cleanings. My parents’ old place had a furnace from the ‘80s that just wouldn’t quit, but when it finally did, it was like a domino effect—ducts were filthy, blower was caked with dust, and suddenly it felt like we were breathing through a wool sweater.
The duct thing is so sneaky. I once opened up a return vent during a bathroom remodel and found a pile of kids’ toys, snack wrappers, and enough pet hair to knit a new dog. Tenants never mentioned anything weird about airflow either. After that, I started pushing for duct cleaning every few years, especially after any work that kicks up dust. Drywall dust is nasty stuff... learned that the hard way when my own system started making this awful grinding noise. Turned out it was basically chewing on gypsum powder.
Honestly, maintenance is underrated. But I do think there’s a point where you’re just throwing good money after bad. Once those little fixes start stacking up—capacitors, contactors, then maybe the control board—it’s probably time to bite the bullet and upgrade. The newer systems are way more efficient too, which is nice if you care about energy bills (and who doesn’t these days?).
Still, gotta give credit where it’s due: 20 years is a solid run. Just wouldn’t want to be caught off guard in the middle of July if things finally give out...
I hear you on the maintenance making a difference—my neighbor’s unit is the same age as mine, but theirs died last year because they never changed filters. I’m always torn between squeezing one more season out of my old system and just replacing it before it decides to quit during a heatwave. The energy bills are creeping up, though, and I keep telling myself I’ll notice the savings if I upgrade... but then I see the price tag and start rationalizing again. It’s a tough call, especially when everything else in the house seems to break at once.
- Here’s how I see it:
- If your unit’s still running and you’re keeping up with filter changes, you’re already ahead of the game.
- But yeah, the older they get, the more they start guzzling electricity. That “creeping up” on the bill isn’t your imagination.
- New systems aren’t cheap, but the efficiency jump is real—sometimes folks see 20-30% off their cooling costs.
- On the other hand, if you’re juggling a bunch of repairs around the house, sometimes it makes sense to ride it out one more season... just don’t push your luck in July.
- I’ve seen people go both ways—some get another year, some end up sweating through a weekend waiting for emergency install crews.
- If you do replace, try to do it off-season. Prices and wait times are way better.
- Either way, keep those filters fresh. It’s the cheapest insurance you’ll ever buy.
I get the logic behind “ride it out one more season,” but honestly, I’d be nervous pushing a 20-year-old unit through another summer.
That’s my nightmare scenario. I’m all for squeezing value out of stuff, but if you’re already seeing higher bills and you’ve got the cash, why not upgrade before it dies at the worst possible time? The off-season tip is gold, though—wish I’d known that before my last big purchase.“some end up sweating through a weekend waiting for emergency install crews.”
