Living in a historic home near the coast, I can confirm salty air definitely accelerates corrosion. Regularly rinsing the outdoor unit and applying anti-corrosion coatings every few years helps significantly. Otherwise, rust sets in surprisingly fast...seen it firsthand.
20 years is impressive, especially near the coast. A few things I've learned from experience:
- Regular maintenance is key—cleaning coils, checking refrigerant levels, etc.
- Anti-corrosion coatings are helpful, but also consider installing a barrier or windbreak to shield from direct salty breezes.
- Sometimes older units were built tougher than today's models...seen plenty of newer systems fail way sooner.
Might be luck, but sounds like you've been proactive too. Either way, keep doing what you're doing.
20 years near the coast? That's like 100 in HVAC years, haha. Agree on older units being tougher—seen some ancient beasts still humming along while newer ones tap out early. Keep riding that lucky streak...and maybe buy a lottery ticket.
Gotta disagree slightly—older units might be tough, but they're energy hogs. Swapped mine out after 18 yrs and my electric bill dropped big-time. Nostalgia's nice, but efficiency pays the bills...
"Nostalgia's nice, but efficiency pays the bills..."
Fair point, but sometimes efficiency upgrades aren't always the slam dunk they're advertised to be. When I swapped out my old HVAC after 22 years, savings were decent but took longer than expected to offset the upfront costs. Just sayin', mileage varies...
