Have you heard old people lament that things aren't made as well as they used to be made? I guess I'm an old person now because I've taken to saying that.
When we moved into this house, it was two years old. The heat pump was a Carrier brand. It served us well for a long time before we had it serviced. It was about 21 years old or so when we had to have some points replaced. Not too long after that, a leak developed, and we had to replace the unit. I assumed the replacement unit would be similar. I was very disappointed to find out that the Goodman that was installed is a much larger and noisier unit. Then, only a year after it was installed, it began acting strangely. January, we had the highest electric bill we've had since we've lived here. What a bummer! Folks in the know tell me that the Copeland compressor used in the Goodman unit has some sort of additive which is supposed to keep the coils from rusting, but when the additive comes in contact with the Freon, a sludge is formed which clogs the piston. Darling son cleaned the piston with a pin, and so far that seems to have helped. I'm told there is a solvent that can be used in the unit to prevent the sludge. It seems as if every solution causes yet another problem, so who knows what the ramifications of adding the solvent are.
A few years ago, someone who thought he knew something said that replacing an old unit (even though it was still working!) with a newer, more efficient unit would save money in the long run by reducing the power bill. What a joke! I'm hearing that the newer units aren't lasting as long, either.
I admire folks who have the know-how to "get off the grid."
Yeah we old folk say that. The one thing that I know that lasts better is the automobile engine. In my youth the best a car would do was 70k before burning oil.
ReplyDeleteThere are refrigerators that were built in the 40's still working. The Refer today will be lucky to last 15-20 years.
Methinks that much stuff is built to be replaced a little after the warrantee period. Or it seems to me.
We allknow there are frying pans over a 100 yrs old. Buty a new one with the neat stuff applied, and it will last 3-10 year. ;-)
Maybe it is intentional, maybe not enough research is done on the newer electro-mechanical units. But they do not last as long that is for sure.
Hope things start looking up!
We've been here since 83 and the original unit lasted about 15 years. The second unit has had a few problems but fortunately, I've been able to fix them myself by watching YouTube videos and buying parts at the local appliance parts store.
ReplyDeleteI agree that newer is often NOT better.