HVAC specialist Derek Cole explains that modern AC units last 10-12 years, compared to 25-30 years for older units built with compressor savers. A dirty filter just 1/20 inch thick can cut efficiency by 21 percent, and replacing a compressor in an aging system can expose leaks in old coils and copper lines.
Questions this video answers
Usually 10 to 12 years depending on maintenance and wear; older 1970s “beer‑can” units could last 25‑30 years due to compressor savers, but modern units are designed for a shorter lifespan.
Cooling efficiency is measured by SEER, electric heating by HSPF, and gas heating by AFUE. Minimum SEER in the region is 14, with units available up to 22 SEER; furnaces can reach up to 97% AFUE.
Homeowners can safely check filters and breakers, but should avoid opening the unit or performing electrical measurements because of live power risks; professional service is recommended for coil cleaning and electrical diagnostics.
Yes; extended warranties typically require professional maintenance twice a year. Skipping professional service can void warranty coverage due to lack of documented maintenance.
Chapters
You ask your comfort and energy questions and they get answered. This is the Ask Derrick Cole Show.
How long should my central AC unit typically last?
Usually air conditioners in this part of the country last 10 to 12 years depending on maintenance. And wear and tear. Now, we have those units from the 1970s, you've seen them, those round, we call them beer can units, the round units that have been around for like 25, 30 years. Those babies have lasted so long because they have actually installed a product back then called a compressor saver or a hard start to actually help the compressor last longer. Since then, the equipment manufacturers have gotten very smart and decided to not put those in the units because costs. They're in the business to sell more units. So if you make a unit that lasts 25 years, obviously you don't sell the homeowner another unit, right? So 10, 12 years is normal. Uh, the people who made the compressors actually tell us that, uh, they make a compressor for 10 years and that's pretty much it. The compressor is the heart of the system. So if the compressor goes out, you're basically talking about a heart transplant for your system. So it's a major thing to be done. So this is answering the question but going a little deeper here. When you replace that compressor in like a 10, 12, 15-year-old unit, the problem is now you have a compressor pumping at full capacity, but you have a coil and copper lines that are still 15 years old. So leaks and things start to show up that were not present before because Now you have a compressor pumping at full capacity. It's kind of like changing the heart of a 90-year-old man. The problem is that his veins, arteries, liver, lungs, everything else is 90 years old and the heart's pretty new. So you're going to have some more problems because of that. But in this area, 10, 12 years is the norm. Um, the people who make the compressor every 10 years, they make it last 10 years, give you a 10-year warranty on it. And that is about it. So 10, 12 years.
How is the efficiency of heating and cooling equipment measured?
So the government gives equipment a SEER rating when you talk about the air conditioning side. When you talk about the heating side, if you're talking about electricity, you give it an HSPF rating. When you talk about gas on the heating side, you get a AFUE, which is the efficiency of the fuel. So you have about 3 different things you can look at here. So, um, around here the minimum is 14 SEER. So the higher the SEER number, the more efficient it is. You get a 14 SEER, 15, 16, 17, 18, they make up to like 22. If you get like a mini split, I mean, those go up to 20 plus SEER. Those are really efficient. So the normal system last year was just 13. This year is now 14. So the reason these numbers keep going up is because the government says, hey, we need a 14 SEER unit. We need to be more energy efficient. Go and buy a 14 SEER unit. When you get to furnaces and things like that, you get 80%, 90%, 95%. I think now they got like a 97% Efficient furnace. So basically saying for every dollar of expense you have in heating, 97 cents or yeah, 97 cents of that dollar you're getting back in the home, 3 cents is going up the flue. So that is a little more understandable than a SEER rating. So you have a SEER, HSPF. If you look at Duke Energy, Progress, Duke Energy, whatever they call themselves now, um, they do have a rebate for like a 15 SEER, but it has to be a 15 SEER unit. It's just incentive for them to give you to be more efficient and save more energy. If you save more energy, they save on power, so that's why they transferred that over to you. So, uh, yeah, SEER rating, HSPF, and AFUE. Isn't that fun? But when we come out to your home, we can, you know, we go through all these different options. You can pick 14 SEER, you can pick 15, 16, and depending on what your situation is, you know, you're going to have those options to choose from.
I saw on Pinterest how you can do your own maintenance for your unit. Is it really safe to do any part of the maintenance? By yourself?
You can do a few things. I would recommend you doing a few things yourself. Things like checking the filter or checking the breaker, make sure that's proper. As far as getting into the unit, getting inside of the unit, I would stay away from that because on the maintenance, not only do we clean coils, we open the unit up check the amp draws on the motor, the compressor, get all the readings on the electrical, check all the connections. I don't think I would be comfortable with you doing that kind of work, mainly because when that happens, it is live power. Now, when we clean the coils and things like that, we turn the power off, but to get your amp readings on these different motors and compressors, you have to have power. So I don't want you to get hurt in any kind of way because it is a good bit of power and it does hurt. I would leave that to a professional. Things like your filter in the house, things you can change, your duct system you can check, all those things I would recommend you to do. But as far as getting in the unit, getting hands-on in the unit, I would stay away from that because I don't want you to get hurt.
By doing the maintenance myself, do I risk voiding any of the extended warranty that I have?
If you do do it yourself and you have an extended warranty, it could affect your relationship with the manufacturer on getting that done because the stipulation for an extended parts and labor warranty is that you have to get a professional contractor twice a year to service and maintain your system. So if you don't have that done by a contractor, where's your proof at? Now, sometimes they ask, sometimes they don't ask, but if that question were to come 5 years down the road and say, "Hey, have they done maintenance on the system?" and we have no records of it, you have no records of it. We're kind of stuck in between the two parties. It's not worth it. I mean, it's not that much money to get it professionally taken care of, maintained, cleaned by a contractor in your home who is drug-free, background checked, and it's not going to harm you and your family. It's a you-win situation where you're going to be 100% satisfied with the work we do at your home. Again, I don't think it's worth it for you to spend the time, money, and risk to do your own kind of maintenance, especially if you have an extended warranty. And hey, I've gotten the question before of, I have a new system, I don't need maintenance on my new system. Well, let me tell you why you need maintenance on your new system. If you go to epa.gov, epa.gov, and look it up, 1/20th of an inch of dirt on that new system can affect your efficiency up to 21%. That's a very small amount of dirt. So you just— we went over SEER, so you just bought a 14 SEER unit. Well, the problem is you didn't have it cleaned in 2 years. So is that a 14 SEER unit anymore? Probably not. So you just spent this money and invested this kind of money and to not get it maintained It's not a good idea because again, these aren't the same kind of units you had 25, 30 years ago with the thick copper and the beer can carrier units that could pretty much take anything. These are thin copper, thin aluminum for your system, so they need to be cleaned, they need to be maintained. Heating and air is all about heat transfer, so if you got something, dirt, debris in the way it acts as an insulator against that happening, so the unit therefore has to work harder. So again, it's just not worth it. I mean, keep it maintained, keep it clean, that way you can keep your warranty, no problem. Keep your 14 SEER unit, no problem. Again, I don't think it's worth it just to kind of throw it away and do it yourself. There's a lot of things you can do yourself in your house. As far as getting into your heating and air unit, I would not do that. Leave it to the professionals. Leave it to the guys trained in that so you can be safe and it maintains everything you got. I mean, there's no reason to do it. It just poses more risk to you. All right, boom. Is that it? Yep. Why, why, why?
