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[151949]

@CelticCrafter  My cousin is a retired HVAC guy and he thought 8 years for the heat pump was very low. He said 12 years would be a low normal. However these big builders get "deals' on equipment because they have low standards for what they buy and also have been known to put units in that are too small for the application , thus stressing the unit to the max. The heat pump in our Pittsburgh home lasted 21 years, and it had to work a lot more than this one because it heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. The one here in Fl. is barely on all winter because our temps are pretty comfortable every day - occasionally need some heat at night , so we would just use the resistant heater.Plus - since we were snowbirds all summer it only had to cool the house down to 84 degrees all summer long. Just enough to keep the humidity out so we didn't get mold.It absolutely should have lasted much longer than 8 years. Our new AC unit is WARRANTIED for 10 years - so that tells you something right there.

[chlema]

@Mominohio Our water heater is 16 years old and when we inquired about replacing it we were told the new ones last about 8 years - and we were quoted prices ranging from $1,600 to $2,000 to replace it.  It's working fine but I keep worrying it will spring a leak at an inopportune time.  DH says wait, but--------------------!

[Tigriss]

@151949 I hate when builders do that. They always go with the cheapest they can get away with, but charge you regular. I find that most A/C systems are at least one ton too small and/or they should have installed two for zone cooling instead of trying to do a two story house with one unit. My parents replaced their electric water heater with a gas tankless heater. They love it. I also agree with the whole not needing a heater in FLorida much. Mine died here in south Georgia, so I replaced it with window units in what I thought was a temporary move, but they have saved me energy and I use fans to move the cold air. The unit I had was clearly too small. I use convection radiator heaters in the winter and the ceiling fans to circulate the air. We don't' have much cold weather but a few cold snaps like this year when we got snow, twice! I hope you save some energy since both of those appliances were probably inefficient due to their damage. Glad you were there when it sprung a leak and not in PA for the summer. That would have been horrible to find it leaked everywhere while you were gone, though they probably turned the water off while you were gone for so long.

[151949]

@Tigriss When we left to go north for the summers we did turn off the water, and we had a lady who checked everything every 2 weeks (they call it condo watching down here). The worst could have been the AC - because if you get humidity in then you get black mold almost immediately.We had a device that sat on the kitchen counter, had wires that we laid across the kitchen floor & it was plugged into a phone jack. If it sensed any water on the floor, or high heat or high humidity it would call DH's cell phone, then we could call the condo check woman to come over & see what was going on.

[Catiele]

We have a dryer that isn’t drying well. My dishwasher leaks occasionally. I do know a story about my daughter in laws parents. They have the same refrigerator since they got married. It’s fifty years old! They defrost twice a year. It may be some kind of record. 

[Drythe]

🎣 

Oh yeah.

[Tigriss]

@151949 That is a cool device. Where there is a need, people will invent it. You would also have to worry about the flooring like wood or laminate or bamboo warping from the humidity. I reckon if we have dog sitting we can have condo sitting. I bet there are people whose only job is to go around and maintain people's property while they are up north. I bet they do pretty good out of it too!