37-year Old GE AC Still Running Great

[Wirenut]

I changed a compressor in one of those last month! The air handler was a small unit and would require major work on the rental apartment to change the indoor part of the system. It was a waste of money but no dice on selling a new system. Sure was a challange to cram the new copeland compressor into the small space inside that condenser, but ran like a champ when I was finished. I know what killed the compressor.... cleaned the condenser and evaporator coil's for what I am sure was the first time in 30 some years!! The condenser was completly plugged.

[Wirenut]

I changed a compressor in one of those last month! The air handler was a small unit and would require some major work on the rental apartment to change the indoor part of the system. It was a waste of money but no dice on selling a new system, was a challange to cram the new copeland compressor into the small space inside that condenser, but ran like a champ when I was finished. I know what killed the compressor.... cleaned the condenser and evaporator coil's for what I am sure was the first time in 30 some years!! The condenser was completly plugged.

[t527ed]

put some of them in in the early 70's, dad knew a guy who knew a guy that was getting them for him........


have torn a load of them out since then, many still running but customers decided to replace them while replacing the gas furnace that was installed at the same time and nowhere near as bulletproof as the a/c was.......


only problem with a unit lasting 37 years is that if it had died 15 years ago and you replaced it with high efficiency unit it probably would have paid for itself a few times by now.

[Silver06]

I have taken pictures of these units around here the past two years. There are a ton of GE still running around here, have about close to 40 pictures of outside condensing units, not including ones I could not see in backyards.
I kinda became a Baldloonie of our parts. Even found some documentation from the mid 70's. Not too bad of efficiency for back then.

I know I'm nuts, but once these relics are gone, their gone. I know they could be a pain to work on, with the fan and electric compartment, and we do need a lot better effciency, and people do need job security.

Just want to document a little piece of HVAC history.

[ar_hvac_man]

Not if you use Silver bullets. And I drink Coors Light, the Silver Bullet.

Bottle or can?

[beenthere]

I'm a bottle baby.

[ar_hvac_man]

Same. New bottles are cool. Makes me feel like an elitest.

[Milk man]

It's running, but not great. It's an engery hog by today's standards. You might check with the power company to see it they have a "Cool Homes" program.

If they do, they will send a contractor out to your place and do an energy test that may qualify you for a rebate on a new system.

[mr big]

I sold those for a distributor in the early to mid 1970's. It was incredible just how reliable their heat pumps & condensing units were. Trane still uses a lot of the old technolgy from GE which they purchased in 1982. The GE CAC Division just could not make any money. I guess they made them too good. Today's manufacturers have planned obsolesence built into the units!

[Catpower]

Actually the rating for a machine that age would have been EER not SEER, so you can add a couple of points to it to compare with newer units.

YA you could have replaced it 15 yrs ago and paid for a new unit by now, but the new unit would have crapped out a couple of times by now.

I kinda hate to replace one of those old tanks with a new unit, because that old GE would probably out lasted the new unit

[summit]

I know what killed the compressor.... cleaned the condenser and evaporator coil's for what I am sure was the first time in 30 some years!! The condenser was completly plugged.

That's one of the reason Trane & American Standard are still utilizing the spine fin coil. It takes a lot more dirt build up on a spine fin coil to stop heat transfer and kill the compressor.

[smittyii]

i remember trane bought out g.e. just to get the compressor and spine fin technology undre their name. it was trane's best move in the residential area. we still condemn a g.e. or two every year, usually because they are leaking not because they won't run. i haven't pulled an old pre g.e. trane since the early 90's. anybody remember those old updraft tranes? the g.e./trane systems are the best ever made bar none imho.

[coolperfect]

What about the old Chrysler compressor the one where the suction line bolts to the top.I got a job with one ,got to be 45 years old