this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2023
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[–] [email protected] 175 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (5 children)

This funny meme is also a good example of survivorship bias. There are both good and shitty ACs from both eras. We're just only comparing to the good old ACs because the shitty ones already broke.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 11 months ago

The same seems to apply for old music as well - only the "good stuff" survives and everything else is forgotten

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago (2 children)

While I agree with you past generations weren't swamped with infinite selections of shitty versions of products at their fingertips. Think it feels worse now because it's harder to find the good stuff these days

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

It's had a lot to do with manufacturers trying to cater to a certain price point where they can maximize sales and profits, rather than simply trying to make the best product they can make. It leads to a lot of cheap garbage.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

That's a very valid point. Today's ease of access to a wider variety of sources is vastly different to the pre-internet era of appliance shopping. Back then, we just went to the nearest Sears or some other appliance warehouse to try them out. They'd have just a few different models available, so those were all your options. The other method of purchase was through direct shipping catalogs, where you hoped the product you bought didn't actually suck.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

That is true, although earlier generations didn't have access to as many different variations of a product, most of the ones available to them were the high-end versions. The trade-off is that they costed much more due to being a more premium product and being new on the market.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

Pretty sure all of my old apartments had the shitty window units, none of them ever worked.

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[–] [email protected] 171 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Air conditioner then: 2 kilowatts / ton

Air conditioner now: 0.4 kilowatts / ton

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Can't we have like .8 kw / ton thats twice as reliable?

[–] [email protected] 44 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Reliability exists, just don’t buy crap. Invest and reap the efficiency. Personally, I’ve spent years with mini-splits and never had this filter problem crap, everything just works and for less than half the cost.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (2 children)

What is planned obsolescence?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

A way to destroy the earth for temporary profits while guaranteeing the future generations to be screwed because we exploited all the resources in chase of a quick buck?

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (6 children)

can someone explain this for the uneducated?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (7 children)

It's another one of those weird non-metric units. In the world of air conditioning (or cooling in general), a "ton" is the amount of cooling you'd get from melting a ton (a short ton - that is 2000 pounds) of ice that's already near its melting point. Air conditioners are usually rated in tons per day, with 1-5 tons about right for a typical apartment or house, depending on things like square footage and climate.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

He's saying they improved in efficiency

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 11 months ago (2 children)

You forgot about the part where it is 70% asbestos and radioactive coolant. 10/10 best ACs ever.

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 11 months ago (2 children)

That old, toxic refrigerant just hit different

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago

The new stuff just doesn't taste the same.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

You can do a 1:1 swap of refrigerant, and if I remember correctly, the new stuff actually works better.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (6 children)

Heck, early refrigeration systems used friggen ammonia as it's refrigerant of choice. Works good at being compressed and evaporated, shame about it being poison.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Weird my mini split is a workhorse. It doesn't give two shits about dust, dirt, ice, rain, or snow. It has heated the house in single digits and cooled the house in triple digits (both F). 10/10. Best $1800 I ever spent.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (1 children)

For real, mini splits are insanely powerful. They'll make a room frigidly too cold in nanoseconds if you ask them to.

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago (2 children)

But the first needs at least two power lines to work.

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[–] EmoDuck 24 points 11 months ago (16 children)

German here, I don't get that joke. What the fuck's an Air Conditioner? Some time of specail air you put in your hair after using shampoo?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

Yeah, it's for when your air is too flat and frizzy.

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago

My old AC works great. I just wish I could hear other things while it's running.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (3 children)

We need to figure out how to retrofit those old machines to be as efficient as the new ones, and be clean and pigeon free. Then we can keep them around.

[–] PM_ME_FEET_PICS 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)

They still make those old style ones and they are energy star certified.

The ones that look like the new one are what's used with heat pumps here.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Is there any reason a window unit couldn’t be a heat pump? My understanding is the difference is just about a single valve to reverse the direction of the coolant.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

We missed out on the freon black market that's consumed by cyborg men in vans.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Which air conditioner are you talking about specifically that shuts off when it gets dust on its filter?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago

No. Industrial air conditioning units are showing the same thing. They are getting lighter and better at cooling.

Control panels some times need air conditioners. Old enough companies, like my ex-employer, can even pull up records to show that the shipping weights are going down. Lost a bet with my old boss about this.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Yes the older models are the little engine that could. (come to think of it most of you are too young to get that reference). The expensive big one threw a belt and became useless after four years.

But I moved to a place where I'm on the shady side of the building and as a result all I need are fans.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I miss my old really noisy air conditioner window unit. I loved the noise from it, it drowned out other sounds and I got better sleep. My room air filters generate some decent white noise effects, but it's just not the same.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

The best part about window units is the dank freezer smell they emit. Sometimes I just stand there and smell it while enjoying the cool air on my face.

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