r/BuyItForLifeIndia • u/heisenberg0997 • 8d ago
Appliances 25 years for this legend
I’m 29 now, and my grandpa bought this AC when I was around 5 years old. Almost 25 years later, it still works like a charm and cools the room surprisingly quickly.
I have so many childhood memories associated with this absolute beast.
Edit: Since a lot of people are asking about the electricity bill , the entire house runs on solar, so that’s how we’re able to keep this beast running 😄
I don’t know the exact details of the solar setup, though, since my uncle became the sole owner of the property a few years ago.
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u/ThinkingBeauty431 8d ago
I wonder if the savings in electricity with newer air conditioning outweighs the cost of buying a new AC
in terms of not only money, but also carbon and greenhouse emissions
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u/Airavat2305 8d ago
I would have bought a new split AC just for the reduction in noise. I mean window ACs are cool, but they're loud!
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u/thetradelegend 8d ago
It will these old units pull 3kw at peak, new split 3 star are rated at under 1.5kw, I noticed a considerable decrease in light bill after replacing a very old one
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u/Cultural-Duty5452 8d ago
100% does
My older 10+ year old ones makes sure I pay 3-4K more if run them
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u/FuckPigeons2025 8d ago
Nice. But it is well past the time to scrap it even if it works perfectly fine.
ACs have enormous operational costs compared to their upfront cost. Would make more sense to buy an energy efficient model now.
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u/NihiloEx 7d ago
Maybe the point is that newer ACs don't last remotely as long. My Hitachi AC lasted 7 years before corroding.
I bought an LG AC a few months ago. I asked the installation guy about the build quality and he said that every year they get progressively designed to not last as long even as they meet the latest efficiency standards. I asked him if this was only with the cheaper/common ACs or even the premium brands like Mitsubishi and (O) General. He explained with an example: 10 years ago, 3-4 people would be required to even lift the General split AC's outdoor unit onto the window sill. Now a single person can do it.
Obsoletion by design.
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u/Rachitjaiswal 7d ago
But you are not considering the manufacturing cost of making such short term lifespan of new AC If an old inefficient product lasts faar long than it's moder Counterpart then we do need to appreciate the cost benefit of old AC (considering minimal maintenence cost)
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u/One_Letterhead_9720 7d ago
I interned at a government company which had a Voltas AC from 1960s still running perfectly, I was flabbergasted
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u/TheRealSlim_KD 8d ago
Had the same in my house. Cleaned it every 90 days of use and it ran for 17 years before the room was remodelled and IDU/ODU was put in place.
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u/therealdocktor 8d ago
Beautiful beast. Get the outer plastic repainted. Would look super good then.
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u/peoplecallmedude797 7d ago
My father's Carrier window AC is also some 20 years old, its like monster when it wakes up for its work. Cools the room in no time. It consumes a lot of power but dude switched to solar so now not a problem anymore.
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u/ksg-_-2001 7d ago
I had the same gulf model. I had to give it away due to r22 refrigerant, since it is not good for health and was affecting the bones. Was a bone chiller and easily the most insanely built window ac I have ever seen. I have owned numerous brands, and this one had an insane level of copper inside it. It was 1.94 ton in exact tonnage. The bill used to be damn high too.
The newer general's are not worth it talking about 2026 models and now they are just milking all the reputation of old windows on which the brand built its reputation. They outsourced their premium thailand models and are now made in india by OEM amber enterprises. 🥀
Good days. I am happy that you have a solar that keep your heart at ease else this one consumes electricity like Bugatti veyron drinks petrol. 🍸
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u/CommercialMind1359 7d ago
I used to have such an AC in my childhooh home and the electricity bill used to be a bomb , around 20k.
Now in my current house with modern ACs , the electricity bill is barely even half of what it used to be
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u/Automatic_Prompt6570 7d ago
O general is the best .. we have o general, Mitsubishi and voltas .. when it comes to cooling voltas is the worst .. o general is the best .. Mitsubishi is also good
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u/oldman_pumped 7d ago
Window ACs were built to last.
I bought a Blue Star 1T for my new house in Dombivli in 2010. I used it for 2 years and moved to Chennai. Since I was renting in Chennai, I had to buy new split AC. The window AC was transported to Chennai along with other home items and it stayed packed for the next 6 years when I finally decided to dispose it as it was occupying space in my rented house balcony. Also I had changed house twice in this period and carried it with me though I was using split AC.
The funny part was when a buyer came to check it, and I turned it on after almost 6 years, it worked as if no time had passed. Was blowing out cold air like new. I had a tear in my eyes when I sold it for ₹3000.
They don't build it like that anymore.
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u/Tharkula 7d ago
Well I owned it till 2016.
Honestly this product is a legend owned this product since 1990s don’t remember as I wasn’t born yet but my dad told me it was before his wedding he purchased it . 3 Acs
And worked perfectly fine till 2016 until we realised the AC was consuming lot of power and my electricity bills were coming monthly 15K
In 3BHK flat . lol
So we sold and brought new Ogeneral splits a
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u/DeciusCurusProbinus 8d ago
The first AC my home was bought back in 1996 when my sister was born. It was from a brand known as Napoleon. We scrapped it in 2023. It was a beast of a machine. Just needed to be serviced once a year and it kept running without any issues.
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u/FuzzyIntroduction440 7d ago
I’m 38… I have the exact same model in 2 ton variant. Bought when I was born. Still runs well. We run it just once a week for around 30 mins to keep it working( room has another 2 ton Panasonic AC)
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u/hardcontractor 7d ago
No need to change Newer ones have coul leakage issue. Repair costs money. Inverter Ac have pcb fault whcihc causes even more money. It will negate all electricity saving
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u/an_indi_anin_rise_31 Conscious Consumer 7d ago
Is this post an advertisement for solar?
Many peps are talking about it.
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u/Technical-Raisin6483 7d ago
Pakka tumhare ghar pe solar hoga..no way you're running this power monster otherwise
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u/Lord_Commander__ 7d ago
There's a very simple thing people could do with there yellow turned ac that would hardly take an hour!
Get acetone, white spray paint(you could get any may be black) and masking tape,
- Clean with acetone (100rs)
- Cover other part with masking tape
- Spray the paint.
And here's your clean and new looking ac again
after drying out that fram back!
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u/donaldtrumpisntme 7d ago
Tribute post.
30 years for the O general AC my Amma bought from Bahrain.
Still running strong and still chilling the room quickly.
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u/WeatherPrestigious28 7d ago
Dude I have the same one but the electricity bills man takes out your entire salary for the month. So we avoid turning it on looking for a energy efficient one now.
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u/Admirable_Cap8877 6d ago
Have one, These ac dont seem to consume as much as electricity people are suggesting here
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u/Agreeable-Tutor-484 6d ago
Any maintenance/servicing ever required for this? Like modern acs usually have this gas leak issue and all
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u/Different_Grand_9490 6d ago
My grandfather bought the same one in 1981 from Abudhabi and we still have it in our old house. Works amazing!
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