A company ran a contest to find the oldest functioning air conditioner – and the winner has been keeping things cool for many years. Pat Foran has the latest.
It’s often said, “They don’t make them like they used to,” and that’s definitely true for many household appliances.
However, a company looking for the oldest working air conditioner held a contest and discovered one that has been cooling homes for over half a century.
“If you look after something, it will look after you,” says 95-year-old Lois Kemp from Pickering, Ont.
Kemp’s unit was installed in 1974.
Fifty-two years ago, she participated in a lottery aimed at raising funds to help build the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, and her ticket won $1,000.
At that time, Kemp used part of her winnings to buy an air conditioning unit made by Fedders.
“I was just a teenager when it was installed,” said Steve Kemp, Lois’s son who grew up in their family home.
1974 AC unit A circa 1974 AC unit at a home in Pickering, Ont.
All these years later, Steve Kemp shared with that he still remembers when they got the air conditioner and can’t recall it ever having issues over the last five decades.
“I don’t ever recall it breaking down. It’s been there since 1974 every year we have maintained it; we covered it in winter and always cleaned it come spring to keep it running smoothly,” he said.
Button’s Heating and Air Conditioning, an HVAC company in Durham Region, organized the contest to find the oldest working air conditioning unit locally.
This follows their previous contest six months ago seeking out the oldest operating furnace in Durham Region.
The company stated they received 107 entries from people claiming they had old air conditioners still working well, including units that were 41, 43, and 44 years old.
But it was Kemp who had the oldest unit still delivering cold air at an impressive age of 52 years.
“I came here last week to confirm it was still operational and cooling the house effectively,” Nigel Charlton from Button’s Heating and Air Conditioning told .
New AC unit Lois Kemp’s home Workers install a new AC unit at Lois Kemp’s Pickering, Ont. home
Winning this contest means Lois Kemp received a brand-new Daikin air conditioner; she’s thankful for it and hopes it’ll last for many more years ahead.
“I hope so, I hope so,” she said.
According to Charlton, this new model will be more efficient and save money on bills too.
“Yes, her old air conditioner has been running strong for 52 years but if anything goes wrong with it now you wouldn’t be able to fix it. She now has a new one that’s quieter and much easier on her energy costs,” he explained.
Nigel Charlton from Button’s Heating and Air Conditioning Nigel Charlton from Button’s Heating and Air Conditioning speaks with . class=’с-параграф’>Many appliances today-like fridges or stoves as well as washers or dryers-don’t seem to last as long as older models did. The older items were often simpler with heavy steel parts while most newer versions utilize plastic components along with delicate computer boards that tend to break easily. >
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