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RE: Why wouldn't they last

That VT-150 was in a hom that ran AC 24/7 then stored in an WWII underground bunker. The bunker was medium/high humidity but constant temperature.

In Hawaii, we have certain peculiar issues which occur, usually before anyone else notices it. I notified Mike Sanders that his nickel plated chassis developed large amounts of corrosion in a few years. He was flabbergasted as even his Florida customers never reported anything wrong.

I believe the thermal cycling coupled wth the humidity enables the moisture to penetrate the nickel and auses the base steel to corrode, not neessarily rusting through, but leaving unslightly blemishes.

I personally believe it is a combination of traffic dust and humidity and salt tinged air. I have seen in ocean front homes cases where after a decade the resistor leads have corroded to the point where I have to change out all the resistors on a board. Good thing tube gear does not use as many devices.

The oily traffic dust tends to accumulate dust and they, in turn, absorb moisture. In addition the slightly elevated ambient temperatures coupled with the heat of the components tends to "cook" any excesss rosin, carbonizing it and creating a pathway conducive to arcing. In the case of "stats, it doesn't take much to create arcing in the panels ( I notice that ML now advises vigrously vacuuming the panels).

Of course the environmental hazards will vary depending on your neighborhood.
Ours is fairly unique and I have learned through the school of hardknocks.
Incidentally Sound Labs with their technique of using smaller modules last longer, but not that much so.

YMMV and FWIW

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