Should I recommend breaker replacement for this breaker that is the cutoff for the HVAC system?
I would not recommend replacement ,but I would recommend a Sparky for further evaluation and repair as there is apperent moisture problems and they might not be limited to that area. Or something like that.
Say what you see. A recommendation or a suggestion is just that and only that. The final decision is their’s alone. Use recommendations sparingly but when and where needed. I often go back to do reinspections and find they ignore a good many recommendations (at their peril) but it’s ultimately their call. People are often shocked when they ask me if they “Have” to do something and I tell “no, you don’t have to do any of what I recommend.” Besides, I can’t see your house from my house. It is part of the education process of hammering home one more time these decisions are theirs, not mine. I am not taking someone to raise, not for a few hundreds of dollars.
The breaker is not the cut off for the HVAC system, rather it is the breaker for the electric air handler (furnace) and heat strips. The rusting suggests that a high moisture content possibly the humidifier if one is on the system or condensate drain issues or the coil is icing in the cooling mode
Recommend a professional HVAC company for further evaluation