You must have heard the good things about heat pumps: they are easy to maintain, more efficient than furnaces, among many other things. The big question with most homeowners is, how long do heat pumps last?
According to heat pump repair service providers, the units’ durability depends on the type of heat pump, where you have installed it, and how often you maintain it. Despite all these factors, on average, the heat pump will last about 15 years.
What affects the heat pump lifespan?
One of the major factors that will determine how long the appliance will last is how well you maintain it. To give your heat pump a long life, you need to take good care of it. At least once a year, hire a technician to inspect it and fix the problematic areas.
Other things you should do to give your appliance a long life include:
Keep the coils clean: Dirty coils restrict airflow, causing the heat pump to stop working. At least once a year, hire a professional HVAC technician to clean the coils chemically.
Clean the fins on the outside of the condenser unit
Clean or replace the air filters regularly according to the manufacturer recommendations: When you go for a long time without giving attention to your air filters, they clog up and block airflow to the evaporator coil. You need to keep the air filters clean for an efficient and durable heat pump.
Keep the outdoor unit clear of plants: Experts recommend ensuring that the plants don’t grow within 18 inches of the outdoor unit.
Environmental factors can also affect the lifespan of the appliance. For example, if you live in snowy areas, ice can build up on the outdoor coil impeding the appliance’s ability to generate heat.
To minimize the effect the environment has on your appliance, get an appliance designed for that area. For example, if you live in cold areas, get a heat pump with an excellent defrost cycle.
Signs it’s time to replace your heat pump.
Even with the best care, when your heat pump passes the 10-year mark, you have to replace it. Common signs it’s time to replace your heat pump include:
Your energy bills keep rising
Like the furnace, the heat pump loses efficiency overtime and dirt, dust building on the coils, motors aging, and metal elements corroding cause the heat pump to consume more energy than it used to.
If your appliance is more than 10 years and your energy bills are going up every month, don’t bother hiring a repair professional to look into it. Simply replace the unit.
The heat pump isn’t as comfortable as it used to
Have you noticed your heat pump struggling to reach the set temperatures or having warm/stuffy spots? It might be time to replace your unit.
Another sign of decreased comfort is having high indoor humidity during summer. When operating at optimal performance, the heat pump should remove the moisture from the air. If your appliance is no longer doing it, it’s a sign you need to replace it.
You constantly need to replace the unit.
It’s normal for appliances to break down, and when it happens occasionally, you should get a repair professional and fix the problem.
Unfortunately, when your appliance is on its death bed, it breaks down more frequently that you have to have the technician’s contact details on speed dial.
When your appliance breaks down every other week, hiring a repair technician will be synonymous with pouring money down the drain. Instead of keeping hiring the technician, simply replace the unit.
Unusual noises are coming from the system.
Heat pumps are designed to run smoothly with little friction and internal resistance, so if your appliance is making weird noises, you have a problem you should address as soon as possible.
In most cases, the HVAC system’s noises come from faulty ductwork, dirty filters, worn out motors, loose vents, and many other factors. When the noises come for the first time, ask an experienced heating service repair Long Island professional to look into them, but if the problems keep coming about, it would be wise to replace the entire system.