Refrigeration Compressor Useful Life?

You might go here: Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) or to other trade groups.

As long as you keep repairing them, well I reckon they last forever.....

'expected life' listing

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=most_efficient.me_geothermal_heat_pumps

there the listing of Energy-Star GeoThermal Heat Pumps with scrolls and variables are life-rated for cost of repairs considerations at just a very short 15 years.

Those OEM's that custom-build like Hydro-Temp (AR) 1978-to-date, and Water Furnace 1987-to-date, have recips from Bristol Compressor Corp which are still operating in my customer base for over 32 years and 25 years, respectively.

You may find as I have-

If designs of the 1980's and 1990's to date would have included the necessary sources of work (heat energy transfer media and equipment, inclusive) for the heat transfer to and from the recips, in over 30% of the "failures" which are found needing something along the lines of add-on heat exchanging for OEM-listed proper operation

--- or

had more dealers/techs and engineers listened better to OEM set ups and followed through with demanding for instance in multiple installs, those start-up inspection q-sheets of operation, then less compressors would have taken blame for premature failures.

My late Dad's GE rfg that I have seen others drill and tap the sidewall for a beer keg for, from the early 50's--- is simply still functioning, keeping condenser heat dissipating coils clean every few years.

USING TFE 'teflon' additives in the oils has left this record:

In geothermal loops in ground ECL / gle's it was a long time waiting until June of 2010 to get folks off the "150 ft per ton" for heating cycles and to about 200ft per actual compressor-labeled ton. Commercially schools overheated at 175 ft per ton in average conductivity, losing systems--- when by the end of the 1990's it was being published: 215-230ft per ton in cooling dominance that produces ~ 1.15 x's the heat to be rejected of a compressor label in a box.

Recip Compressors can easily outlast the 25 year life of fluid-pump circulators, as seen in the field.

I ask about Re: Refrigeration Compressor Useful Life? in the sustainable Q of an OP at

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/86436/Life-expectancy-recips-and-scrolls-and-chllers-geothermal

The life span of a compressor entirely depends on proper installation procedures and maintenance. And I can not emphasize enough on proper quarterly maintenance. Refrigeration systems are sealed systems and if no contaminates enter the system back to proper installation as it's hard for a pressurized system to become contaminated from the outside.

Now if proper maintenance is not preformed e.g. dirty condenser coil a new set of problems start showing up. Loss of airflow in the coils can cause overheating and viscosity breakdown of the oil. Or liquid sludging inside the compressor cylinder due to a flooded evaporator.

I have seen compressors out there that are literally 40 years old and still running. In fact I just buried one the other day that was a 1970 open drive compressor. It chilled the fire suppression CO2 containment vessel out at the power plant.

If I were you I would look into Carlyle and Copeland compressors if your going semi hermetic. Copeland has great warranties on there hermetically sealed compressors. Copeland also make high tonnage hermetically sealed scroll compressors.

Reciprocating compressors can last a long time, but regardless of how good the machine is, there comes a time when the cost to repair becomes more than to replace. I don't know if popular compressors like Copeland are still made in the U.S. My guess is: they may still be made here, but with foreign parts, may not have the life of the older ones.