LIFE SPAN OF A HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

[Steve]

My home has a CARRIER 2-ton heat pump system. I live in southern Virginia, generally mild climate. It was installed in 1991 and is a SEER-10. It gets serviced and cleaned, regularly and appears to be working well summer and winter. The compressor (scroll type) has never been replaced, the only thing I had to do is put in a new defrost -control circuit card a couple years ago., My question is what is the average life span of a heat pump? Do these things last 20 years or more normally? Is CARRIER known to be a good quality unit? Thanks, Steve

[Steve]

According to Appliance Magazine, The lifespan for a heat pumps are; Low..................6 years Average...........14 years High................21 years

The lifespan of electric furnaces are Low.................9 years Average..........14 years High...............20 years

The lifespan of gas furnaces are Low................11 years Average..........17 years High...............23 years

Reguardless of the brand of the boxes installed, the quality of the installation is paramount. Your can have the very best boxes, but if the lowest bidder is installing it, all bets are off. OTOH, if you have the cheapest boxes with an outstanding installation, you will have a serviceable system.