ᐅ Compressor failed after 6 years (Ecoforest ground-source heat pump / well construction by Heth)
Created on: 24 Mar 2023 09:38
J
jx7
After 6.5 years, the compressor of our ground source heat pump has failed.
The expected lifespan of such compressors is stated to be 25-30 years.
Has anyone else experienced something like this?
Could the heat pump have been improperly installed, or what might have caused the damage?
Additionally:
The installing company Brunnebau & Erdwärme Heth from Lorsch is refusing to carry out the repair, citing a shortage of skilled technicians.
Overall, no official Ecoforest partner could be found to do the repair; a local heating and cooling company will now handle the repair.
It is an Ecoforest geothermal heat pump (model C3 3-12KW HTR EH) with a Copeland Scroll compressor ZPV36K1E-1E9-130.
Could it be that the 12kW heat pump was oversized for our house? (There are 190 sqm (2045 sq ft) of underfloor heating and domestic hot water for 5 people supplied by the heat pump. The house is built to nearly KfW-55 standard: final energy demand: 21.4 kWh/(m²·a) / primary energy demand: 51.4 kWh/(m²·a) / building envelope thermal quality: 0.25 W/(m²·K)).
The expected lifespan of such compressors is stated to be 25-30 years.
Has anyone else experienced something like this?
Could the heat pump have been improperly installed, or what might have caused the damage?
Additionally:
The installing company Brunnebau & Erdwärme Heth from Lorsch is refusing to carry out the repair, citing a shortage of skilled technicians.
Overall, no official Ecoforest partner could be found to do the repair; a local heating and cooling company will now handle the repair.
It is an Ecoforest geothermal heat pump (model C3 3-12KW HTR EH) with a Copeland Scroll compressor ZPV36K1E-1E9-130.
Could it be that the 12kW heat pump was oversized for our house? (There are 190 sqm (2045 sq ft) of underfloor heating and domestic hot water for 5 people supplied by the heat pump. The house is built to nearly KfW-55 standard: final energy demand: 21.4 kWh/(m²·a) / primary energy demand: 51.4 kWh/(m²·a) / building envelope thermal quality: 0.25 W/(m²·K)).
W
WilderSueden24 Mar 2023 15:47This naturally raises the question of why no one checked during maintenance despite the high frequency. Probably a specialist similar to my heating engineer. "If in doubt, they increase the flow temperature here and let the thermostat handle the rest" -.-
R
RotorMotor24 Mar 2023 17:26How was your electricity consumption, the output, and the resulting annual performance factor?
jx7 schrieb:
The compressor is not broken now because we neglected maintenance, but most likely because it was incorrectly sized and configured. However, this would have been noticed earlier if the heating system had been maintained properly. That way, something might have been salvageable.
There’s no need to argue about the fact that the heating system is incorrectly sized.
jx7 schrieb:
The compressor is not broken now because we did not perform maintenance, but probably because it was incorrectly sized and configured.…even if that were the case... Without a maintenance contract, there is no claim. It’s like with a car: no service, no warranty.Zaba123 schrieb:
…even if that were the case... Without a maintenance contract, there is no entitlement. It’s like with a car: no service means no warranty.The warranty period has already expired anyway. Even if we had carried out regular maintenance, we would no longer have any warranty.B
Bausparfuchs24 Mar 2023 21:17I recently had a conversation with my chimney sweep, who is also an energy consultant.
He said that generally, the lifespan of a heat pump can be estimated at about 15 years. You shouldn’t expect it to last much longer. Even a refrigerator breaks down after 15 years or becomes so outdated technically and visually that it gets replaced. I wouldn’t assume a lifespan of 30 to 40 years like with an oil heating system for a heat pump.
Also, repairs on a heat pump are more complicated and significantly more expensive than those on an oil burner.
In summary, regarding heat pumps: they are expensive to purchase, costly to maintain, and only effective with complex heating systems like underfloor heating. Personally, I don’t like underfloor heating at all. Apart from the bathroom, I don’t have it anywhere. I find the constant warmth on the feet uncomfortable. It’s also slow to respond.
He said that generally, the lifespan of a heat pump can be estimated at about 15 years. You shouldn’t expect it to last much longer. Even a refrigerator breaks down after 15 years or becomes so outdated technically and visually that it gets replaced. I wouldn’t assume a lifespan of 30 to 40 years like with an oil heating system for a heat pump.
Also, repairs on a heat pump are more complicated and significantly more expensive than those on an oil burner.
In summary, regarding heat pumps: they are expensive to purchase, costly to maintain, and only effective with complex heating systems like underfloor heating. Personally, I don’t like underfloor heating at all. Apart from the bathroom, I don’t have it anywhere. I find the constant warmth on the feet uncomfortable. It’s also slow to respond.
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