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)).
I have since received a statement from a tradesperson saying that a heating capacity of 7 kW to 8 kW would have been ideal for our house, not 12 kW.
A neighbor with a house of similar size and comparable energy standard had the same heat pump installed around the same time.
Their data is as follows:
Hours: 28,545
Starts: 10,997
Starts per hour: 0.385
1) In their case, the number "starts per hour" makes sense. It is exactly the quotient of the two numbers above.
2) Noticeably, we have five times as many starts as they do. This is likely the reason why the compressor failed after only six years instead of after 30 years.
Now, the only thing left is to find out how to configure the heat pump so that this does not happen again in the future.
I still wonder how it was possible that the installing company
a) sold a heat pump that was too large in capacity and
b) configured the heat pump incorrectly and failed to notice this even during maintenance.
A neighbor with a house of similar size and comparable energy standard had the same heat pump installed around the same time.
Their data is as follows:
Hours: 28,545
Starts: 10,997
Starts per hour: 0.385
1) In their case, the number "starts per hour" makes sense. It is exactly the quotient of the two numbers above.
2) Noticeably, we have five times as many starts as they do. This is likely the reason why the compressor failed after only six years instead of after 30 years.
Now, the only thing left is to find out how to configure the heat pump so that this does not happen again in the future.
I still wonder how it was possible that the installing company
a) sold a heat pump that was too large in capacity and
b) configured the heat pump incorrectly and failed to notice this even during maintenance.
B
Bookstar8728 Mar 2023 18:13I can help you with that. Our heating system is exactly the same—also oversized and incorrectly configured. The most important thing is to keep all heating circuits fully open at all times, and to have no ERR active. Then lower the flow temperature as much as possible and adjust the rooms to the desired temperature using the control knobs on the floor distributors. There are good guides available online.
You need to understand why the system cycles on and off. It does this whenever it can't use the output or needs a lot of power—similar to a car. You can reach your destination steadily at a constant 80 km/h (50 mph) or alternatively go full throttle at 180 km/h (110 mph) and then slow down to 30 km/h (20 mph) repeatedly. The first option is better and usually much more efficient because it stays closer to the ideal performance curve.
For me, this reduced the compressor starts to about one sixth and saved roughly 30% on heating costs.
You need to understand why the system cycles on and off. It does this whenever it can't use the output or needs a lot of power—similar to a car. You can reach your destination steadily at a constant 80 km/h (50 mph) or alternatively go full throttle at 180 km/h (110 mph) and then slow down to 30 km/h (20 mph) repeatedly. The first option is better and usually much more efficient because it stays closer to the ideal performance curve.
For me, this reduced the compressor starts to about one sixth and saved roughly 30% on heating costs.
K
KarstenausNRW28 Mar 2023 19:55jx7 schrieb:
2) It is noticeable that we have five times as many starts as they do. This is certainly the reason why the compressor failed after only six years instead of after 30 years. Damn, that's exactly what I expected and wrote. Your compressor lasted a really long time. Solution see @Bookstar87.
jx7 schrieb:
I still wonder how it was possible that the installing company
a) sold a heat pump that was too large in capacity and
b) incorrectly configured the heat pump and didn’t notice this even during the maintenance. Unfortunately, many companies simply lack the necessary knowledge, whether due to insufficient training, lack of interest, or skill.
They prefer to install an oversized heat pump rather than risk the customer complaining that it doesn’t provide enough heat. Whether the heat pump fails after a “short” period is initially not their concern.
Hello JX7!
I read your article about the faulty heat pump with great interest. Has the local heating and HVAC company been able to repair your heat pump? I could really use some help as well. Our Ecoforest unit – about 7 years old – has been malfunctioning since the end of October 2023... which is really frustrating. Could you tell me the company that hopefully helped you? That would be great. Many thanks in advance!
I read your article about the faulty heat pump with great interest. Has the local heating and HVAC company been able to repair your heat pump? I could really use some help as well. Our Ecoforest unit – about 7 years old – has been malfunctioning since the end of October 2023... which is really frustrating. Could you tell me the company that hopefully helped you? That would be great. Many thanks in advance!
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