vavet
Well-known member
The situation is we own a second house that was our home for 9 years. We moved out about 8 years ago and we've had the same tenants in there since then. They've notified us they do not intend to renew the lease when it expires in June.
The heat pump was replaced in early 2010 - 13 years ago. It was a mid-grade unit when installed. I think it's a Bryant 2.5 ton unit in a 1620 sq ft cape cod style house in central Virginia.
It's been fine.
I'll plan to have it checked after the tenants move out to get an evaluation of it. If it's clearly used up, then we replace it. If it gets a clean bill of health then it stays. The extremes are easy. It's the middle ground that I don't know about.
My understanding is that we should expect it to last 12-15 years. Do we replace it proactively and not have to worry about it again? Or do we let it go and possibly inconvenience our future tenants and maybe have to move them into a hotel for a few days if it fails during extreme weather?
Should I get it checked now during colder weather and then again when it gets warm to get a full picture of its state of health?
How reliably can a service tech predict the future service life when looking at a heat pump? Is it just a shot in the dark based on age? If the refrigerant pressures are good, the motor running currents are within spec, and the output air temps are OK, then there's nothing to fix. What else can they look at to evaluate it?
The heat pump was replaced in early 2010 - 13 years ago. It was a mid-grade unit when installed. I think it's a Bryant 2.5 ton unit in a 1620 sq ft cape cod style house in central Virginia.
It's been fine.
I'll plan to have it checked after the tenants move out to get an evaluation of it. If it's clearly used up, then we replace it. If it gets a clean bill of health then it stays. The extremes are easy. It's the middle ground that I don't know about.
My understanding is that we should expect it to last 12-15 years. Do we replace it proactively and not have to worry about it again? Or do we let it go and possibly inconvenience our future tenants and maybe have to move them into a hotel for a few days if it fails during extreme weather?
Should I get it checked now during colder weather and then again when it gets warm to get a full picture of its state of health?
How reliably can a service tech predict the future service life when looking at a heat pump? Is it just a shot in the dark based on age? If the refrigerant pressures are good, the motor running currents are within spec, and the output air temps are OK, then there's nothing to fix. What else can they look at to evaluate it?