As with any equipment used for long hours on a daily basis, reverse cycle air conditioners are at risk of malfunctioning later on in its service life. As with all things, age can be a primary factor in the efficiency of heating pumps.

1. How Age Takes its Toll on
Reverse Cycle Air
Conditioners
All Air Services
2/1 Opportunity Street
Wangara WA 6065
(08) 9303 9881

2. As with any equipment used for long hours on a daily basis, reverse cycle air conditioners
are at risk of malfunctioning later on in its service life. As with all things, age can be a
primary factor in the efficiency of heating pumps.
The following looks at the different ways aging can affect the efficiency of reverse cycle
units:
Maximum Shelf Life
In general, the economic life of reverse
air conditioners, from a split unit to a
ducted system, ranges from seven to
fifteen years. This depends on the
purpose and the model of the
equipment, that is, industrial standards
are made more durable and long lasting
than most commercial and residential
units. After fifteen years, a slow decline
in the efficiency rate and an obvious
compensation in the energy consumption
is inevitable. This is partly due to
manufacturer design.
Genuine Parts are Only Kept for a
Several Years
Most air conditioner manufacturers only
retain parts for certain units they make
for seven years. After that, the
components for replacement may be
hard to find and, in some cases, will
have to undergo modification just to fit a
system. Once the equipment is over ten
years old, the chance of finding genuine
parts grows slimmer.

3. Efficiency Killers Build Over Time
Due to the dual function of reverse cycle air conditioners, there is always a risk and
micro damage to the equipment. It could be corrosion slowly eating the metal parts or
the fan material getting weaker as it comes in contact with dust and moisture. The daily
tension among the components and the overall decay of materials due to temperature
and workload contribute to the compounding damage.
There are many reverse cycle air conditioning brands that do upgrade the quality of their
equipment to last for more than a decade, but with a catch: it has to be checked from
time to time. Professional maintenance is imperative in keeping reverse cycle air
conditioners in tip-top shape.

4. Resources:
http://allairservices.com.au/reverse-cycle-air-conditioning
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/principals/infrastructure/reversecy
cleairco.pdf
https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/cooling/ducted-reverse-cycle-air-
conditioning/buying-guides/ducted-reverse-cycle-air-conditioning