What do you say the life expectancy of commercial gas roof top units are, I have heard everything for 10 to 25 years.
Life Expectancy
idahohvac
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If they are taken care of I'd say 10-15 years (assuming normal conditions, not by the ocean). Once you get above the 10ish or so year mark you've got your money out of them and past 10 years is just bonus time.
If they aren't taken care of, 5 years tops lol
If they aren't taken care of, 5 years tops lol
I'm curious, are you owning a rooftop that's at least 20 years old and it seems that you have to call a service co. More now than in the past? Lot depends how the maintenance and original installation was done. A simple rule is change the filter, change the filter and another thing you should do is change the filter! You would be surprised at how many customers never change a simple air filter. And on top of every thing that can be maintained that is 1 of the cheapest. Every unit is suppose to be installed with proper duct sizing.If not it will run for a while but then the unit is gradually going to break you monetarily. Hire a company that cares about every piece of equipment installed as if it was in there own home. Back to your original question I think 20 years is long enough. Would you try to keep a car running for more than 20 years. And when your getting your pricing on an install, the cheapest price is never the best price. Unless this referral has plenty of references that you can contact. Every installer that's any good has a multitude of jobs he is proud of! That guy that gave you the cheapest price might have 6 kids he has to feed. Good luck with your decision!! There is a part of this website that has a WALL OF SHAME , and WALL OF PRIDE .Check it out
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Big problem with RTU's is HXE (heat exchangers). For some reason nobody seems to understand, most of the manufacturers place the HXE after the coil... a NO-NO IMO. The HXE tends to rot a lot quicker in that location.
I have seen RTU's last 15-20 yrs with one replacement HXE, that seems about right. Note that this is in a mostly A/C market with 3-4 mos of serious humidity in the summer.
I have seen RTU's last 15-20 yrs with one replacement HXE, that seems about right. Note that this is in a mostly A/C market with 3-4 mos of serious humidity in the summer.
most of my customers thought it was thirty years until they met me. i say 12-15. anymore and they usually cost you more to fix than they are worth. unless it is a heavy commercial unit designed for more use. some are thirty year units, but are built like brick outhouses.
The replacement of the unit or parts? Kind of a grey area on that.Are you saying before it is cost effective to replace or repair? Most owners do not want to hear replace, Parts are plentifull. If they were not techs like us would not be needed.
I no you can work on them from here till doomsday .The question was how long do they last. After 20 years I think it's all uphill. And techs will always be needed. You have never had a unit that you were getting tired of seeing . And you say to yourself , it's time to get a new one . If its a mall with 50 to 60 units up on that roof 10 of them are 23 to 28 years old. I make a decent profit on a replacement.
Have a good one
So...how long do they last? My point is that it depends on many factors.You can't put a timline on it. I have newer units that suck and older units that never give me a problem. You tell the customer that if you get 10 to 15 years out of it you have gotten your money's worth. Just make sure you are not replacing to make a profit solely on the age thing or money in your pocket.
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Also depends on what the space is designed for...greasy kitchen, harsh manufacturing, harsh chemicals can all shorten the life. have seen entire units eaten up from the inside out about 5 yrs. Yet i service 30+ yr old units that have given me little issues.
I could not have said it better my self...
There is no definite answer on how long anything lasts. I'm starting to resent your implying that I might sell a unit on age alone or sell a unit to someone that never really needed one! Or that I might be tempted to do so.
I never said and I quote " If you've gotten 10 or 15 years out of it you have got your money's worth". What I said was, Quote " After 20 years I think it's all up hill". What I'm implying is, I feel you should get 20 years or more. And of course that doesn't mean without any problems at all. I've seen other posts saying much less than 20 years. I hope your giving them the same attention.
Then I guess my 42 year old 48DAs must be ready for the scrap pile... even though I have very few issues with them.
Personally, ga-hvac-tech mentioned a biggy.. ac coils before the heat ex is an issue I have... it's a no-no in resi, so why can packaged R/T makers get away with it?
ayattention:
The older units had an agenda. The same agenda taught to us in school... "Save the compressor, no matter what!" It just isn't the same anymore. Now it's "Let's build it as cheap as we can legally, so we can stay in the market, just like all of our competitors, and pray it gets through the warranty and then fails!" I can name a dozen controls they used to put on units that just aren't there anymore. Some may show up in a different form, but the buck has essentially been passed.
Personally, ga-hvac-tech mentioned a biggy.. ac coils before the heat ex is an issue I have... it's a no-no in resi, so why can packaged R/T makers get away with it?
ayattention:The older units had an agenda. The same agenda taught to us in school... "Save the compressor, no matter what!" It just isn't the same anymore. Now it's "Let's build it as cheap as we can legally, so we can stay in the market, just like all of our competitors, and pray it gets through the warranty and then fails!" I can name a dozen controls they used to put on units that just aren't there anymore. Some may show up in a different form, but the buck has essentially been passed.
Thanks for your input, I realize manufacturers across the world have lost sight of the consumers needs. It's all about the bottom line in the manufacturers eyes. Forty years ago everything was made with a different outlook than the manufacturers today have. Forty years ago they truly had quality and workmanship above the almighty buck. Thanks for your responseThen I guess my 42 year old 48DAs must be ready for the scrap pile... even though I have very few issues with them.
Personally, ga-hvac-tech mentioned a biggy.. ac coils before the heat ex is an issue I have... it's a no-no in resi, so why can packaged R/T makers get away with it?
The older units had an agenda. The same agenda taught to us in school... "Save the compressor, no matter what!" It just isn't the same anymore. Now it's "Let's build it as cheap as we can legally, so we can stay in the market, just like all of our competitors, and pray it gets through the warranty and then fails!" I can name a dozen controls they used to put on units that just aren't there anymore. Some may show up in a different form, but the buck has essentially been passed.
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I'd say 15 years is a good general time frame unless your near the ocean or gulf of mexico. In that case some never get past 10yrs before your having to replace condenser coils, and HX etc.
A lot depends on the brand of equip as well.
A lot depends on the brand of equip as well.
It's also going to depend on where they are located geographically and even the kind of roof they are on. Thirty years ago when the flat roofs were all tar and gravel, units lived longer, maybe they were just built more durable back then. Since I have seen some of these newer silver reflective roofs, it seems like the sun is beating em to death sooner. They do make a white roof too that is some sort of vinyl that is over a faom layer. The roofs are excellent to work on as far as being cool, just don't ever pull a dolly across em.... and those units don't seem to take as much of a beating. I would think their efficiency would be higher too because of the lack of added heat. Just as a regular rule of thumb, I'd say they are due for replacement sometime within the 15-20 year range depending on the condition.
Hmmm....my original post was for the OP until you took over the thread as your own. I am the one who said "10 to 15 years" to the customer so that they don't come to you and complain that you "said 20 years". AGAIN I say it depends on many factors...location,model,etc.What part of this do you not understand?Is this over you head in some way? MY comment on selling a unit for age and profit alone should not offend you if you do not do this as a practice. On a final note....
ayattention:I just realized that I wasn't using the reply to threads correctly. Everytime I made a comment I thought your replies were coming directly to my email for opinion I gave . After reading your quote here I understand now that I was misinterpreting . The whole communication process here. I realize I was taking over a thread. I have to admit in the future I should pay attention to the processHmmm....my original post was for the OP until you took over the thread as your own. I am the one who said "10 to 15 years" to the customer so that they don't come to you and complain that you "said 20 years". AGAIN I say it depends on many factors...location,model,etc.What part of this do you not understand?Is this over you head in some way? MY comment on selling a unit for age and profit alone should not offend you if you do not do this as a practice. On a final note....
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