Derek ColeGM, Simmons One Hour Heating & Air · AI HVAC Answers

577. How long should my unit last?

28 Jan 2026 · 1 min

Episode

28 Jan 2026 · 1 min

0:00

Derek Cole explains that HVAC compressors last about 10 to 12 years. Replacing one in an older unit often triggers failures in the coils and copper lines because the new compressor runs at full capacity, like a heart transplant in an aging body.

Questions this episode answers

About 10–12 years (manufacturers design compressors for roughly 10 years).

When replacing in 10–15 year-old units, leaks and failures in coils and copper lines can become apparent.

Chapters

10, 12 years is normal. The people who make the compressors actually tell us that they make a compressor for 10 years and that's pretty much it. The compressor is the heart of the system. So if the compressor goes out, you're basically talking about a heart transplant for your system. So it's a major thing to be done. So this is answering the question, but going a little deeper here, when you replace that compressor in like a 1012, 15 year old unit, the problem is now you have a compressor pumping at full capacity, but you have a coil and copper lines that are still 15 years old. So leaks and things start to show up that were not present before. Because now you have a compressor pumping at full capacity. It's kind of like changing the heart of a 90 year old man. The problem is these veins, arteries, liver, lungs, everything else is 90 years old and the heart's pretty new. So you're going to have some more problems because of that. But in this area, 1012 years is the norm.