i've had 2 fujitsus die after 7 or 8 years. not a fan.

I had a Hitachi heatpump for 20 years and hated it every winter. Much to my joy it ran out of gas this year and I replaced it with Daikin with a remote.

The difference is amazing, we love it. 

shk292:

 

We had three Fujitsu asta09 heat pumps installed in 2006 and have just had to replace one of them due to it sounding like an internal bearing was failing. Never had any servicing but I do clean the internal filters regularly. We’ve replaced it with a new Fujitsu

 

We had that two years ago in June. He said the compressor was failing. Replaced that and the other one also even though the other was fine (less use). Got two Fujitsu AirStages. Being June, and two units got a nice deal supposedly, and the replaced the living room in a couple of days, that other the following week

EDIT. House was built 2011 but they were both 2009 models........   Naughty, spose you get that with new builds in a new subdivision, sneak under the radar. So, 12 years, I guess is ok

Four 14-year-old Daikens are going strong. They have been fully serviced once in that time (it's too expensive to do four annually). Filters cleaned whenever I remember which is not often,

There are so many factors that affect the lifespan of a heat pump. It’s essentially no different to owning a vehicle. You maintain, fix and replace based on what you an afford and what risk you want to take.

With current equipment, I’d honestly say you should get 10-12 years. Anything more is bonus time. That does not mean it may not need a repair in that time.

I spend some time in my job pricing replacement heat pumps so get to see quite a few later in their life. The common problems are loss of refrigerant due to a leak, failed PCB, dead fan motors and corrosion.😆 Anything in the system! 

When a heat pump gets to about 8-10 years old, we are often providing an option to replace and the customer gets a choice. Diagnose and quote the repair and offer replacement. Let’s say say $1000 to repair and risk they might spend that again in a couple of months as no real warranty unless the new part fails on start up and that’s still and if! Or spend say $3000 and get a new unit with the piece of mind with a 5 year warranty. In most cases, the pipes and wiring can be reused. For a hi-wall this is probably cost effective. A ducted unit will be much more to replace.

After 10 years old, the availability and cost of parts may be a factor.

The quality of the unit/brand itself is a factor but it’s hard to figure this out as what was a good unit 10-15 years ago is long out of production now. Companies are always improving and/or cost cutting to make a buck and stay competitive.

I say to stick with a well known and regarded brand as the technical and parts support is important. The quality of the installation is important. Generally the cost indicates the quality.

Personally I have a 10 year old Daikin, never had a problem, don’t service it, just clean the filters every 4-5 months. I do a visual check to see if filters need doing. I gently hose the outdoor unit and wipe down once a year. Plants are kept well clear. but I’d say if you care, get it done everything 3 years. Definitely get it serviced just before the warranty expires. 

The design of the system has a factor, such as is it sized correctly? Undersized units work harder so more stress on the system.

PCB’s can be killed by insects like earwigs and cockroaches, particularly in gardens with lots of plants, bark and damp. So keeps this area clear.

Power surges can fry components or put stress on them that might cause them to fail sooner. I put a surge arrestor in my switchboard to hopefully prevent this, but that is also for everything in the house.

Corrosion can be an issue, salt spray and a lack of rain washing. Often units that are under shelter corrode worse.

The list of things I’ve seen and heard goes on and on…

Ran and observed the self clean cycle on our Haier today which was interesting. Took over half an hour and made a lot of noise but the outdoor unit cooling fins do look clean and they had a buildup of grime before. 
Was interesting to see it form a lot of frost on the fins then melt and blow it away.