Uniformat D3030
Chiller, water-cooled
Also called centrifugal chiller, screw chiller, water cooled chiller
Service life
Years in service. The band runs from the shortest to the longest life the sources state, so it shows how much they disagree, not how long 80% of units last. The line is the median of the stated lives.
Basis
- 20 years · CNA e-Tool Estimated Useful Life Table, p11 · HUD CNA 3.4.2.1.17 “Chilling plant” — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (planning life)Same life for family and elderly properties. US multifamily housing. HUD's row is a chilling plant, without the condenser type.
- 23 years · Purchasing Energy-Efficient Electric Chillers (web page, modified 2025-11-12) · Tables 4 and 5 assumptions “Assumed chillers operate for 2,000 hours per year and have a lifetime of 23 years.” — U.S. Department of Energy, Federal Energy Management Program (planning life)One assumption for both the 175-ton air-cooled (Table 4) and 300-ton water-cooled centrifugal (Table 5) examples. Source of the value not stated by FEMP.
How sources are chosen and recorded: sourcing policy.
Municipal accounting lives for HVAC (D30)
26 municipal policies from Ontario set a life for HVAC as a whole, from 22 distinct tables: 10–50 years, median 20. These are amortization periods chosen for accounting, not measured lives, and they describe the system rather than this component.
Years. Each dot is one stated life and each bar a stated range; equal values stack. The dashed line is the median. Policies that copy the same table count once.
All 35 stated lives
| Municipality | As written | Years | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Lakes | HVAC systems | 10 | p10 · 2009 |
| Grey Highlands | Furnace | 15 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kapuskasing | HVAC Systems | 15 | p14 · 2009 |
| Sarnia | HVAC | 15 | p1 |
| The Blue Mountains | Furnace | 15 | p11 · 2019 |
| Meaford | HVAC - Furnace | 15–25 | p17 · 2020 |
| Amherstburg | Mechanical/Electrical - HVA, Lighting, Security systems, Electrical Panel | 20 | p8 · 2026 |
| Amherstburg | Arena - Air Conditioner, Brine Chillers, Compressors, Dehumidifiers | 20 | p8 · 2026 |
| Chapple | Building Improvements - HVAC Systems | 20 | p1 |
| Greater Napanee | E20 Mechanical - Boilers, Fire Panel/Alarm, Unit Heaters, HVAC | 20 | p16 · 2012 |
| Grey Highlands | HVAC | 20 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kenora | Buildings - Mechanical System | 20 | p15 · 2026 |
| London | Building Components - Services (HVAC, lighting, communication, plumbing etc.) | 20 | p2 · 2023 |
| Meaford | HVAC - Air Distribution | 20 | p17 · 2020 |
| Prince Edward | Buildings - HVAC | 20 | p34 · 2022 |
| Rainy River | Building Improvements - HVAC Systems/Generator | 20 | p11 · 2010 |
| Severn | Building Components - Air Conditioner | 20 | p400 · 2019 |
| The Blue Mountains | Boiler | 20 | p11 · 2019 |
| Welland | HVAC/Electrical/Mechanical | 20 | p8 · 2021 |
| Bancroft, Centre Hastings, Hastings Highlands, Wollaston · same table | HVAC Systems | 20–25 | p5, p4, p6, p5 |
| Orillia | Facility - HVAC, Boiler | 20–25 | p19 |
| Amherstburg | Arena - Refrigeration Condenser, Scoreboard, Sound System | 25 | p8 · 2026 |
| Greater Madawaska, Quinte West · same table | HVAC | 25 | p17, p38 · 2025 |
| Greater Napanee | E25 Plant Mechanical & Electrical | 25 | p16 · 2012 |
| Grey Highlands | Boiler | 25 | p11 · 2026 |
| Kingston | Mechanical Equipment | 25 | p15 · 2016 |
| Kirkland Lake | Buildings and Improvements - Mechanical/Electrical | 25 | p10 · 2020 |
| Orillia | Arena - Condenser/refrigeration, compressor, HVAC, heating units | 25 | p19 |
| Severn | Building Components - Furnace/Heating System | 25 | p400 · 2019 |
| Severn | Building Components - Condenser | 25 | p400 · 2019 |
| The Blue Mountains | HVAC System | 25 | p11 · 2019 |
| Greater Napanee | E30 Chillers, Rink Piping, Fuel Storage Tanks | 30 | p16 · 2012 |
| Simcoe | Mechanical | 30 | p19 · 2025 |
| Brockton | Mechanical/Electrical (Heating/Cooling System, Refridgerating System) | 40 | p2 · 2009 |
| Meaford | HVAC - System | 50 | p17 · 2020 |
Each row was matched to its page automatically: the label and the number appear in the text of the cited page. An editor has not yet compared every row with the table, so follow the page link before relying on one. About the policies · All approved rows as JSON
Preventive maintenance
23 tasks in 4 work orders. Intervals that fall due together are one visit: the annual visit also covers the semi-annual tasks.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6Semi
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12Annual
Months from the schedule start. Daily and weekly rounds run in between. Download the tasks as CSV for a CMMS, or ask the MCP tool get_pm_schedule for dated visits.
Daily · 3 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.4.10 Chillers Checklist
Weekly · 6 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, 9.4.10 Chillers Checklist
| Task | Page |
|---|---|
| Assess evaporator and condenser fouling | p181 |
| Check compressor motor temperature against manufacturer spec | p181 |
| Test water quality for chemical balance | p182 |
| Leak test compressor fittings, oil pump joints and relief valves | p182 |
| Check insulation condition | p182 |
| Verify control functions including hot gas bypass and liquid injection | p182 |
Semi-annual · 4 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, Chiller Checklist (contd)
Annual · 10 tasks
Source: Operations & Maintenance Best Practices: A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency, Release 3.0, Chiller Checklist (contd)
| Task | Page |
|---|---|
| Check chiller lockout setpoint | p182 |
| Clean condenser tubes during shutdown | p182 |
| Eddy current test condenser tubes, as required | p182 |
| Clean evaporator tubes during shutdown | p182 |
| Eddy current test evaporator tubes, as required | p182 |
| Check compressor motor and assembly alignment and seals; lubricate as needed | p182 |
| Analyse compressor oil and filter, change as needed; check oil pump, seals, heater, strainers | p182 |
| Check electrical connections and terminals for contact and tightness | p182 |
| Assess water flow in evaporator and condenser | p182 |
| Check refrigerant level and condition; add as needed, record amounts, address leaks | p182 |
Frequencies are ISO 8601 durations in the data (P3M = every 3 months).
Open questions
- Every source here is a published planning, design or accounting life. None is observed replacement data.
Know the answer? Send it with a source to [email protected].
Cite this
Citation
unfinished.one (2026). Chiller, water-cooled, v0.1.0. https://unfinished.one/c/chiller-water-cooled/v/0.1.0BibTeX
@misc{unfinished_chiller_water_cooled_0_1_0,
title = {Chiller, water-cooled},
author = {{unfinished.one}},
year = {2026},
version = {0.1.0},
url = {https://unfinished.one/c/chiller-water-cooled/v/0.1.0},
note = {CC BY 4.0}
}Licence CC BY 4.0 · How to cite · JSON · Versions: 0.1.0