Chiller Maintenance Contract Cost Calculator

Chillers are major cooling infrastructure; maintenance contracts protect against summer failures.

Chiller count

Total tons

PM cost / ton

Tube clean cycle (yr)

Tube clean / chiller

Refrigerant makeup / yr

Annual cost

$11,033

PM base

$7,200

Annualized tube clean

$2,333

How the math works

PM = tons × per-ton. Tube clean annualized = (chillers × cost) / cycle.

600 × $12 + (2 × $3,500)/3 + $1,500 = $7,200 + $2,333 + $1,500 = $11,033 annual.

How to Use

Enter chiller count.
Enter chiller tons.
Enter annual PM cost per chiller.
Enter tube cleaning cycle years.
Enter refrigerant makeup.
Read annual cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Chiller types?

Centrifugal: large buildings (500+ tons). $200-800/ton capital cost. PM: $8-20/ton/year. Screw: medium buildings (100-500 tons). $250-600/ton capital. PM: $6-15/ton/year. Scroll: small buildings (<100 tons). $300-700/ton. PM: $5-12/ton/year. Absorption: natural gas fired, niche applications. PM: $10-25/ton/year. Service cost scales roughly with tonnage.

PM cycle?

Seasonal start-up (spring): inspect, tune. Seasonal shut-down (fall): winterize. Monthly inspections during cooling season: compressor, controls, refrigerant charge. Annual inspection: full vibration analysis, oil analysis, performance tuning. Tube cleaning: every 2-4 years, $500-5,000 per chiller. Eddy current testing (tube integrity): every 5-10 years.

Refrigerant considerations?

Legacy R-22: phased out, now $100-200/lb (scarce + expensive). R-134a: current mainstream. R-1234yf, R-32, R-514A: newer low-GWP. Refrigerant leaks: 3-10% annual leakage typical. Makeup refrigerant: $500-5,000/year cost. Major leak: requires complete recharge $10-50k. EPA regulations: Clean Air Act Section 608 + Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP). Retrofit costs 2-5× base annual maintenance.

Downtime risk?

Chiller failure in summer peak: building without cooling. Tenant complaints within 1-4 hours. Commercial tenants may invoke lease clauses (abate rent, vacate). Hospital/critical facility: life-safety issue. Hotel: lost room nights ($10-100k/day). Emergency replacement: 2-6 week lead time for new chiller. Mobile/rental chiller: $500-5,000/day, often required during emergency repair.