Bitzer Belt-Drive Compressors

Although relatively new to the United states, Bitzer has been producing compressor in Germany since 1934.  The compressors are sold all over the world and have been used by Glacier Bay and others in marine systems since the early 1990's.  They are machined from cast iron for durability and are designed with application flexibility and field serviceability in mind. High efficiency, quiet operation, long life and easy repair make Bitzer an excellent value when building a high-power belt-driven or direct-coupled DC system.

Blissfield Replacement
In 2002 Blissfield company stopped manufacturing compressors.  Their "CA" (1/4 hp) and "CE" (1/2 hp) models had been very popular in many large capacity belt-driven marine refrigeration systems including Grunert, Crosby, Adler-Barbour, Rich Beers and a multitude of local builders.  If you have a Blissfield compressor and need to repair it, we still carry some replacement parts on our Open Drive - Blissfield page.  If you do not see what you need or simply wish to replace/upgrade the entire compressor, we encourage you to consider the Bitzer compressors shown here.  While they are not direct "bolt-on" replacements (bolt patterns, valve location and shaft size is different), they do have very similar capacities and will work well with your existing motor and most other components.  Use the "Type I" to replace the Blissfield CA and the "Type II" to replace the Blissfield CE.

Capacity
You will notice that we have not given these compressors a "horsepower" designation.  Instead, we have provided a selection of pulleys and motors which will operate within the speed limitations of the compressors and will not overload the motor in refrigeration or freezer applications.  Customers who want to use other motors or pulleys and/or want to use the compressors in an application other than marine refrigerator/freezer will need to make their selection based on the information provided in the Bitzer Compressors Factory Applications Information Guide and the Bitzer Compressors Operating Guide.  Remember, the power required to drive a compressor is a function of many things - not just compressor size.  The input power required by a given compressor will depend on the type of refrigerant, condensing temperature, evaporator temperature and a host of other factors.  Understanding these is crucial for anyone building their own refrigeration system with the compressors shown on this page.  To gain a better understanding of the many factors which influence the input power required, we recommend reading Nigel Calder's "Refrigeration For Pleasureboats" which is available in our books section.

Oil
The Bitzer compressors sold by RParts are "Y" designated meaning that they come pre-charged with POE oil and are compatible will all refrigerants.  If you are replacing a compressor in a system which has previously had mineral oil in it, you may use these compressors without flushing the residual mineral oil from the system.

A note about shaft seals
Bitzers are "open-drive" type compressors.  This means that the drive shaft penetrates the case and uses a seal to prevent refrigerant from escaping into the atmosphere.  While open drive compressors are extremely common (your car air conditioner has one), there is a lot of confusion about them.  It you would like to know more about the subject, see our Guide to Compressor Shaft Seals.

Which Bitzer Do I Have???
Bitzer Type IY and Type IIY are easy to distinguish.  Refer to the images below you can see that the Type IY does not have an oil level site glass in the side of the crankcase but the Type IIY does.  Also, the Type IIY has one refrigerant line on the top of the cylinder and one refrigerant line on the side of the cylinder.  The Type IY has a refrigerant line on each side of the cylinder.