Rinse the filters
About once a month in heavy heating or cooling use, lift the front panel of each indoor unit, slide out the filters, rinse them and let them dry before refitting.
Maintenance that keeps a heat pump running like the day it went in.
A heat pump needs less attention than a boiler, but not none. A few minutes a month from you and one visit a year from a technician keep the airflow strong, the coils clean and the system quiet.
A few minutes a month
What you do
Keep the outdoor unit clear
Brush snow off the top and sides after a storm, keep leaves and plants back from the coil, and make sure the stand stays above drifting snow.
Leave it running
Heat pumps work best holding a steady temperature. Deep setbacks overnight make them work harder to recover in the morning.
The annual service visit
Once a year, ideally before the heating season.
- Indoor coil and blower wheel
- Cleaned. Dust and growth on the blower wheel are the most common cause of weak airflow and musty smells in indoor units.
- Condensate drain and pump
- Flushed and tested, so water leaves the unit instead of dripping from it.
- Refrigerant circuit
- Operating pressures and temperatures checked against the manufacturer’s figures.
- Electrical
- Connections at the outdoor unit and disconnect tightened and inspected.
- Outdoor unit
- Coil rinsed, stand and drainage checked, clearances confirmed.
- Controls
- Settings reviewed, including the switchover temperature on systems that work with a boiler or furnace.
Signs it needs attention
If you notice any of these, call. Most are simple to fix when caught early.
Weak airflow
Less air from an indoor unit even with clean filters usually means the coil or blower wheel needs cleaning.
A musty smell
Often growth on the blower wheel or a slow condensate drain.
Water dripping from an indoor unit
A blocked or kinked condensate line, or a pump that has stopped.
Ice that does not clear
Frost that stays on the outdoor unit after a defrost cycle, or builds into solid ice.
Error codes or blinking lights
Note the code and the unit it came from; it tells the technician where to look.
One room falling behind
A room that used to hold temperature and no longer does.
Things that look odd but are normal
- Steam from the outdoor unit in winter
- That is the defrost cycle melting frost off the coil. Heat to the rooms pauses for a few minutes, then resumes.
- Water under the outdoor unit
- Meltwater from defrost. It is why the unit sits on a stand and drains away from paths.
- Running for long stretches
- Inverter heat pumps are designed to run steadily at low speed rather than switching on and off.
- A fan that keeps turning briefly
- Indoor fans often run on for a short time after heating stops, to use the last of the warmth in the coil.
Service agreements and warranty
- Manufacturer warranty
- We register the equipment with the manufacturer at installation and give you the registration in writing. Keeping up with annual service helps protect it.
Something not right?
Call rather than write, and tell us at the start of the call if the system is not heating or cooling.