Mark services air source heat pumps across Doncaster and South Yorkshire from £150. A proper heat pump service works through the maker's own annual checklist: the strainer cleaned, system pressure and safety valve checked, the outdoor coil and condensate drain inspected, and the controller settings checked against the maker's recommendations.
Why does a heat pump need a service at all?
A heat pump has no flame, so there is no combustion to test the way there is on a gas boiler. What it does have is a water circuit with a strainer that catches whatever is loose in the pipes, a sealed system that has to hold its pressure, an outdoor unit that sits in the weather all year, and a controller whose settings decide how hard the whole thing works.
Left alone, the strainer slowly clogs, the pressure creeps down, leaves and dirt build up on the outdoor coil, and settings get changed and never changed back. It happens gradually, which is exactly why it gets missed until the heating is struggling. A yearly service is how it gets caught first.
What does a heat pump service include?
Strainer mesh taken out, cleaned and refitted The filter on the water circuit that catches debris from the pipes.
Pressure relief valve operated Checked that it discharges freely to the tundish and reseats properly.
Expansion vessel charge checked Topped up if it has dropped.
Antifreeze or inhibitor strength checked Where the system uses it, topped up to the right concentration.
System refilled, re-pressurised and bled of air Then heated, to confirm the pressure stays below 3 bar and no safety valve lets water go.
Cables and the supply fuse rating checked
Controller settings checked against the factory recommendations Plus the battery in a wireless thermostat.
Outdoor unit grille, coil fins and air inlet checked For trapped leaves, debris and damage.
Condensate drain checked
Water pipework and insulation checked
Electrical connections checked and the operating voltage recorded
The list above is Mitsubishi Electric's own annual maintenance log for its Ecodan heat pumps, set out in plain English, so you can see the level of detail a proper service goes into. Other makers publish their own schedules, and a service should follow the one for your heat pump.
The parts a service looks at
The condensate pipe under the unit. Water from the outdoor coil has to drain away freely, so it is on the checklist.
The outdoor unit's fins and air inlet need a clear path for air, whatever the garden throws at them.
Do I need an annual heat pump service to keep the warranty?
For the two makes below, yes, and it is written into their terms.
Mitsubishi Electric says it plainly on its Ecodan guarantee page: "An Ecodan service is due every year to maintain your warranty."
Vaillant's heat pump guarantee terms say the heat pump should be serviced annually by a suitably competent, certified engineer, and that "if the heat pump has not been serviced annually, the heat pump guarantee will become invalid."
Vaillant also asks for each service to be written into the Benchmark logbook that stays with the heat pump, so keep that book somewhere an engineer can find it. Other manufacturers set their own terms. If you are not sure what yours asks for, the paperwork you were given at handover is the place to start, or ask Mark when you book.
Who is allowed to service it?
Under GOV.UK's F-gas rules, a company that installs, repairs or maintains equipment containing F-gas for other people must be certified by an approved body. Heat Pump Energy is a REFCOM F-Gas certified company, certificate REF1020030, so the refrigerant side of an F-gas heat pump is work Mark's company is certified to do.
How much is a heat pump service in Doncaster?
Annual heat pump servicePaid once a year.
from £150
One visit a year, booked with Mark.
When should I book my heat pump service?
Pick a month and stick to it. Warranty terms like the ones above count in years, so booking around the same time each year stops the gap drifting past twelve months without anyone noticing.
If you have the choice, late summer or early autumn is a sensible slot. A strainer that needs clearing or a setting that has drifted is far better found while the weather is mild than on the first cold night of the winter.
Yes, or someone who can let Mark in. Much of the checklist happens indoors, at the controller and on the water side of the system, so he needs to get inside. A clear path to the outdoor unit saves time too.
What can I do myself between services?
Keep the outdoor unit clear. Leaves, snow, garden furniture, bins and climbing plants all block the air it needs, and a cover thrown over it does the same. Glance at the pressure gauge now and then if your system has one. Leave the panels on: everything behind them is a job for an engineer.
Why is my heat pump steaming on a cold morning?
It is almost certainly defrosting. In cold, damp weather frost builds up on the outdoor coil and the heat pump melts it off, which Mitsubishi Electric says is often followed by a plume of steam and water running off, and is "perfectly normal". Ice that stays on the unit, or water with nowhere to drain, is worth a call.
My heat pump was installed years ago and never serviced. Is it too late?
No. A service is worth doing whether the last one was a year ago or never, and the checklist is the same either way. It cannot undo a warranty that has already lapsed under the maker's terms, but it puts the heat pump back on a yearly footing from here.
Heat Pump Energy
