Most property owners have at least heard the idea that their home heating system should receive maintenance. However, heat pumps seem like a whole different animal because it doubles as both your heating and cooling system. As such, many people question whether it also needs maintenance in the same way as a furnace and what that maintenance would consist of. The short answer is yes, these systems still need maintenance and this guide will walk through what that heat pump maintenance should consist of, including both what you can do and what a professional should do.
Filters, Filters, Filters
HVAC air filters are by far one of the most important and yet often neglected parts of heat pump maintenance. The air filter keeps contaminants out of the system, preventing them from clogging it and creating airflow restrictions.
Industry experts recommend checking your air filter every month, regardless of size or type. When you do, gently vacuum the dust and dirt from the intake side to boost efficiency between changes. The common 1- and 2-inch filter typically needs a replacement every 30 to 90 days, depending on your home’s air quality. Larger filters like 3- and 4-inch filters may last several months while the largest 5- and 6-inch filters may last as long as a year. Most property owners can easily change their own filters, which helps reduce the cost of doing so.
Deep Cleaning
Once you attend to the air filter regularly, your heat pump will need routine deep cleaning. Of focus for this deep cleaning are the circulating fan wheel and the indoor refrigerant coil or what would be called the evaporator coil in standard air conditioners. These are areas that collect dust and contaminants that can restrict airflow through the system. This deep cleaning is included with professional routine maintenance and should be left to trained professionals to avoid inadvertent damage.
Refrigerant Check
A heat pump uses refrigerant to absorb and transfer heat between the air outside and the air inside. To do the job properly it has to have the proper pressure at the right areas of the system. Where the system expels heat requires the refrigerant to have high pressure, whereas the pressure is low where it absorbs heat. Insufficient refrigerant prevents the system from creating the pressure needed to expel the heat and may cause the system to freeze. A technician will check the refrigerant level during routine maintenance. If it’s low, there’s usually an extra fee to locate the leak and recharge the system.
Circulating Fan Maintenance
Beyond cleaning, the circulating fan needs regular attention to keep it running effectively. First, the bearings need to remain lubricated to ensure they continue spinning freely. Most modern fan motors have sealed bearings, but a maintenance technician will check to ensure your model doesn’t need lubrication. Aside from the fan’s bearings, the fan wheel needs routine balancing to prevent torque on the spindle and wear on the motor.
Exterior Unit Cleaning
The exterior unit needs as much attention as the interior unit, and in some cases, it needs more. Start by clearing any debris away from the unit, including tree branches, bushes, grass and weeds. Most manufacturers recommend clearing a minimum of 2 feet around the unit and 5 feet above the unit for top-vented units. Side-vented units should have 5 feet on the side of the venting output. The outdoor coil needs regular cleaning, which is as simple as rinsing it with a garden hose. Do not use a nozzle to prevent pressure sufficiently high enough to damage the coil fins.
Mounting Hardware
Your unit has several areas with mounting hardware, including the fan motors and the exterior fan blades. The unit vibrates as it runs, causing this mounting hardware to loosen over time, which can cause abnormal movement and wear on your system. This is a key part of what a maintenance technician checks and resolves during a maintenance visit.
Electrical Connections
Electrical connections are where two wires join together or where a wire connects to a component. Like mounting hardware, these connections can loosen over time, increasing the resistance in the circuit. Increased electrical resistance increases the heat produced in the circuit, which can damage the connected components. It also increases the amount of electricity used to run the system. Electrical connections are part of what a maintenance technician checks, along with signs of arcing or electrical damage that could signify a dangerous problem within the system.
Component Wear Testing
When any component in your heat pump operates suboptimally, it adds strain and wear to the rest of the system. The greater the difference between optimal operating parameters and what the component is experiencing, the more wear it adds to the rest of the system. Catching problems when they are small reduces the extra wear on the system, which is why a maintenance technician takes the time to conduct extensive testing during a maintenance visit. If they find something operating suboptimally, you have time to get it repaired before it becomes a larger issue.
Outdoor Coil Fin Maintenance
The refrigerant coils have thin metal fins on them that help diffuse heat to the air moving over the coil. These fins can get damaged easily from debris that gets kicked up or blown around by storms, usually getting flattened. Flattened fins prevent air from flowing over the coil, inhibiting airflow. You should inspect the fins on the exterior coil to look for those that may have been damaged. Depending on the level of damage, the fins may be reparable by using a special tool called a fin comb to straighten them back out. It’s important to get the fin comb that matches your specific unit so that it has the proper fin spacing.
Condensate Drain
Every heat pump will create condensate, which is the moisture that it pulls from the air while it’s running. The indoor unit has a special drain to help move it away from the unit and prevent it from spilling onto the floor around your unit. This drain can clog with dirt, mildew and other contaminants, allowing it to back up, causing some flooding and tripping a shutoff switch if your unit has one. You can prevent this by cleaning the condensate drain a few times a year. A technician may do this as part of maintenance. If not, you can easily do this by pouring a mixture of equal parts water and distilled vinegar down the drain access port. Let this sit for 30 minutes and then flush it with water.
People around Dickinson know to call Mackey Services when they want home services they can trust. Our experienced team provides air conditioning and heating maintenance, repair and installation along with residential electrical services like ceiling fan installation, panel maintenance and upgrades, EV charging stations, surge protection options and electrical repair, generator installation and indoor air quality solutions. Call to schedule a heat pump maintenance appointment with one of our NATE-certified technicians today.
