Annual heat pump maintenance keeps your heat pump efficient year-round. An air source heat pump transfers heat into or out of your home, depending on the season. During winter, refrigerant flowing through the outdoor coil absorbs latent heat from the air and conveys it inside where it’s dispersed by the indoor coil to warm the home. In summer, the process reverses and the coils exchange functions. The indoor coil extracts heat from inside air and transfers it to the outdoor coil, which disperses it into the air. Heat pump technology is durable and generally long-lasting — 12 to 15 years is typical. They are also more efficient than older central air units and many of the newer ones. However, all these factors rest on the assumption of annual heat pump maintenance.
Here’s how an HVAC professional keeps your heat pump in optimum condition with regular service:
- Change the filters. Airflow is the number one factor in A/C efficiency, and heat pumps are even more dependent upon free flow of system air through clean filters. Manufacturer’s recommendations call for filter cleaning or changes every two to six months, so ask the technician to show you how to do it yourself in between annual check-ups. Also, change the plasma air quality filter when the warning light indicates.
- Inspect the indoor coil for dirt buildup or mold. These can degrade efficiency and cause problems like coil icing and water damage from melting ice. An HVAC technician has solvents designed for coil cleaning.
- Clean the condensate pan under the air handler and make sure the drain system is open. If evidence of growing algae or mold is found that can plug drain lines, the technician will clean the system with alagaecide.
- Clear encroaching vegetation around the outside unit to maintain free flow of air. Clean the outdoor coil and removes leaves, grass clippings and other debris from the interior.
- Verify the proper level of system refrigerant charge at the access port.
In western Colorado, Climate Control Company provides tune-ups and annual heat pump maintenance for all models. Schedule a heat pump service call now.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about annual heat pump maintenance and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
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