OT. Heat pump?

[ronofohio]

We have a Coleman Electric Heat Pump in our home, 7 yrs. old, which works well and has never been service. I see these commercials about getting it 'serviced, checked, and cleaned' to prevent future breakdowns. I don't know if its worth the $ or not. I am from the old school of "If it's not broke, don't fix it".
I do monitor the outdoor exchanger to keep it free from debris. Do any of you use this service on a regular basis and is it worth it?

 

[TimPa]

(quoted from post at 05:52:19 02/17/10) We have a Coleman Electric Heat Pump in our home, 7 yrs. old, which works well and has never been service. I see these commercials about getting it 'serviced, checked, and cleaned' to prevent future breakdowns. I don't know if its worth the $ or not. I am from the old school of "If it's not broke, don't fix it".
I do monitor the outdoor exchanger to keep it free from debris. Do any of you use this service on a regular basis and is it worth it?

e don't use heat pumps here, but i service furnaces. imho, yes. furnaces/owners benefit from periodic service. cleaning/lubrication improves the operation and [u:9ca133d8b0][i:9ca133d8b0]may[/i:9ca133d8b0][/u:9ca133d8b0] catch a potential future problem.

 

[Charles Krammin]

I don't use a heat pump, but use a outdoor furnace.
I consider cleaning the furnace heat exchanger, changing air filters and checking the boiler water acid additive, as yearly maintenance. I expect my system to last my lifetime and therfore worth the cost of yearly maintenance cost on this large capital investment.
Charles Krammin SW MI

 

[r geiger(oR)]

I had them come out and sevice mine after 12 years of use and all they did was hose out the fins and check the refrierant level. He left a nut loose and 6 months later had to have someone else come out and recharge it. I would have been better off not having it checked in the first place. hosing out the fins is easy. Just do it myself now. of course I change the inside air filters as needed.

 

[NOXJohn]

Heat pumps do not need very much maintenance. The outside unit should be cleaned once a year. This includes removing the cover, normally the top, and washing the fins down inside and out with a hose. The refrigerant should also be checked once a year. The hose part is simple and most can do that themselves. Just make sure to shut off the power before taking apart and spraying with a hose. Checking the refrigerant level takes some special equipment and the knowledge of how to use it. The main thing with a heat pump is to watch your electric bill. If your bill goes up for no reason the chances are your heat pump is not working correctly.

 

[chevyNford]

Annual maintenance is definitely needed to keep the unit running as efficiently as possible. If the heat pump is not maintained and has a problem a good technician will not even begin to check the refrigerant levels until the unit is as clean as possible because restricted coils affect the pressures of the refrigerant in the system. After years of neglect this cleaning can be very time consuming and time is money. If the unit is not maintained then the efficiency will be reduced, costing more money each month, and the life of the compressor and other parts can be reduced. Part of a thorough maintenance will also include checking the electrical components to try to prevent failures, that is why it is called preventative maintenance. It is less expensive to have a thorough maintenance performed than have an after hours service call since things usually break at the most inconvenient and most needed times. I have been in the HVAC industry, residential and commercial, for around 15 years and have seen neglect cause major repairs and replacement on equipment that should have lasted much longer. I have also met "technicians" that have no clue on how a system operates or how to maintain one properly. Find a reputable company and ask plenty of questions to be sure that the person working for you knows what they are doing.

Sorry for the long response, I just think preventative maintenance is that important. If I can help with questions or explanations of what a contractor tells you let me know.

Maintenance on your heat pump is as important as maintenance on your tractor, unless you want them both to be lawn ornaments.

 

[ronofohio]

Thanks for the info. I had a family friend over who does commercial HVAC (residential moonlighter) and he said that with this particular system there was not much that can be done as far as maintenance except for cleaning the outside unit. But this year, I have noticed that the auxilary electrical heater seems to be running more. I don't think the weather has been any colder than last year and my electric bill is not any bigger. If nothing goes bad this winter, I will call the company that installed it out this spring. Thanks again...Ron