Servicing of Air Source Heat Pump System

Sarahmoore74

We moved into a brand new home a year ago with a Joule - Samsung Air Source Heat Pump system.  Unfortunately due to Covid we had little instruction on how to use the system nor about the maintenance and servicing requirements other than the warranty on the system becomes null and void unless serviced.  My problem is finding anyone to service the system.  Unlike with boilers where service plans are offered like British Gas Homecare there seems to be no such similar plan out there.  Has anyone found a service and maintenance plan or have experience of servicing ASHP systems?

wittynamegoeshere

The main point of gas boiler servicing is to remove dust from the gas burners that inveitably builds up as a result of it continually pulling in outside air and burning it.  This builds up inside and over the jets.  If this isn't removed you don't get a clean burn due to the jets being obstructed.

Obviously you don't have jets and nothing gets burnt.  I can't think what a service would involve actually doing.  Perhaps there may be a way of washing out the outdoor heat exchanger, but even that probably pretty much keeps itself rinsed just from the condensation that continually forms and drips down within it.

I'm sure someone with specialist knowledge would know more, but if such a thing exists then I'd definitely like to know what they actually do.

I suppose there could be some benefit of someone just having a look and checking it's all running efficiently, not leaking, no missing insulation etc.

Reed_Richards

The company that installed my heat pump will come back to service it when necessary so if you can identify the installers they would be the most obvious candidates to service the pump.  Other than a check to see that the heat pump is running normally, I doubt that much needs to be done.   

matelodave

We've had a heatpump for eleven years. The first three years were covered by a warranty which required an annual service.

The company that installed the heatpump did them for the first three years and all they did was checked the water pressures (you can do that yourself if there's a gauge fitted), changed a weeping auto bleed valve and checked the pressure vessel. I think they checked the tightness of the electrical connections the first time

Since then they've been back twice, once for a blown fuse (which was caused by an underfloor heating actuaator, but I'll sort out myself in the future now I know where it's located). They were supposed to come and sort out a sticking flow switch last winter but as they weren't going to come out on Boxing day and I would have had to wait until January I did it myself- it's not complicated, just isolate the hydrobox and drain it, remove the switch, give it a wipe and put it back and refill the hydrobox - half an hour tops

They've only ever taken the cover off the outside unit once (ours is a split unit with an indoor hydrobox as well as the external unit), so TBH although a service is required to maintain the warranty they really don't do much as there's not much to do unless there's a problem. 

Have a shufti on t'interweb for local installers or ask Samsung who their local service agent is. Mines daikin and they want around £300 for a service, my bloke charged £75 plus VAT which wasn't really everso expensive as he has to come nigh on 40 miles  each way.

Swipe

At my previous house I had two Daikin 3.5KW air to air split units and didn't get them serviced once apart from my cleaning the indoor filters periodically and clearing and leaf built up in the autumn and they were still going fine 10 years later.

QrizB

Sarahmoore74 said:

We moved into a brand new home a year ago with a Joule - Samsung Air Source Heat Pump system.  Unfortunately due to Covid we had little instruction on how to use the system nor about the maintenance and servicing requirements other than the warranty on the system becomes null and void unless serviced.  My problem is finding anyone to service the system.  Unlike with boilers where service plans are offered like British Gas Homecare there seems to be no such similar plan out there.  Has anyone found a service and maintenance plan or have experience of servicing ASHP systems?

Joule are still in business, and still selling Samsung heat pumps. They offer servicing:

https://jouleuk.co.uk/service_support/

wittynamegoeshere

If I had one I'd start by checking with the manufacturer for their service/maintenance manual, if there is one.  At the least you could use this to check that anyone was doing what was recommended.

Then I'd see how difficult it would be to DIY the procedure.  Unlike with a gas boiler, there's no certification required to do the job.

Rodders53

wittynamegoeshere said:

Unlike with a gas boiler, there's no certification required to do the job.

Yes there is Fluorinated-Gas certification is needed for anything to do with the real working parts.  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualifications-required-to-work-on-equipment-containing-f-gas

Most other servicing involves cleaning the condensers, evaporators, filters, condensate trays, pipes and fans which get dirty and can probably be done d-i-y with care.