Keep Your Heat Pump Working Efficiently with these Spring Maintenance Tips

Heat pumps are one of the most energy efficient heating and cooling options for your home, but there are ways to maximise this trait. With spring comes improved weather and less reliance on the heat pump to keep you warm, which makes this season the perfect time to tick items off the heat pump maintenance checklist. Here are five things you can do now to keep your heat pump in tip top shape.

Clean your heat pump

Heat pumps can reach their full performance potential when cleaned seasonally, so the start of a new season is always a good time to get cleaning. What’s involved in the cleaning process will depend on your heat pump unit, but a good clean involves cleaning the front panel, heat exchanger, and fan.

Change the air cleaning filters

It’s a good idea to change your heat pump’s air cleaning filter once a year. This doesn’t just allow it working efficiently, it also helps remove pollutants and keep your indoor air quality as healthy as possible, which is especially useful with all the pollen flying around at this time of year.  

Check the outdoor unit

Your heat pump’s outdoor unit needs to be kept clean and clear of debris to work at its best. A lot of us have neglected the garden during the cold months of winter; now that spring is here, it should be easier to find some time to give your outdoor unit a once over. Make sure your unit isn’t covered or crowded by dirt or dust, grass or weeds, gathered leaves or fallen branches.

Get a service

An annual service will give your heat pump the longest possible life and let you know if any repairs are required. While the maintenance tips above are important, a qualified heat pump technician will look at the hardware, inspecting it for any operational issues. They will check temperature readings, noise levels, and the electrical system, and make sure there’s no refrigerant gas leaks.

Use the heat pump efficiently  

Spring is a funny time of year for air conditioners and heat pumps. In these early weeks, you might still use your heat pump to stay warm occasionally, yet in a few short months you might switch it onto summer mode to keep you cool. Either way, it’s important to use your heat pump properly to maximise the unit's energy efficiency.

Always set it to a moderate temperature in the 18-20 degrees C range for warming and 20-22 for cooling. Blasting the air, whether hot or cold, won’t change your room’s temperature any quicker, but it will make the heat pump work harder and use far more energy that necessary.

Before you can maintain a heat pump, you need to have a heat pump! If the time has come to install one at your Tauranga or Bay of Plenty home, talk to the team at BOP Heat Pumps today.

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