Servicing of heat pump?

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danepak

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#261849 17-Dec-2019 23:16

Mother in law have a couple of heat pumps.
She received this email today.

Is it necessary to book maintenance?
Is the price fair? She’s got two Daikin heat pumps imstalled. They’re a couple of years old.

Hi xxxxx,

According to our records, the heat pump at xxxxxxxxxx is due for a maintenance service.

A heat pump maintenance service normally costs $150 inc GST ($90 for any extra units we do at the same time), but right now you can make the most of our SPRING SPECIAL and pay only $120 for the first unit and $70 for the each extra!

The service covers:
Clean & disinfecting the indoor unit to prevent bacteria build up on the coil and throughout the unit
Application of anti-microbial tablet treatment in condensate drip tray to inhibit bacterial growth within the indoor unit.
Clean the indoor unit’s filters, vanes and outer covers
Check the condensate drain, flushing with disinfectant and unblock if required
Check electrical terminals and components for signs of soot
Run the unit in both heating and cooling mode to check air-out temperatures
Check the outdoor unit base and ensure the unit is level and secure
Check for obstructions in and around the unit, coil, drain and electronics to improve efficiency and performance
Check flare joints and fittings
Tighten valve caps, check electrical connections
Check and clear coil
Check refrigerant pressures are satisfactory on both heating & cooling
Clean the outside of the casing
Inspect for presence of insects and vermin in case of damage to the electronics

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#2377399 17-Dec-2019 23:49

I simply remove the filters myself and wash them by hand as per the instructions that should be in the manual. The rest of that “service” they provide is a waste of money and most of those things you can check yourself - you don’t need to pay someone to check for vermin and that the outdoor unit is level and secure! The reality is you’d know if there wasn’t something quite right with the unit, but the link below is from Consumer so use that as a guide.

https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/news-heat-pump-maintenance

lxsw20

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#2377405 18-Dec-2019 00:23

It's always seemed a bit unnecessary to me. As above, clean out the filters and remove any visible dust.

timmmay

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#2377412 18-Dec-2019 05:33

The heat pump manual does not even mention servicing. I clean the filters and keep the units clean myself, but if they start to smell a bit off I get a professional in for a full clean. That tends to be every 3 or 4 years. My heat pumps are 7 and 9 years old and have each been serviced 2 or maybe 3 times, both work fine.

nbroad

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#2377478 18-Dec-2019 08:46

With mine I have always just cleaned the panel filters myself.

Recently I felt like the efficiency had dropped off so I started thinking about what the issue could be.

I spoke to the guy who services our air con in our server room and he suggested the coils probably needed cleaning. He gave me a bottle of green degreaser stuff and told me what to do. Once I had a look the coils, I could see that they were pretty dirty and greasy due to the unit pretty much being in the kitchen dining area.

Sprayed the coil/fins with this magic stuff until they were fully drenched, waited a few minutes for it to work and then sprayed with clean water to rinse.

I did the same to the outdoor unit as well.

The result was amazing.. all the grease and dust and crud on the inside coils just ran off and the fins looked all shiny and new. Tested and efficiency was restored like it was brand new.

timmmay

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#2377479 18-Dec-2019 08:49

@nbroad how did you test efficiency?

nbroad

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#2377480 18-Dec-2019 08:56

This was during winter and I felt like the heat output had really dropped off and that the unit was struggling.

I thought maybe it had lost some of its gas as it was just blowing out warm air.

That was part I know was not very scientific.

After cleaning I used in infrared thermometer to check the heat output on full heating. This is what my air con man told me to do. I checked the temp pretty much at the plastic fins on the output of the indoor unit.

I can't remember the exact temperature he said I should be looking for, IIRC he said anything over 40-50 deg c is good.

I got well over that.. 55 or something I think.

tanivula

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#2377490 18-Dec-2019 09:14

nbroad:

He gave me a bottle of green degreaser stuff and told me what to do. Once I had a look the coils, I could see that they were pretty dirty and greasy due to the unit pretty much being in the kitchen dining area.

Sprayed the coil/fins with this magic stuff until they were fully drenched, waited a few minutes for it to work and then sprayed with clean water to rinse.

Guessing simple green type stuff? I might need to do this as well. When we moved into our current house, it seemed like the previous owners had never cleaned their heatpump... shock horror, fur balls gallore.

The unit performed infinately better after air could actually start moving through it, but being close to an open plan kitchen I think degreasing might be needed here :/

How messy was the cleanup post rinse - where does it all go (presume into the heatpump and drips out? Or does it drip out the drain circuit - guessing thats where the condensation happens during AC / dehumidifier mode (on the coils)?

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

nbroad

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#2377508 18-Dec-2019 10:04

Yep.. some similar stuff here:

http://www.greenleaf.co.nz/EvaporatorCoilCleaner.htm

It was actually quite a mess free job. I asked the guy the same thing, where does it all run off to? Into drain tray and out the drain hose. You are fine as long as your drain circuit is all clear. Check you can see water dripping outside during normal operation.

I used a spray bottle to spray the cleaner on.. really soaked it, then use clean water in spray bottle to throughly rinse off.

Hope that helps.

timmmay

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#2377528 18-Dec-2019 10:53

If it's really gunked up I think getting a one-off service so the experienced person with the right tools can do the job is probably worthwhile. After that maintain it yourself.

tanivula

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#2377533 18-Dec-2019 11:03

nbroad:

Yep.. some similar stuff here:

http://www.greenleaf.co.nz/EvaporatorCoilCleaner.htm

It was actually quite a mess free job. I asked the guy the same thing, where does it all run off to? Into drain tray and out the drain hose. You are fine as long as your drain circuit is all clear. Check you can see water dripping outside during normal operation.

I used a spray bottle to spray the cleaner on.. really soaked it, then use clean water in spray bottle to throughly rinse off.

Hope that helps.

Thanks man, did a bit of googling.. Found this https://nzsafetyblackwoods.co.nz/en/simple-green-air-con-cleaner-750ml-each--422882

Funny that bunning AU has it in store, but not in NZ. The drain is free, always surprised how much water comes out when running on AC mode.

concordnz

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#2377538 18-Dec-2019 11:12

Interested In this, as I received a similar letter (probably from same crowd) :)
Never had mine professionally cleaned in 4 years - but wondering if I should.

I've cleaned the interior filters twice a year.
(But not the fins/coils of the interior unit - apart from brushing with a soft brush to remove some dust)

I haven't touched/cleaned the exterior unit at all in the last 4 years.

Do you open up exterior unit 'casing' to clean exterior coils/fins?
Are electronics isolated or exposed? -
( e.g. do we need to pop circuit breaker before cracking open outside casing)

mdooher

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#2377539 18-Dec-2019 11:12

Don't forget to give the outside unit a hose down. If you are keen (and know how to use a screwdriver) you could even take the cover off and check for insects (don't forget to isolate it first) that is all these "servicing" people do anyway.

Matthew

mdooher

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#2377540 18-Dec-2019 11:14

concordnz: Interested In this, as I received a similar letter (probably from same crowd) :)
Never had mine professionally cleaned in 4 years - but wondering if I should.

I've cleaned the interior filters twice a year.
(But not the fins/coils of the interior unit - apart from brushing with a soft brush to remove some dust)

I haven't touched/cleaned the exterior unit at all in the last 4 years.

Do you open up exterior unit 'casing' to clean exterior coils/fins?
Are electronics isolated or exposed? -
( e.g. do we need to pop circuit breaker before cracking open outside casing)

there is an isolator either next to the outside unit or inside. If you can't find it flick off the circuit breaker. The first cover you take off exposes the power terminals

Matthew

nbroad

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#2377542 18-Dec-2019 11:18

concordnz: Interested In this, as I received a similar letter (probably from same crowd) :)
Never had mine professionally cleaned in 4 years - but wondering if I should.

I've cleaned the interior filters twice a year.
(But not the fins/coils of the interior unit - apart from brushing with a soft brush to remove some dust)

I haven't touched/cleaned the exterior unit at all in the last 4 years.

Do you open up exterior unit 'casing' to clean exterior coils/fins?
Are electronics isolated or exposed? -
( e.g. do we need to pop circuit breaker before cracking open outside casing)

I didn't open the outside unit.. just sprayed on cleaner on the fins and hosed off.

Never hose too hard or close as the fins are delicate.

Same goes for the inside unit.. i didn't touch them with anything apart from the spray on cleaner and spray clean water rinse.. they are very easy to damage.

neb

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#2377688 18-Dec-2019 12:47

nbroad:
Yep.. some similar stuff here:

http://www.greenleaf.co.nz/EvaporatorCoilCleaner.htm

For people who have used these, do you just spray them into the top (air intake) part and all of it will safely exit via the runoff port without running through and dripping onto the electrical devices we've got down beneath the indoor unit? There's also quite a bit of variance in the instructions, use it with the unit turned off, use it with the unit running, etc, but my main concern is leakage onto what's sitting below the indoor unit.

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