Servicing of Heat Pump.

[TheMitchells]

After finally getting the ashp system installed and working, I have been sent details of the companies servicing quote - £250 plus vat.  Is this a normal cost?  I have emailed several local firms asking if they do ashp servicing and how much, but only one replied to say they dont do them. 

Before I accept the installers price, I'd love to hear if its about right.  After all the problems we had getitng the system working properly ( nearly 3 weeks of call outs and promises that it will work fine now - it didnt) - I dont really have much confidence in the company that installed it.

I'd rather find anothe local company that could come and do it.  cheers.

[ProDave]

I have never been aware of the actual heat pump needing a "service" as such apart from obvious things you can do yourself like keep leaves and other debris clear of it and in particular behind it, and listen to it every now and then to see if it is making any strange noises.

 

The rest of the heating system, particularly an unvented hot water cylinder is supposed to have an annual service which is mainly to check the expansion vessel and the safety valves are operating correctly.   Any competent plumber should be able to do this, try asking a local plumber to check and service an unvented hot water cylinder?

 

Does the heat pump documentation make any reference to a service being a condition of any warranty?

[PhilT]

13 minutes ago, TheMitchells said:

After finally getting the ashp system installed and working, I have been sent details of the companies servicing quote - £250 plus vat.

It's about right for a commercial installation - mine is the same but it includes a 24 help line and call out, which I have used a few times.

[nod]

Our installer has said £100 and that it pretty much a check that everything is as it should be and your happy with the setting and as Dave pointed out 

Clearing leaves etc 

[Bramco]

Our installers came out to re-do the outside insulation on the pipes - as in do it properly, instead of using cheap materials.

 

They agreed to do a service while they were here - the plumber asked for some warm water. He then washed the outside of the case, checked the pressure dials and had a quick look inside - service done - glad i didn't pay £100 for that!!

 

Talking to the supplier, when the unit has occasionally thrown an error, they said, just find a local ASHP installer, or look for an airco installer if the system needs recharging with gas.

[TheMitchells]

Our records indicate that your Air Source Heat Pump is due to be serviced in December 2025.

Yearly servicing of the heat pump is essential to meet the needs of the warranty and prevent breakdowns.

Our maintenance contracts include the below:

•                     Heat Pump annual inspection and service

•                     Hot Water Tank annual inspection and service where applicable

•                     Check System is operating within optimum conditions to maximise efficiency

•                     Check electrical components are wiring

•                     Clean Filters and Coils

•                     Check and lubricate motors and bearings

•                     Telephone support Monday – Friday 09:00 – 16:00 hours

The charge of the yearly maintenance contract is £250.00 plus VAT

It does seem rther a lot for inspection and a little cleaning of the filters and coils, and lubricating of bearings.   As they took nearly 3 weeks to get the settings correct and provide adequate heating and hot water after installation, I just do not have confidence they will do anything correctly.  Think I'll go elsewhere. There has to be others around. Thanks for the comments.

[TheMitchells]

If i recall correctly, the system has a 2 year warranty which shuld cover any problems I have.  We have noticed water dripping from the inside of the unit most days, with fairly damp concrete below the unit.  I have told them and someone is coming ouot sometime to check. the boss said its probably just condensation.  there is a pipe which goes to the outside drain from inside.

[ProDave]

26 minutes ago, TheMitchells said:

If i recall correctly, the system has a 2 year warranty which shuld cover any problems I have.  We have noticed water dripping from the inside of the unit most days, with fairly damp concrete below the unit.  I have told them and someone is coming ouot sometime to check. the boss said its probably just condensation.  there is a pipe which goes to the outside drain from inside.

In cold weather it is normal for an MVHR to ice up and therefore need to defrost itself.  It does that by reverse cycling for a few minutes to heat the outside heat exchanger to melt the ice.  Condensation from that just drips out of the bottom.

 

If it is dripping continuously you might have a problem but say once an hour in this weather, nothing to worry about.

 

Temperatures close to 0 are the worst for this, when it gets really cold and stays below 0 even in the day, there is not enough moisture in the cold air to condense and freeze.

[Andehh]

I got an identical email!

 

I'm torn, but as they say their records say it needs doing in September 2025 it's one I will delay! Have to admit these servicing costs really add up!

 

£250 + for electric gate (lots of greasing, fair enough)

£90 + for double garage door (it sticks occasionally and needs adjusting under warranty so probably need to pay it to keep up with it)

 

£250 for ASHP, questionable but warranty!?

 

 

Air con units another one, can't remember but I've got one free service remaining!

[sharpener]

You don't say what make it is.

 

Vaillant installers seem to charge about £200 for the annual service, which is a condition of the warranty. As an alternative Vaillant themselves offer the service using their own field engineers for about the same price, reputedly they often discover setup issues which are costing you money left over from poor installs.

[Andehh]

Samsung for me! Ever heard of similar with Samsung?

[TheMitchells]

Mine is  Grant. 10kW i think.

[S2D2]

From what I've heard £200-300 isn't uncommon for an official Vaillant service. Octopus have a service plan for their installs at £108 a year which is more palatable and more than offsets any efficiency differences between the units.