How Often Does a Heat Pump Need Servicing?
Your heat pump does an amazing job of heating and cooling your home throughout the year, but it needs some regular maintenance to work at its best. Due to the way it functions, a heat pump’s maintenance needs are a bit different from other heating and cooling systems like a furnace or air conditioner. Welsch Heating & Cooling explains how often a heat pump needs servicing and why this level of care is necessary.
Understanding How a Heat Pump Works
You may be thinking that a heat pump is the same thing as an air conditioning unit—but they are different. Heat pumps can both cool and heat your home, but they do it in different ways. A heat pump works by moving heat from one place to another, which makes them great for heating your home in the winter and cooling it down in the summer.
The device can be used either as a heating or cooling system, depending on the direction in which the heat is being transferred. In the summer, it moves heat from your home into the ground or air outside. In the winter, it does the reverse by moving heat from the ground or air outside into your home.
Why Do Heat Pump Systems Need More Service Each Year?
Heat pumps are often used as the home’s heating system and cooling system, meaning they are in operation almost year-round. HVAC equipment like a furnace or air conditioner can only heat or cool, therefore each unit is only in use for a portion of the year.
Your heat pump needs more maintenance than a furnace or air conditioner because it’s operating more frequently than other HVAC systems, constantly moving parts around and changing temperatures. This can lead to premature wear and tear, which means more service calls for repairs or replacement parts.
How Often Should I Schedule Heat Pump Service?
Your HVAC system is a vital part of your home, and it’s important to keep it running smoothly. That’s why annual tune-ups are recommended for furnaces, boilers, and air conditioners. By properly maintaining your equipment, you’ll usually only need to see your heating and cooling technician twice a year. However, each system should only receive one tune-up per year – one tune-up for the heating equipment, and a separate tune-up for the cooling unit.
Heat pumps require a bit more care, and should be serviced twice a year. The reason you should have your heat pump serviced twice annually while other HVAC systems only receive a single servicing is their difference in function and workload.
Heat pumps should be given a tune up in both the spring and fall. This will help them maintain optimal performance and energy efficiency. The timing of this servicing is similar to when we suggest scheduling tune-ups for furnaces and air conditioners, as performing this service ahead of heavy use seasons provides maximum benefits.
Schedule Heat Pump Maintenance with Welsch Heating & Cooling
A heat pump is a competent cooling and heating system, so it will need to be serviced twice per year. While the frequency of heat pump service is a bit more than other types of HVAC equipment, in the end, the number of annual visits you can expect equals out.
Welsch Heating & Cooling offers heat pump servicing for homeowners throughout the St. Louis and St. Charles areas. Now that you know how often a heat pump need servicing, give us a call to schedule your next heat pump tune-up!
