What Is Included in a Heat Pump Service? Checklist Guide
A heat pump service covers a full inspection of the outdoor unit and the indoor system, cleaning of the filters and evaporator coil where they need it, checks on operating pressure, visible pipework and electrical connections, a performance review against the way the system was designed to run, and a written record for the manufacturer’s warranty and your MCS pack. On an air source system, the outdoor unit is not optional. If the engineer never leaves the hallway, you have not had an air source heat pump service.
Hinckley Plumbing & Heating carries out this work from Hinckley across Leicestershire and Warwickshire, and through Leicester, Nuneaton, Coventry, Rugby and Tamworth, where these systems are already on the wall or in the plant room. We install air source heat pumps as MCS certified installers, we are Gas Safe registered and APHC members, and we hold the electrical competence that servicing demands alongside F-Gas qualification for any work involving refrigerant. Where a task falls outside those qualifications, we tell you plainly instead of improvising.
What Is Included in an Air Source Heat Pump Service?
An air source heat pump service visit with us covers the outdoor casing, fan and clearances; the coil and air path, cleaned as required; filters, strainers and the magnetic filter; system pressure and the expansion vessel; visible pipework and insulation; electrical connections and isolators; the cylinder or hydrobox and its controls; and a performance check that examines flow temperatures, weather compensation and any stored fault history.
The written sheet is then filed with your commissioning pack, so that the next owner, the manufacturer or an MCS query has something substantial to work from.
| Included in our heat pump service | Not included unless separately quoted |
|---|---|
| Outdoor unit, fan, casing and clearances | Refrigerant recovery and recharge |
| Coil and air path cleaned as needed | A new fan motor or control board |
| Filters, strainers and magnetic filter | Upsizing radiators for lower flow temperatures |
| System pressure and expansion vessel | A replacement cylinder |
| Visible pipework, insulation and leaks | Relocating the outdoor unit |
| Electrical connections and isolators | A full re-commission of a poor original design |
| Cylinder, immersion and controls | Clearing a garden that has grown into the unit |
| Performance and error history | A gas boiler service on the same fee |
| Written record for the warranty and MCS pack | Guesswork on a make we cannot support |
Identifying the signs of an incorrect refrigerant charge is part of the service: icing in the wrong place, weak heat output, or oily residue around the joints. Opening the circuit and handling the gas itself is F-Gas work, which we quote separately rather than absorb into the annual service fee.
What Is Included in a Ground Source Heat Pump Service?
A ground source heat pump service devotes more of the visit to the indoor plant, the circulating pumps and the loop side, since there is no outdoor fan coil to wash down. These systems are less common on a typical Hinckley or Nuneaton street than air source units, but they require the same annual record if a warranty claim is ever to hold up. We book them as their own appointment rather than treating them as a boiler service with a few extra steps bolted on.
Why Is the Outdoor Coil Included in a Heat Pump Service?
An air source heat pump can only extract heat from the air that actually passes through the coil. Fluff, cut grass, seeds and last autumn’s leaves force the compressor to work harder for the same output, which is how running costs climb long before anyone reports a fault.
Clearance forms part of the same inspection. A unit installed too close to a fence and then left alone will ice up through a Leicestershire winter while the indoor controller continues to report normal operation. On systems we installed under MCS, that clearance was correct on day one. On someone else’s installation, we will still tell you when it is not.
What Is Not Included Between Service Visits?
Keeping the casing clear remains a household responsibility. Bins, bikes, decking and a hedge that has grown into the air path fall outside the booked service, and no visit in Rugby or Tamworth can create space that has been built out since last year. If the unit has been boxed in, let us know when you book so the appointment reflects the access we will actually have.
Is MCS Paperwork Included in a Heat Pump Service?
Yes. The written record is included as standard. Manufacturers expect an annual service carried out by someone competent on the equipment, and MCS installations need a paper trail that still stands up years later, whether the trigger is a warranty claim, a house sale or a grant query.
File the sheet alongside your commissioning and Boiler Upgrade Scheme documents. The next owner of a Coventry or Leicester property will ask for that pack, and so will the manufacturer if a major component fails.
How Should I Prepare for a Heat Pump Service?
Clear the outdoor unit, unlock the indoor cupboard, find last year’s service sheet and make a note of any rooms that struggle to reach temperature. That preparation is what turns a set of standard checks into a genuine diagnosis.
If a trampoline or a row of planters now blocks the fan, tell us at the point of booking. Allowing extra time in the Hinckley diary is straightforward; arriving in Coventry to find nobody can stand in front of the machine is not.
Is F-Gas Work Included in Every Heat Pump Service?
No. The majority of annual visits never open the refrigerant circuit. Where the evidence points to a lost charge, that work is quoted and then carried out by an engineer here holding the correct F-Gas qualification. It is never improvised at the end of a standard service, and it is never concealed within the original fee.
Are Radiators and the Cylinder Included in a Heat Pump Service?
Visible leaks, obviously cold emitters and the cylinder serving the heat pump are all included. Rebuilding a radiator circuit that was never sized for low flow temperatures is a separate project. Where we find that, it goes on the record so you can decide whether you want us to quote for the wider heating work.
Can a Boiler Service and a Heat Pump Service Be Combined?
Only where the attending engineer holds the correct competence for both appliances, because a gas boiler and a heat pump are fundamentally different pieces of equipment. Combined visits are possible when our diary and qualifications align, but they should never be assumed on a mixed system in Nuneaton or Rugby. Ask when you book and we will send the engineer who can complete both properly.
What Happens if the Service Finds the System Was Never Set Up Correctly?
The finding goes on the record: a flow temperature set far too high, weather compensation switched off, or an outdoor unit with no workable clearance. Correcting it is not part of a standard service, but it is work we are qualified to do, and we will price it as a distinct piece of commissioning rather than pretend an annual visit has resolved a design fault.
If you are looking for a heat pump service in Hinckley or any of the towns we cover, ask us exactly what the visit includes before we book it in. The inspection will be carried out to the standard our MCS, Gas Safe, APHC and F-Gas accreditations require, and you will receive a written record to keep alongside your original installation pack.