Heat pump casing removed, showing the compressor and pipework checked at an annual service

Air source heat pump servicing

One thorough annual visit — heat pump and cylinder together.

£228 inc. VAT (£190 +VAT), whoever installed your system. A full check to manufacturer standard, with a written photo report you actually keep.

Who it's for

Any air source heat pump, whoever fitted it.

Most systems serviced were installed by someone else — including RHI-era systems whose original installer has since gone quiet or stopped trading. If your heat pump has never had a proper service, or nobody's looked after it in a while, that's exactly what this visit is for. Trained directly by Mitsubishi, Vaillant and Stiebel Eltron. We work on other brands too — just ask and you’ll get a straight answer on whether we can service yours.

Annual Service — Heat Pump & Cylinder

Carried out to manufacturer standard, with a written photo report you actually keep.

What's included

  • Filter & strainer clean
  • Visual inspection — casing, drainage, condensate and siting
  • Electrical connections & safety check
  • Noise & vibration check
  • Performance & efficiency check against expected output
  • Controls & settings review
  • Flow and return temperature checks
  • Water quality & inhibitor test
  • System pressure & expansion vessel check
  • Pressure relief & safety valve checks
  • Unvented cylinder check — expansion vessel & safety valves
  • Full written report with photos

Why it matters

Protects the warranty, and catches problems while they're cheap.

Most manufacturer warranties require evidence of annual servicing — skip it, and a claim can be refused on a system that's still under warranty. Beyond that, efficiency drifts and pressures fall long before anything visibly breaks. A proper service catches it while it's still a five-minute fix, not a breakdown in January.

The safety valves matter most of all. Every system has pressure relief valves protecting the heating side, the hot water and the cylinder — how many depends on the setup — and every one of them gets checked, because a safety valve that isn't working properly is the one fault you never want to find out about the hard way.

We also check the system is set up right in the first place. Plenty of heat pumps have run inefficiently for years because the original commissioning was never done properly — and nobody notices, because nothing looks broken. It just quietly costs more to run.

Cylinder, expansion vessel and pipework in a plant cupboard, checked at every service

Why once a year

The first question a manufacturer asks.

A heat pump in the Forest of Dean, about four years old, fitted by a company that had since stopped trading. The customer was never told it needed servicing, and it hadn't been done for three years. We were called out to a fault and found the compressor had failed — a major, expensive component, and a premature failure that would normally be a warranty claim.

The manufacturer's first question was whether the heat pump had been serviced every year and whether the schedule was up to date. It hadn't been. Their answer was that they would attend, but as a chargeable visit — with none of the components covered under warranty, because the maintenance hadn't been kept up.

It was a Vaillant system, and we have a strong working relationship with Vaillant. They very kindly agreed to attend under warranty and replace what was needed, on the express condition that the fault turned out not to have been caused by poor servicing. They were completely clear that had it been, they would not have honoured it.

That was a rare situation, and real goodwill from Vaillant on the day — this customer was extremely lucky. It is not something anyone could rely on, and we would never want a customer to be in that position in the first place.

What a service is actually for

  • Keeping the heat pump running efficiently and effectively
  • Finding issues before they become a problem
  • Checking the system is safe — safety valves, pressure relief valves and the high temperature relief valve, operating as they should in an emergency
  • Keeping up with the manufacturer's warranty

Like any machine, a heat pump has moving parts that need regular maintenance to make sure they're running correctly and not wearing out prematurely.

How the day is run

Never more than four services in a day.

Two in the morning, two in the afternoon — which is what gives each visit enough space to be done properly.

A service takes from about 45 minutes up to around two hours, depending on the system and how many questions you have. Some of that time isn't spent on the tools at all: plenty of people have moved into a house with a heat pump and never been given a handover, so a fair part of the visit is explaining how your own system actually works.

A rushed service is a filter clean and a sticker. This isn't that.

4

services a day, maximum — two morning, two afternoon

45min – 2hrs

on site, depending on the system and your questions

Jan–Nov

routine services run January to November — December is kept free for breakdowns

Real jobs

From recent service visits.

Magnetic filter magnet lifted out, thick with black iron sludge, before cleaning
The same magnet wiped clean and ready to go back in
System pressure gauge read and recorded after a service

Care plans

Paying monthly costs less than paying once.

The same service either way — Essential just spreads it over the year. Plus and Premier add priority booking, discounts and December cover.

Essential

£18/month

The annual service, paid monthly — and cheaper than booking it one-off.

  • Annual service: heat pump and hot water cylinder
  • Full written photo report
  • Standard booking
  • Join any time of year
Compare the plans

Plus

£24/month

Everything in Essential, and…

  • Priority 2 booking, subject to availability
  • 10% off your callout charge
  • 10% off labour
  • 10% off parts
  • December cover — priority breakdown response, no seasonal uplift
Compare the plans

Premier

£29/month

Everything in Plus, and…

  • Priority 1 booking — same or next day, subject to availability
  • 25% off your callout charge
  • 15% off labour
  • 20% off parts
  • December cover — priority breakdown response, no seasonal uplift
Compare the plans

Every plan includes the photo report. Plans are discounts on work, not free work — parts and materials are charged as normal.

December

December stays free for emergency callouts.

December is when heat pumps get leaned on hardest and when nobody can afford to wait. So routine services run January to November and the December diary is kept free for the systems that have actually stopped. December anniversaries move permanently to November.

For non-members and Essential, a seasonal premium applies during December: £198 inc. VAT (£165 +VAT) for the callout and first hour, with labour billed at time-and-a-quarter.

Plus and Premier care plans don't pay the December premium.

Standard rates, priority response, in the month it matters most.

Found on a service

What a service turns up.

Everything in this section is something we found on a system we were called out to service. None of it is our work. We’re there to service the system, report what we find and recommend what should be put right — whether it gets done is the customer’s decision, not ours.

Split and gapped pipe insulation on external heat pump pipework, found during a service on a system installed by another company
Not our installation

External pipework on a system we were called to service. The insulation had split and pulled apart at the joints, leaving the pipe bare in places. Reported, with a recommendation to have it replaced and sealed properly.

Pipe insulation lifted away to show the bare pipework underneath, found during a service on a system installed by another company
Not our installation

The same run with the lagging lifted clear. None of this had stopped the system working, which is exactly why nobody had noticed it — and why it goes in the report either way.

Leaking brass pipe joint with corrosion staining around the fitting, found on a system installed by another company
Not our installation

This joint was leaking. The customer had been losing pressure and topping the system up to keep it going, without knowing why. Found at the service, tightened on the spot, and the pressure has held since.

Failed flow switch removed from a heat pump during a service, on a system installed by another company
Not our installation

A failing flow switch, and the reason the house was not heating properly. Faults like this are often intermittent — working one day, not the next — so plenty of people book a service when what they actually have is a system already going wrong.

While you're servicing

Cover the rest of the system too.

If the service turns up a fault, repair pricing is published openly with hard caps — no surprises. Hot water cylinders are covered as standard, but if yours needs closer attention take a look at hot water cylinder servicing. If you'd rather spread the cost with priority booking and ongoing discounts, care plans are available.

FAQs

Servicing, answered.

How much does a heat pump service cost? +
The annual service is £228 inc. VAT (£190 +VAT) and covers the heat pump and the unvented hot water cylinder together, with a full photo report — most competitors charge extra just to inspect a cylinder. If you'd rather spread it, the Essential care plan is £18 a month — that's £216 a year, so it works out cheaper than booking the one-off.
Do heat pumps need annual servicing? +
Most manufacturers require it to keep the warranty valid, and it catches efficiency drift, pressure loss and worn parts before they become expensive breakdowns.
Do you service heat pumps you didn't install? +
Yes — most systems serviced were installed by someone else, including systems whose original installer is no longer trading. Trained on Mitsubishi, Vaillant and Stiebel Eltron. We work on other brands too — just ask and you'll get a straight answer on whether we can service yours.
What's included in a heat pump service? +
Filter and strainer clean, full visual inspection, electrical safety check, noise and vibration check, performance and efficiency check, controls review, flow and return temperature checks, water quality and inhibitor test, system pressure and expansion vessel check, pressure relief and safety valve checks, unvented cylinder check, and a full written report with photos.
What if the service finds a fault? +
Where we can, it gets fixed on the spot. Otherwise you'll get a clear report of what's needed, with the return visit booked in before we leave — repair pricing is published openly, with hard caps so there's never a surprise bill.
Do you charge more in December? +
December is the busiest month of the year for heating breakdowns, so it works a little differently. Routine services aren’t booked in December at all — the month is kept for breakdowns. If yours does fail, customers on the right care plan get priority breakdown response with no seasonal uplift, ever. For everyone else a seasonal premium applies during December: £198 (£165 +VAT) for the callout and first hour, with labour billed at time-and-a-quarter.

Areas covered

Servicing across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Monmouthshire.

Gloucester Cheltenham Stroud Forest of Dean Tewkesbury Cirencester & Cotswolds Hereford Ross-on-Wye Monmouth & Chepstow North Bristol

Don't see your area? Get in touch — it's worth asking.

Ready to book a service?

£228 inc. VAT, heat pump and cylinder, one visit, a photo report you keep.

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