Maintenance on an electric heat pump can be done with some simple tools during a weekend afternoon. Here are some easy maintenance tips for your heat pump.

Taking proper care of your electric heat pump is the best way to prevent costly service calls and repair bills in the future. Many homeowners waste thousands during the lifetime of the machine by calling in a HVAC repair man in a couple of times during a year in order to do a heat pump checkup.

Electric Heat Pump Care Tips

Grab a set of screwdrivers and spend some time tightening up any loose electrical connections to the fan belts, motors on the compressor or air handling units. Note any broken, burnt or worn cables or wiring. Often hundreds in repair bills can be saved just by preventing connections from jiggling or bouncing around.

Read your electric heat pump owner’s manual and lubricate all the right moving parts. Motors, pulleys, etc. need the proper lubrication to prevent friction which puts stress on the components and drives your electrical bill.

Check all drainage or condensation pumps for the air handler or AC unit. Over time drainage holes can easily become clogged with debris and cause water to back up into electric heat pumps and increase the moisture levels inside a house. And this in turn creates the perfect environment for the growth of mold and mildew.

Check around the condenser unit (that’s the big box outside) and remove any debris or dirt that has collected around the unit. During the winter storm debris such as twigs, fallen leaves, soil erosion or just old spider webs can build up and interfere with the electrical components such as the fan, the compressor motor or other switches and cables.

If possible turn the power off at the breakers and remove the cover to the air blower or handler unit (the one inside the house). Now you can clean off any dust or grime from around the evaporator coils. If you can’t access the evaporator don’t worry, you can still wash or replace the air filter.

You need to change air filters at least one a month, especially during peak times during the winter or summer. Check your maintenance guidebook to learn how to adjust the blower’s parts as needed. Lubricate any motors or pulley systems. Any increase in friction will cause a corresponding increase energy usage.

Things Only A HVAC Specialist Can Do On An Electric Heat Pump

If possible have a licensed and certified heating and cooling company, perform an annual service check on your electric heat pump at least once a year. So what should a service tech look at? Any reputable electric heat pump repair guy will check the refrigerant levels in your refrigerant levels in your system. Too much or too little refrigerant can quickly damage your unit.

Test the thermostat setting to make certain that they are still working properly. While thermostats rarely fail out right, they still can develop hidden problems that will cause the rest of the system not to work at peak efficiency. Check connections to any secondary burners or furnaces such as gas or oil. Make adjustments so that the entire system is working well as a complete unit.

As you can see taking proper care of an electric heat pump doesn’t have be all that hard but like a car the better maintenance it has the better it will perform and less you will spend on utility and repair bills.