Hi folks. I installed a heat pump in our Bellevue house about three years ago and, to be honest, I've never had it serviced. It seems to be working fine, but a neighbor told me that skipping maintenance can shorten the life of the unit and kill efficiency. I'm not sure what's actually involved or how often it should be done. Is annual maintenance really necessary, or is it just an upsell from HVAC companies? The installer was a small local outfit and they never mentioned anything about maintenance plans. Who would you recommend for regular service in Bellevue?
Your neighbor has a point. Heat pumps run year-round, so they wear faster than a furnace that only works in winter. We set up heat pump maintenance in Bellevue with productairheating.com after our first few years with no service, and the tech found a clogged filter, a dirty outdoor coil and slightly low refrigerant. Nothing dramatic, but all of it was making the system work harder. A visit takes about an hour: filters, coils, refrigerant, electrical connections, condensate drain and a check of how the system performs in both modes. Doing it once a year is reasonable for most houses, twice if you have pets or a lot of trees around. Not a huge cost compared to a big repair later. Change the filter yourself every couple of months in between.
