Getting your heat pump ready for winter

With winter fast approaching, this is the ideal moment to make sure that your heat pump is ready for the cold season. Just a few moments now will ensure your heat pump is operating efficiently and reduce the chance of a breakdown during the winter months.

To get your heat pump winter-ready, you should:

1. Inspect it for damage: Look carefully for any signs of leaks or damaged grills.
2. Clear the condensation drain: Unless your heat pump is installed on a soakaway, you should make sure that the condensation drain is clear of any obstructions.  
3. Ensure that the airflow around the unit is unobstructed: Make sure that the unit isn’t blocked by leaves or vegetation. You should check in front, on top, behind and under the unit. 
4. Give it a test run: Run the system for at least an hour, but ideally overnight, making sure that the controls work and that the radiators and/or underfloor heating get warm
5. Check your radiators for leaks: You should check all your radiators for leaks and bleed them as required
6. Book an annual service: Like fossil fuel boilers, your heat pump should be serviced every year. If your heat pump hasn’t been serviced in the past year, you should book an annual service. This ensures that it operates efficiently, reduces the risk of breakdown and servicing it annually, and will keep any remaining warranty valid. Demand for servicing heat pumps peaks in the winter, so it makes sense to book your service sooner rather than later. If you haven’t already booked your annual service, you should contact your installer. Alternatively, you can book online to arrange for a Daikin Service Engineer to carry this out.
7. Have phone numbers to hand: In case your heat pump breaks down, make sure you have your installer's contact details and Daikin’s service number to hand. 

If you follow these seven steps it will reduce the risk of your heat pump breaking down when you need it most - keeping your home warm and cosy all winter long.