How often does a heat pump need servicing?

The short answer

Every heat pump manufacturer with published service guidance says the same thing: once a year. Vaillant states plainly that you "should still have [your heat pump] serviced once a year after the initial installation." Panasonic's Aquarea support programme is built around "an annual maintenance visit." Mitsubishi Electric's Ecodan homeowner terms reference an "annual maintenance inspection." None of the three publish a longer interval as acceptable — treat 12 months since installation, or since the last service, as the point to book the next one.

What a service typically covers

Vaillant's own description of what an engineer does at the visit lists:

• Full visual checks
• Temperature checks
• System checks, both visual and diagnostic
• Pipework pressure tested, including a check for leaks
• Electrical circuits tested
• Professional advice on system set-up and use

Daikin publishes a longer, more technical checklist for its own heat pumps that goes further into the mechanical detail: cleaning the air exchangers, checking refrigerant levels, inspecting mountings and fan bearings, checking the compressor's vibration and current draw, inspecting the drain pan and compressor heaters, an F-gas leak check, checking thermal insulation, cleaning water filters and checking the water exchanger for clogging, tightening screw connections, a software update, and testing the safety valves. Daikin's page doesn't itself state how often this full list should be run — only that it's due "before significant seasonal changes" — so treat it as what a professional visit covers, not as evidence for a different interval than the annual one above.

Why it's tied to the warranty

This isn't just a recommendation. Vaillant is explicit that annual servicing is what "ensures that you... maintain your guarantee." Mitsubishi Electric's Ecodan terms go further: they list "failure to conduct routine maintenance in accordance with manufacturer's instructions" as an excluded risk — meaning a skipped service can be the reason a claim is refused, not just a missed tune-up.

Between professional visits

Vaillant's guidance for homeowners between annual services is simple: keep the outdoor unit "clear from garden debris," and consider "a small cover to protect it from adverse weather conditions" when it isn't running. That's the extent of what's confirmed for homeowner-level care — anything more specific (filter cleaning schedules, refrigerant top-ups) is a job for the annual visit, not something to do yourself.

Before you rely on this

This reflects the published guidance of the manufacturers checked so far — Vaillant, Panasonic and Mitsubishi Electric all state an annual interval; Daikin's own page describes what a visit covers without restating the interval. It isn't a Greek or EU legal requirement, and other brands may specify something different. Always check your own unit's installation manual or ask your installer for the interval that applies to your model.

Track it in Epimeleia

Add your heat pump as an item under the property, set its service interval to 12 months, and attach the service report each time an engineer visits. The next reminder arrives on schedule — and if a claim ever depends on proving the service history, it's already there.