Heat pump maintenance in Toronto. Your heat pump works all year, heating in January and cooling in July, so it needs a real tune-up, not a filter swap. Coil cleaning, condensate drain clearing, refrigerant and superheat check, defrost and base pan heater test, electrical torque check and a reversing valve test. $250-$450 a year for a single system, $450-$750 for dual. Records kept for your manufacturer registration.
What does a heat pump tune-up include?
Indoor side
- Filter check or replacement (MERV rated to suit the blower)
- Indoor coil cleaned
- Blower wheel cleaned, deep clean on ductless wall heads
- Drain pan and condensate line cleared and treated, condensate pump tested
Outdoor side
- Coil rinsed low pressure, fins straightened
- Fan motor and blade checked
- Base pan heater and defrost cycle tested before freeze season
- Pad or bracket level, snow clearance, roof drip check
Electrical + refrigerant
- Connections torqued, capacitor and contactor tested, amp draw recorded
- Refrigerant pressures with superheat and subcooling compared to spec
- Reversing valve test heat to cool and back
- Thermostat and lockout settings checked
Why does a heat pump need more care than a furnace?
It runs twice the hours. A furnace sits idle all summer and an AC sits idle all winter. A heat pump works both seasons, and in Toronto it works hardest during wet, near-freezing weeks when defrost cycles every 30-45 minutes. A weak capacitor, a slow drain or a dirty coil that would limp along on an AC turns into a no-heat call in January.
Most of our repair calls started as something a tune-up would have caught.
When should you book?
| System use | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Single system, normal use | Once a year, early fall |
| Heavy year-round or rental | Twice a year, spring + fall |
| Multi-zone ductless | Once a year plus a deep clean every 2-3 years |
| Coastal or lakeside (Mimico, Bluffs) | Fall visit, check coil for salt and debris |
Fall is best. We test defrost and the base pan heater before the first hard frost, which is when weak parts fail.
What do maintenance records do for you?
Manufacturer parts coverage terms on Mitsubishi, Daikin and Fujitsu often expect regular service. We log readings, photos and dates on every visit so a parts claim later isn’t denied for lack of history. Good records also help when you sell the house.
What can you do between visits?
- Clean washable filters monthly in heavy use
- Keep 60 cm clear around the outdoor unit, and keep snow and ice off it
- Make sure roof runoff isn’t dripping onto the top of the unit
- Don’t cover it in winter. It needs airflow to heat
- Call if the outdoor unit turns into a block of ice or you hear grinding
Musty smell from a ductless head?
That’s the blower wheel and coil growing mould from dust and condensation. Filter cleaning doesn’t reach it. A deep clean does: drip bag on, coil treated, wheel brushed and rinsed. The Beaches case study on this page was a five-year-old Mitsubishi multi-zone with three musty heads. Output back to spec before the first frost.
As a full-service Toronto heat pump company, we service heat pumps across downtown Toronto, Scarborough and the GTA, whether we installed them or not. Leak suspected? See refrigerant leak repair. Or book your tune-up.
