@Mia, wow. A four-year-old heat pump failing and then being quoted £940.85 plus VAT merely to establish what is wrong is hard to swallow, especially when you are already relying on the immersion heater.

I would be reluctant to write the Acond off just yet, though. The Heat Geek engineer’s thoughts may be useful, but without access to the controls and fault history, “circuit board or condenser” still sounds more like an informed suspicion than a diagnosis. Those could lead to very different repair bills, so I wouldn’t put too much weight on the £2,000-£6,000 estimate until somebody has actually identified the fault.

My first step would be to ask Thermal Earth for a written response covering a few specific points and post replies below:

• The exact warranty condition they say has been breached and a copy of the warranty terms that applied when the system was installed in 2022. That should make for interesting reading.
• Whether the entire warranty is void or only faults potentially connected with the missed maintenance.
• What remote diagnostics they have already carried out and what the £575 visit will actually include.
• How the £365.85 mileage charge has been calculated.
• Whether the diagnostic fee would be credited against any subsequent repair.

Looking at their site, Thermal Earth currently describes itself as an authorised Acond service partner and says connected systems can be remotely monitored and diagnosed. That makes it reasonable to ask what they have already been able to see before charging more than £1,100 including VAT for a visit. I’m still staggered by that number.

I would also contact Acond directly rather than relying entirely on the UK installer’s interpretation. 

It would also be worth finding the original handover pack, MCS certificate, commissioning documents and service records. The MCS installation standard in force around that period required maintenance to follow the manufacturer’s requirements and required the homeowner to be given information about the checks needed, their frequency and what to do when problems arose. If those conditions were never clearly supplied to the previous owner, that may be relevant when challenging the blanket statement that the warranty is “completely void”. 

My instinct would be to exhaust the manufacturer route and obtain a proper diagnosis before moving back to gas. The heat pump may ultimately prove uneconomic to repair, but at the moment you seem to have been given a very expensive gateway to a diagnosis rather than enough information to make that decision.

Acond is one of the few manufacturers I don’t have a contact at, but I will reach out to them with your case.

Posted by: @mia

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Our Acond heat pump fitted in 2022 by Thermal Earth stopped working in May; as the weather was warm and the immersion heater kicked in automatically it took me a while to realise.  Thermal Earth advise they will charge £575 callout plus VAT and additionally £365.85 mileage plus VAT; this will be payable even if the pump cannot be fixed.  They have advised that the warranty is completely void because the previous occupant only had the pump serviced in 2024.  I was told this was because Thermal Earth refuse to allow other heat pump engineers to work on the pumps they have installed, and their servicing and mileage costs are prohibitive.

I am reliably told that Thermal Earth / Acond policy is to refuse login details to other engineers, severely limiting their ability to help.  A Heat Geek engineer has advised me that the problem is likely to be a circuit board or the condenser, but without permission from Thermal Earth he is unable to confirm this or repair the unit.

I completed a hard reset on Thermal Earth's advice, which did not help.

I will attach the error message I initially got when trying to log in to the heat pump.

Given all the circumstances, I question whether trying to save the heat pump is a sensible option.  I understand the likely cost of repair will be between £2,000 - £6,000, after which the pump will still have no warranty.  Purchasing a second heat pump without a grant is not possible, so a gas boiler may be the only option (a shame when we have solar panels and a battery). 

I would welcome thoughts on any way to move forward.

 

PLC (programmable logic controller) not online suggests either a failed circuit board or simply a failed connection.  Is the cable connecting the ODU to the controller (or any other connecting cable) in any way vulnerable, that would be my first port of call given the error message.

The fees suggested do seem high, that said circuit board replacements do tend to be very expensive, I had one for a boiler which cost over £400, and that was a few years ago before manufacturers hiked the prices.

I assume you have tried power cycling both odu and controller a couple of times.

A quick and encouraging update.

ACOND has contacted me directly after seeing this thread. They said the case has raised alarm bells with them, as they expect their heat pumps to last at least 20 years and they have asked the homeowner to contact them so ACOND can investigate.

I’ve now connected @mia with the contact at Acond. 

It's also within 6 years on a product that should be reasonably expected to last longer so you are within the contract range (5 for Scotland) to pursue legal action if needed as well.

Things like this make you wonder why the MCS even exists other than to absorb taxpayers money.

@etchedpixels can't say I disagree. Out unit last six winters before it died!

With the mention of control by PLC, I know many Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) have a backup battery installed, but whether this specific model has one depends on its design and memory type. Older or modular PLCs use a battery to keep data in volatile RAM during a power loss, while modern micro-PLCs often use non-volatile flash memory instead. Worth checking ?

Another idea if the above don't work - there are companies that specialise in repairing PCBs both current and obsolete electronic equipment and their prices for diagnosis seem reasonable.  Might be worth checking if a repair is possible if all else fails and the PCB is suspect.

@editor1 

Thank you for your advice.

I have asked Thermal Earth for the information you suggested.  

I had already asked whether the entire warranty was void, I will attach a screenshot of my question and their response to this; I understood them to be saying yes, it is all void.  There is nothing cut off the bottom of the screenshot, this was their entire response.  Incidentally the hot water was not working, I'd not realised the immersion heater had come to the rescue.

They did not offer remote diagnostics.  They suggested the hard reset then said after that the only option was a callout.

The callout fee includes both diagnostics and, if possible, repair, although they said it is still fully payable if repair is not possible.  They did not clarify what happens if the engineer needs to come back another day to complete a repair, whether there would be another callout charge - I have now asked them to clarify this. 

Unfortunately the previous occupant has only supplied me with one document related to the heat pump, I will attach this below.

I have contacted Acond using the contact details you supplied, thank you.

@jamespa 

Thank you James.  Unfortunately I don't have the technical knowledge or ability to check these things, however I am fairly confident that the Heat Geek who advised me would have taken this into consideration.

The guesstimated repair cost I was given included £1000 callout / mileage plus either £1,000 for a circuit board or £5,000 for a condenser (from memory, I was probably in shock at that moment). 

@etchedpixels 

Thank you Etched Pixels.  Yes this has been suggested to me, it is useful to have confirmation.  Unfortunately, outside of the heat pump issues, I am going though severe trauma right now so heading up a court battle with a heat pump company is beyond what I can handle.  Trading standards has been suggested to me and contacting them is on my to do list.  I have no experience of the MCS, are they relevant here?

Posted by: @mia

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@etchedpixels 

Thank you Etched Pixels.  Yes this has been suggested to me, it is useful to have confirmation.  Unfortunately, outside of the heat pump issues, I am going though severe trauma right now so heading up a court battle with a heat pump company is beyond what I can handle.  Trading standards has been suggested to me and contacting them is on my to do list.  I have no experience of the MCS, are they relevant here?

Posted by: @mia

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@jamespa 

Thank you James.  Unfortunately I don't have the technical knowledge or ability to check these things, however I am fairly confident that the Heat Geek who advised me would have taken this into consideration.

The guesstimated repair cost I was given included £1000 callout / mileage plus either £1,000 for a circuit board or £5,000 for a condenser (from memory, I was probably in shock at that moment). 

@mia 

I am sympathetic to your position however things are as they are.  Dealing with the construction industry, whether it relates to heat pumps, boilers, electrics, roofs, structural matters or anything else technical, unfortunately exposes you to a situation where, unless you are prepared and able to do some investigation yourself, you are at the mercy of people who quite frequently do not have your interests at heart.  That is, sadly, how it is.  

@editor has made a contact which I hope you will/have followed up.

Unless you positively enjoy wasting your own time and becoming frustrated I would not bother with MCS based on what we hear here.  That said they are supposed to have changed/be changing so you could put in something and see what happens, but without relying on anything to happen.

Beyond that I can add nothing I haven't already said.  You will need to explore as far as you are willing then make the decision to suit your personal circumstances.  Please bear in mind that, whatever choice you make, you are dealing with essentially the same (in places dodgy) industry; the satisfaction levels with boilers are the same, at least according to the largest independent survey I know of (NESTA 2023), as the satisfaction levels with heat pumps (roughly 80% in each case).  

All that said, my overwhelming sense is that you have made your decision already.  I wish you luck.