@tim441, those are all standard things to do. The only technical thing that was done to our heat pump during servicing was that they opened the unit and cleaned out the heat exchanger. At the time we had some corrosive bits in our system so that was useful in getting them out. 

A "standard" heat pump service, as per our installer, entails:

In case anyone is wondering how to clean micro filter in LG Monobloc Therma V....its pretty easy

1. Turn ASHP Power off at mains
2. Turn off boiler controls/programmers if not off 
3. Turn water valves/taps off behind ASHP (blue & red in my case) - could be internal or external
4. Remove 2 panels right side front ASHP
5. Red knob inside ashp - turn to relieve pressure (right side, middle, near back)
6. Round Filter at front... under clamp (left side at bottom). Clamp can be gently flicked/levered off.
7. Clean filter under tap - may need gentle toothbrushing

   Reverse all above to reinstate

• Check water pressure
• Check/bleed air in rads

@editor what range of costs do you think is "reasonable"? From some of the comments above it sounds like £250 is not unusual but
presumably its hard for them to take more than an hour (at most)?

@tim441, the pricing is around £250... and you're right – it doesn't take more than an hour to complete and it doesn't entail anything thorough. The only thing worth noting that (in our case) failure to do this can void our warranty.

If you expect to sell your house in the future it is helpful to have a paper trail evidencing regular maintenance of things like boilers, heat pumps, waste treatment units and so on. Any sensible buyer will ask for these during their due diligence. It de-risks the purchase and at the very least provides a buyer with leverage to negotiate the price down if the evidence is not present. I keep an up to date file of all this type of paperwork so we are ready to go if ever we decide to sell. Yes, there is a cost to doing this but it is small in relation to the ultimate sale price.

Mike

There’s usually a survey, to check if the boiler/heating works, but it’s written as ‘can’t check’ unless it’s actually running when there’s a flying visit survey.  And then if the property is over 30 years old the survey will talk of possible damp/rot/woodworm/dodgy roof, so buyer beware etc…. Gah

So it does sound eminently sensible to keep service records.  Never asked for that myself, nor has a surveyer/lawyer, nor has anybody ask it of me when buying or selling.

Are heat pump servicing and maintenance contracts worth it (for both the customer and the installer)? 

Installers - is it worth the hassle and tension with the manufacturer? 

Customers - is it a rip off or does it provide peace of mind? 

My own personal opinion is that as long as you clear leaves, clean filter and check antifreeze conc ( if you have it) then it’s a lot of money for very little. 

Would be interesting to know how many actual mechanical failures heat pumps have. I had a Mitsubishi for 12 years without a whiff of a problem. 

For the installer, I believe servicing and maintenance are money for old rope - as long as they installed the kit properly in the first place. There is not a great deal of maintenance that's actually necessary so it's basically getting paid for things the homeowner could in theory do themselves.

For me as a homeowner, however, it's slightly different. Firstly, I have little enough time anyway so getting someone to carry out those checks for me is not a bad thing. Even if it only takes the installer a fairly short time to carry out the tasks my lack of familiarity with what's needed means it would take me significantly longer.

More importantly, though, I'm receiving RHI payments and one of the conditions of their continued receipt is that the heat pump is kept in good working order. The maintenance contract is strong evidence I'm upholding my end of the bargain, and there is value in that too.

That doesn't mean, of course, that I just pay the money and am content with the paperwork at the end. I do take a look at what the installer actually does and, in my case, I'm lucky that they take it as an opportunity to take a quick once-over of the wider system and not just the heat pump. They have picked up minor faults elsewhere and sorted them out as a matter of course and that gives me peace of mind. Put it all together and yes I do feel it's worth doing.