Air conditioning maintenance contracts

What a maintenance contract is

A maintenance contract is a written plan for looking after your air conditioning. Instead of remembering to book a service each year, or calling only when something breaks, you agree a schedule with us. We book the visits, carry out the servicing and any leak checks the rules require, keep the records and tell you what we found and what needs attention.

The detail is set out in the contract: which systems it covers, how many visits a year, what each visit includes and how repairs are handled. There are no hidden extras and no vague promises. You know exactly what you are paying for and when we will be there.

What each visit includes

Each planned visit is a full service of the systems in the contract. Typically that means:

• Checking each system running before it is cleaned, so existing faults are spotted.
• Cleaning or replacing filters and cleaning the indoor coils, fans and louvres.
• Checking and clearing condensate drains and testing any condensate pumps.
• Cleaning outdoor coils and checking fans, fixings and anti-vibration mounts.
• Checking electrical connections, controls and set points.
• Measuring operating pressures and temperatures and checking for signs of leaks.
• A leak check where the F-gas rules require one, and a written report for every visit.

F-gas leak checks and records

For businesses, the F-gas rules are the main reason to have a contract. Equipment containing 5 to less than 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent of refrigerant needs a leak check at least every 12 months, 50 to less than 500 tonnes every 6 months, and 500 tonnes or more needs automatic leak detection. Fitting leak detection lets you double the interval (GOV.UK: checking F-gas equipment for leaks). Responsibility is shared between the people who use the equipment and the technicians who look after it.

The tonnage depends on the refrigerant and how much of it is in the system: 3 kg of R410A is about 6.3 tonnes CO2 equivalent, while 3 kg of R32 is about 2.0 tonnes. We work out the figure for each system from its nameplate, set the visit frequency to match and keep a clear record of every check. This is general information, not legal advice.

Contracts for homes

For most homes, one service a year is enough. A domestic contract means you don’t have to remember to book it: we get in touch when it is due, agree a time and carry out the service. It suits homeowners with several units, landlords with systems in let properties and anyone who wants the system looked after without having to think about it. If you have a heat pump or air conditioning with a manufacturer’s warranty that sets maintenance conditions, the contract keeps a record of each visit.

Contracts for businesses and multi-site estates

Offices, shops, restaurants, hotels, schools, surgeries and server rooms often need more than one visit a year, especially where systems run long hours or the air is dusty or greasy. For larger buildings and estates, we build a schedule around the equipment: more frequent visits for critical rooms, filter changes in busy areas and leak checks where the rules require them. We plan visits around your opening hours.

For managing agents and businesses with several sites across London and the South East, we can keep a single register of every system, with makes, models, refrigerants, service dates and leak check results, so you can see the whole estate at a glance. We can also line up the work with your TM44 inspection cycle.

Repairs and breakdowns

Planned maintenance cuts breakdowns, but it can’t prevent every one. When we find a fault on a visit, we tell you what it is and what it will cost, and small fixes such as clearing a drain are usually done there and then. Bigger repairs are quoted before we start. If something fails between visits, call us. We reply to enquiries the same working day, and our 24/7 emergency line is there for urgent breakdowns. How repairs are charged under your contract is written into the contract itself.

What you get from us

Every contract visit ends with a written report: the systems we looked at, what we cleaned and checked, the readings we took, any leak check carried out, faults found and what we recommend. We keep a record of each system so you can see its history at a glance, and we remind you when visits, leak checks and TM44 inspections are due. If a system is getting old, starts needing repeated repairs or uses a refrigerant that is getting harder to buy, we tell you in good time so you can budget for a replacement rather than face a sudden failure. As an F-Gas certified company and NICEIC approved contractor, we can deal with both the refrigerant and the electrical side.

What it costs

Contracts are priced on the number and type of systems, how many visits a year they need, access and the hours we can work. Domestic service visits start from £95 + VAT for a single split system. Business and multi-site contracts are priced after we have listed the equipment, and you get a fixed price with your quote.