Keep your system running sweet.

Once a year for a domestic system is the sensible interval. Commercial systems, or anything running hard all year, are often better on six-monthly visits. If a system contains enough refrigerant, F-Gas regulations impose mandatory leak-check intervals on top — we'll tell you if yours is affected.

It won't fail immediately, which is precisely why people skip it. What happens instead is gradual: filters clog, efficiency drops, running costs creep up, and small refrigerant losses go unnoticed until the compressor is working far harder than it should. Some manufacturer warranties also ask for evidence of maintenance if you claim, so it is worth knowing what your own terms say.

Yes, and a good share of our work is exactly that. Samsung, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, Fujitsu, Daikin, LG and most other makes. You don't need to go back to whoever fitted it, and you're not stuck if they've gone out of business.

Nine times out of ten it's a blocked condensate drain rather than anything serious. Cooling produces water, and if the drain path is blocked with dust or slime the tray overflows. It's usually a straightforward fix, but don't leave it running — the water has to go somewhere, and that's normally your wall.

Possibly, but "needs a top-up" is often the wrong diagnosis. A sealed system shouldn't lose refrigerant — if it's low, there's a leak, and topping it up without finding that leak is both bad practice and against F-Gas rules. It's just as likely to be a filthy filter or coil. We find the actual cause first.

Damp and organic matter sitting on the indoor coil and in the drain tray. A proper deep clean of the coil, tray and filters clears it. Many modern units also have a self-clean or dry cycle that helps prevent it — worth turning on if yours has one and it isn't enabled.

We'll tell you honestly. Most faults — sensors, fan motors, PCBs, drainage, leaks on accessible joints — are worth repairing. Where a repair genuinely doesn't make economic sense on an old system, we'll say so and explain why rather than quietly selling you a replacement.

Not on a typical domestic system, no. Refrigerant work itself is legally restricted — it must be done by an F-Gas certified engineer — but nobody is obliged to book an annual service for a single-room unit at home. Larger systems, which hold more refrigerant, do carry legal duties around leak checking and record keeping, and we handle that where it applies. For a small domestic system, treat servicing as maintenance that protects your investment rather than a rule you have to follow.

It depends on the manufacturer and the range, so it's worth checking rather than assuming. Every warranty expects the system to have been installed correctly by a qualified engineer. Some also expect the system to have been maintained, and ask for evidence if you claim. Check the terms in the manufacturer documentation for your unit and keep any records. We'll tell you what yours actually requires — we won't invent a requirement to sell you a visit.

Manufacturer parts cover is currently 7 years on Samsung and 5 years on Hitachi. Mitsubishi Electric varies by range but is typically 5 years. All of it is granted under each manufacturer's own terms and at their discretion, and other brands vary. Separately, we give a 2-year labour warranty on every system we install, whatever the brand — covering our workmanship and the labour to fit any part claimed under the manufacturer's warranty. Claims are rare in practice; we only fit major brands because they keep running. Full terms are confirmed on your quotation before works are scheduled. See home installation for more.