How often does air conditioning need servicing?
Once a year for a domestic system, and this is a warranty condition rather than an upsell: the mainstream manufacturers require documented annual servicing for their 5 to 7 year warranties to hold. Between visits, rinse the indoor filters every month or two in the cooling season; that is the only maintenance you should do yourself.
The annual visit covers what use quietly degrades: the indoor coil and filters are cleaned (airflow, efficiency and the musty-smell risk all live here), the condensate tray and drain cleared and flow-tested, refrigerant performance checked across the coil by an F-Gas certified engineer, electrical terminals inspected and torqued, and the outdoor coil cleared of the leaves, fluff and grime London supplies for free.
The warranty logic makes the schedule non-optional in practice: skip the service history and a year-five compressor claim on a 6-year warranty can be declined. The service record we leave is written for exactly that file.
Timing matters more than people expect: spring is the smart slot, after the plane-tree fluff, before the heat, so the system enters its working season clean, and any fault is found in May rather than during the July heatwave when every engineer in London is triaging emergencies.
Heavier duty earns shorter intervals: systems that also heat all winter, homes with pets whose hair loads filters, and any commercial use. And once more for the record: a service should never routinely include refrigerant. A sealed system holds its charge; a yearly top-up is a leak being monetised.
More in installation & aftercare, or browse all 40 questions on the FAQ index.
Price your project
Two quick steps. We reply within one working day.
No account, no obligation. We only use this to prepare your quote.
Ready to price your air conditioning?
Tell us the rooms and the rough plan. We reply within one working day with an honest cost bracket, then a free survey and a fixed written quote.