AC maintenance for a business splits into two jobs: simple checks your own staff can do between visits, such as keeping filters clean and airflow clear, and work that by law needs a qualified engineer, such as refrigerant leak checks. On top of that, UK rules set leak-check intervals and record keeping, and larger systems also need a regular energy inspection. Climate Flow Limited installs, services and repairs air conditioning for businesses in London and surrounding areas, and this checklist sets out who does what.
Why does air conditioner maintenance matter for a business?
Air conditioner maintenance keeps the system working as it was designed to, and for many workplaces it is also part of a legal duty. Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, the equipment and systems the regulation covers, including mechanical ventilation, must be maintained, cleaned as appropriate and kept in efficient working order and good repair. Whether a particular air conditioning system falls under that regulation depends on its role on site, but the principle is the same either way: a planned routine, not a call when something stops.
The routine also gives your own staff a short list of tasks between engineer visits: keeping filters clean, keeping the airflow clear and looking out for water from the drain.
What AC maintenance can your staff do?
Your staff can handle the everyday AC maintenance that does not involve the refrigerant, the electrics or opening the unit beyond its filter access. These are the checks worth putting on a weekly or monthly sheet:
- Check and clean the filters as the unit's manual says, with the system switched off at the controller first.
- Keep the grilles of indoor units clear: no shelving, stock, signs or furniture blocking the air coming in or going out.
- Keep the outdoor unit clear: no leaves, bins, pallets or stored stock against it, and nothing covering the fan.
- Look for signs of a drain problem: drips from the indoor unit, water marks on the wall or ceiling, or a damp smell.
- Note any error code the controller shows, and write it down before resetting anything.
- Listen for new noises (rattling, grinding, hissing) and look for ice on the pipework.
- Note rooms that no longer reach the set temperature.
The condensate is the water the indoor unit takes out of the air as it cools; it runs to a tray and away through a drain or a small pump. Staff can spot when it is not draining. Clearing a pump or a blocked drain line inside the unit is a job for the engineer.
What AC maintenance needs an engineer?
Anything that touches the refrigerant circuit needs an engineer with the correct qualifications. GOV.UK states that it is against the law to work with F gas without the correct qualifications, and for stationary air conditioning that covers servicing, maintenance and leak checks. F gases are fluorinated gases, used as refrigerants. Climate Flow is F-Gas certified. A typical engineer visit covers:
- Refrigerant leak check, with the result written into the system's records
- Indoor and outdoor coils cleaned and inspected
- Condensate tray, drain line and any condensate pump cleaned and tested
- Fans and motors checked for wear, noise and secure mounting
- Electrical connections and isolators checked
- Controls, sensors and settings checked against how the space is used
- Any error codes read and the cause found
On larger sites the list grows with the system. VRF (variable refrigerant flow) is a system in which outdoor plant serves many indoor units, so a visit covers every indoor unit as well as the outdoor plant. On the VRF air conditioning maintenance job at Energie Fitness Gym, Climate Flow maintained the gym's VRF system, its indoor units and its outdoor plant.
How often does air conditioning need F gas leak checks?
How often depends on how much refrigerant the system holds, measured in CO2 equivalent. Under the GOV.UK guidance on checking F gas equipment for leaks, the users of the equipment and the technicians who service it both have duties. The main points are:
- Equipment in the lowest leak-check band must be checked at least once every 12 months.
- Equipment in the next band, with a larger charge, must be checked at least once every 6 months.
- Fitting an automatic leak detection system that meets the rules allows the time between checks to be doubled.
- A leak found during a check must be repaired as soon as possible, and the test repeated within a month to confirm the repair worked.
Many small split systems fall into the lowest band or below it. A split system has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit joined by refrigerant pipework. The band is not something to guess: an engineer works it out from the refrigerant type and charge on the system's details.
What records do you need to keep?
For equipment at or above the threshold set by GOV.UK, the records must include the dates and results of all mandatory leak checks and any gas added during maintenance. Those records must be kept for 5 years. The engineer fills in the technical detail after each visit; the business keeps the file.
Does your system need an air conditioning energy inspection?
In England and Wales, air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kW must be regularly inspected by an energy assessor, according to GOV.UK's guide to air conditioning inspections in buildings. The rated output is that of the whole system in the building, not of one unit.
- The inspections must be no more than five years apart.
- They must be carried out by an energy assessor who belongs to an accreditation scheme.
- The person who controls the operation of the system is responsible for making sure the inspection has been done, and the report should be kept to inform the next one.
- The fixed penalty for failing to have an inspection report is currently £300.
The energy inspection is separate from routine maintenance: the assessor reports on the system but does not clean, repair or adjust it. If you lease your premises, check the lease to see whether you or the landlord controls the system.
When to call an engineer
Call an engineer when a staff check turns up something beyond the filter and the airflow, and never let staff open the refrigerant circuit or the electrics. The usual signs are:
- ice on the pipework or the indoor coil;
- water leaking from an indoor unit, or water marks below it;
- a hissing sound, or a system that runs but no longer cools;
- an error code that returns after a reset;
- a leak-check, record or inspection date that has passed.
Climate Flow works on split, multi-split, ducted, cassette and VRF/VRV systems, from single shops to multi-unit sites. On one job, Climate Flow installed a split system for a newly refurbished retail unit in Hillingdon; more jobs are on Our Projects, and every service line is on the services page.
Good AC maintenance is a short staff routine, regular engineer visits, leak checks at the interval the system's band sets, records kept for five years and, above 12kW, an energy inspection no more than five years apart. Climate Flow Limited carries out air conditioning maintenance and offers maintenance contracts for businesses in London and surrounding areas. Call 020 3488 5452 or request a quote.
This guide is general information, not a survey or a quote for your site; every system is different, so an engineer needs to see yours before any work is priced.