Article written by MIAQC Executive Director Christine Crocker for Green & Healthy Maine Homes Magazine, Spring 2026.
More than 100,000 heat pumps have been installed in Maine homes, according to Efficiency Maine. Heat pumps can be a reliable source of both heating and cooling, creating year-round comfort as well as reducing fossil fuel use and saving on overall energy costs.
Similar to any other heating or mechanical system in your home, your heat pump, regardless of what type of heat pump it is, requires regular homeowner maintenance as well as regular servicing and cleaning by a heat pump professional to prevent indoor air quality problems and unit damage.
Without regular service and maintenance, dust and organic debris will build up inside your heat pump. When this debris is exposed to moisture from regular condensation on the coil, mold and bacteria can grow and be blown directly into the indoor environment by the fan that circulates the heated/cooled air. People with mold sensitivities may experience coughing, sneezing, runny nose, runny eyes, headaches, skin rashes and flu-like symptoms. Mold is also a common asthma trigger—and, in Maine, 11% of us have asthma.
A build-up of debris on the coil isn’t good for the heat pump, either—reducing the overall efficiency of the unit and potentially shortening its life span.
The following tips to preventindoor air quality and performance issues with your heat pump are courtesy of Gabriel Erde-Cohen of wecleanheatpumps.com:
- Clean your filters regularly (every three weeks or once a month) as part of your regular household cleaning routine.
- Turn off the unit.
- Open the panel and remove the filter.
- Gently vacuum the filter or gently brush it off.
- If the filter is very dirty, you can clean it with soap and water.
- Make sure the filter is completely dry before reinstalling after washing.
- Read your owner’s manual for any additional maintenance recommendations.
- Schedule regular service and professional deep cleaning, with a heat pump maintenance provider for one year after initial installation, or as soon as possible if you don’t have a maintenance plan in place.
- Your maintenance provider will disassemble the interior head and, using a specially calibrated pressure washer, warm water and a nontoxic alkaline soap, wash the coil and the fan inside the unit, collecting all the material build up in a plastic bib and bucket for safe disposal outside of the building. The condenser is also deep cleaned for maximum efficiency. Servicing fees are approximately $250 for single zone cleaning or $125 per head for multiple-head cleaning. Cleaning takes approximately 75 minutes.
- After servicing, your maintenance provider will share before-and-after photos and before-and-after efficiency measurements and will use this information to determine a cleaning schedule that is right for you and your equipment.
3. Ask your provider to install a continuous efficiency monitor within the unit to notify you of any notable drop in your heat pump’s efficiency, a likely indicator the unit needs servicing or deep cleaning.
Here are three pre-cleaning (left)/post-cleaning (right) picture sets.
Photos courtesy of Gabriel Erde-Cohen at wecleanheatpumps.com
