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Heating & Hot Water Maintenance

Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Maintenance Checklist

Keep your ground source heat pump running efficiently — ground-loop and glycol checks, circulator and refrigerant verification, flow temperatures, and controls optimisation.

What is a ground source heat pump maintenance checklist?

A ground source heat pump (gshp) maintenance checklist is a structured list of the 10 preventive maintenance tasks — covering visual, functional, safety and record-keeping checks — that keep a ground source heat pump (gshp) running safely and reliably. It groups routine checks by frequency, from daily inspections to annual servicing, so FM teams and building engineers can plan and evidence preventive maintenance.

Core ground source heat pump checks

  • Inspect strainers and any heat exchangers for fouling
  • Check ground loop pressure and top up the water/glycol mix as needed
  • Carry out F-Gas leak checks as required by the refrigerant charge
  • Record performance, ground-loop pressure, glycol, and F-Gas data in the log

What is a ground source heat pump (gshp)?

A ground source heat pump (GSHP) extracts heat from the ground via buried collector loops (horizontal arrays or vertical boreholes) carrying a water/glycol mix, upgrading it through a refrigerant circuit for heating and hot water. GSHPs offer high, stable efficiency because ground temperatures are steadier than air, but they depend on a healthy ground loop, correct glycol concentration and pressure, and well-tuned controls. Like all heat pumps they contain refrigerant and fall under the F-Gas Regulations. Maintenance focuses on the ground loop, the circulators, the refrigerant circuit, and flow-temperature optimisation.

Typical Ground Source Heat Pump maintenance checklist

A practical starting point for planned preventive maintenance. Always refer to the manufacturer's O&M manual and site-specific requirements.

Visual Checks

  • Inspect strainers and any heat exchangers for fouling

Functional Checks

  • Check ground loop pressure and top up the water/glycol mix as needed
  • Verify glycol concentration and inhibitor condition for freeze/corrosion protection
  • Inspect ground loop and source-side circulators for operation and leaks
  • Verify refrigerant circuit performance — pressures, superheat, subcooling
  • Check source-side flow and return temperatures are within expected range
  • Confirm flow temperatures on the heating side are optimised (lower is better)
  • Verify controls, weather compensation, and setpoints

Safety Checks

  • Carry out F-Gas leak checks as required by the refrigerant charge

Record Keeping

  • Record performance, ground-loop pressure, glycol, and F-Gas data in the log

Typical maintenance frequency

Suggested intervals for ground source heat pump (gshp) maintenance. Actual frequencies should follow manufacturer guidance and site-specific risk assessments.

Annually

  • Full service and F-Gas leak check
  • Ground loop pressure and glycol test
  • Circulator and strainer check
  • Refrigerant performance and controls optimisation

Common faults and issues

Issues to be aware of when maintaining ground source heat pump (gshp) equipment.

Ground loop pressure loss reducing source-side flow and efficiency
Weak or degraded glycol risking freezing or corrosion in the ground loop
Circulator failure on the source side starving the evaporator
Refrigerant leak lowering efficiency and breaching F-Gas duties
Flow temperatures set too high, eroding the GSHP's efficiency advantage
Strainer or heat exchanger fouling reducing heat transfer

Safety and compliance notes

Key safety considerations for ground source heat pump (gshp) maintenance. This is general guidance only — always follow OEM instructions, statutory requirements, and your organisation's safe systems of work.

Only F-Gas certified engineers should work on the refrigerant circuit
Maintain correct glycol concentration to prevent ground-loop freeze damage
Isolate electrically before access
Use correct inhibitors and avoid mixing incompatible glycols
Keep F-Gas records up to date as a legal requirement
How PM Assist helps

Managing Ground Source Heat Pump documentation with PM Assist

PM Assist helps FM and building operations teams search their O&M manuals and building drawings in seconds. Upload your ground source heat pump (gshp) documentation and ask questions like “What is the ground loop pressure and glycol concentration?” or “What flow temperature is the GSHP set to?” — and get source-cited answers instantly.

See PM Assist answer questions about a real ground source heat pump manual — try the live demo, no signup needed.

Take this checklist with you

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Frequently asked questions

Manage your building documentation with AI

PM Assist gives FM teams instant access to O&M manuals, drawings, and maintenance knowledge — all searchable with AI.

  • Upload and organise building documentation
  • AI-powered search across all your manuals
  • Source-cited answers for maintenance queries
  • Team collaboration and access control
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