Most contractors call it an annual maintenance visit. Some call it a service check-up. Some call it a “seasonal tune-up” (we don’t use that phrase — see below). What most of them do is 20 minutes of light poking around, a new filter, a wipe of the outdoor coil, and a signed invoice.
That’s not maintenance. That’s a service call dressed up.
Here’s what a proper annual visit on a Vancouver Island heat pump actually needs to include, why each piece matters, and how to tell whether the contractor at your door is doing the work or just running the clock.
Why annual maintenance matters more on the Island than in Alberta
Heat pumps are one of the more mechanically involved pieces of equipment in a modern home — variable-speed compressors, refrigerant lines under continuous pressure, outdoor units exposed to whatever the coast throws at them. On the Island specifically, three environmental factors accelerate wear that would take twice as long anywhere inland:
- Salt exposure. Anywhere within a kilometre of the water — Sooke, East Sooke, Whiffin Spit, oceanfront Metchosin, chunks of Colwood, most of Cordova Bay — the outdoor coil accumulates salt from marine air. Left unrinsed, it eats aluminum fins and corrodes copper. A coil that would last 15 years inland can start failing at 8 years on the coast.
- Humid winters, not cold ones. The Island doesn’t punish heat pumps with cold. It punishes them with damp — condensate drain lines that grow bio-film, algae in drain pans, moisture where you don’t want it. A cold Alberta winter freezes bacteria out. An Island winter grows them.
- Debris. Cedar needles, moss, salt-air grit — the outdoor unit collects all of it. Coil airflow drops, efficiency drops, and the compressor works harder than it needs to.
Skip a year and each of these compounds. Skip three years and you’re looking at expensive service calls that a routine maintenance visit would have prevented.
What we actually do (the full list)
Not marketing copy. The actual checklist our techs run through on a maintenance visit:
Outdoor unit:
- Full coil rinse — front, back, and top — with a proper coil cleaner if salt exposure warrants it. Not a garden-hose spray.
- Fan blade inspection and clean. Cedar needles, spider webs, whatever’s built up.
- Compressor housing check. Signs of oil weep, refrigerant staining, physical damage.
- Refrigerant charge check via subcool/superheat readings. Not just “does it feel cold” — actual gauge readings compared to the manufacturer’s target.
- Contactor and capacitor inspection. Both age and both are cheaper to replace on a scheduled visit than after they’ve caused a compressor start failure.
- Mounting pad and vibration isolators — checked for level, settling, and rubber degradation.
Indoor unit or air handler:
- Filter replacement (or cleaning if it’s a reusable). We bring standard sizes; oddball sizes we source in advance.
- Drain line and drain pan inspection. Bio-film treatment where needed. Drain slope confirmed.
- Blower wheel inspection. Dust buildup on the blades changes airflow more than most people realize.
- Coil inspection for dust, mold, or condensate issues.
- Electrical connections tightened and checked for heat discoloration.
Refrigerant lines and insulation:
- Line insulation checked for UV damage or animal chewing (raccoons genuinely do this).
- Any exposed line sets checked for kinks or damage.
- Refrigerant leak check on any accessible flare fittings.
System operational test:
- Full heating and cooling cycle test. Verify capacity, verify defrost cycle behaviour, verify thermostat calibration.
- Temperature split measurement — the difference between return air and supply air. This is the single best real-world test of whether the system is delivering what it should.
- Sound check. A properly-running heat pump has a specific sound signature. Anything off — a new rattle, a compressor cycling more than it should — gets flagged.
Documentation:
- Written report of everything we found, everything we replaced, and everything we’re watching for the next visit.
- If we found something that isn’t urgent but should be addressed within 12 months, it goes on the report — with a rough sense of scope.
What separates a real visit from a box-check
The tell is time. A proper Island heat pump maintenance visit takes 60 to 90 minutes for a straightforward single-head system, longer for multi-head or ducted systems. If your last “annual maintenance” took 20 minutes, you got the filter replaced and a sticker.
The other tell is documentation. If the report was a signed invoice with no findings section, no photos of the coil, and no note on refrigerant readings, the maintenance was a service call dressed up.
What’s coming with the Sasquatch Club
Starting October 1, 2026 we’re rolling out three membership tiers built around the annual maintenance visit. Members get their maintenance visit at member pricing, plus front-of-line priority booking, discounts on any parts and labour if a repair is needed between visits, and a few other benefits that vary by tier. The membership isn’t a repair warranty — heat pump installs still carry their own separate 1-year Sasquatch guarantee — but it changes the ongoing math for anyone planning to keep their heat pump for the full 15-year lifespan.
More on that when we launch the tier detail page.
What to expect from us
We schedule your maintenance visit at the season transition — spring for cooling-season prep, fall for heating-season prep, depending on your priorities and location. Our tech shows up at the confirmed window, works the full checklist, and leaves you with a written report. If something needs attention that we can’t do on the maintenance visit, we schedule the follow-up on the same call — no surprise second visits, no upsell theatre.
Family-owned. Island-grown. 4.9 ★ Google Rated across the Island.
Call (236) 361-8293 to book a maintenance visit, or reach us through our contact page.
— The Sasquatch Field Team
