Heat pump checkup - what to check?

[JohnH]

I have a couple Lennox heat pumps I want to have checked. Aside from gas pressure and current draw, what else would they check, or should I specifically have them check? I regularly change the filters so they shouldn't need to check those.

I could easily check the current draw with a clamp-on ammeter myself - how good is current draw an indicator of a system health?

Lastly, is it really a big deal to check line pressures? Should I get a set of gauges and Do It Myself?

[papaya]

checking system pressures is unnecessary if it is cooling well, if they were not correct, it would not be cooling well

how is it cooling? fine? then leave the gauges alone

if you feel the need to do something, clean outside coil with lye based coil cleaner and comb out any bent fins on both indoor and outdoor coils

modern HVAC systems are maintenance free, except for keeping the coils clean

"routine maintenance" doesn't extend the life of the system, and could easily damage something that was not broken in the first place

[Stretch]

Papaya,

Cleaning the coil with a lye based coil cleaner will corrode the coil. Why would you want to do that? Better to use a mild detergent formulated for cleaning ac coils.

Stretch