How often should home air conditioning be serviced?

Once a year for a typical home system. Many manufacturers also make regular servicing a condition of their warranty.

Is air conditioning servicing a legal requirement?

Leak checks are a legal requirement for systems holding 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent of F-Gas or more. Most single home units are below that, but servicing is still recommended.

Can I service my own air conditioning?

You can clean the filters yourself, following the manual. Work on the refrigerant must be done by an F-Gas certified engineer.

How Often Should Air Conditioning Be Serviced?

By Bournemouth Air Conditioning. Published 11 October 2026.

Home air conditioning should be serviced once a year. Commercial systems are usually serviced more often, typically twice a year, and larger systems also have legal leak checks under the F-Gas rules, at intervals based on how much refrigerant they hold.

Here is what decides the right interval for your system, what a service involves and the signs that it needs looking at sooner.

Home systems: once a year

For a typical wall-mounted unit in a bedroom, office or living room, one service a year keeps it running properly. Over a year the filters clog, dust builds up on the coils and the condensate drain can start to block. All of that makes the system work harder to do the same job.

There is also the warranty. Many manufacturers make regular servicing by a qualified engineer a condition of their warranty and ask for the records if you make a claim. Check your warranty documents to see what yours says.

A unit used mainly for heating through the winter works just as hard as one used for cooling in summer, so the same once-a-year rule applies.

Commercial systems: usually twice a year

Systems in offices, shops and server rooms tend to run for longer hours and in dustier conditions than a home unit. A server room unit may run around the clock. For most commercial sites a service twice a year is sensible, and some sites need more.

If you have several units on one site, a planned maintenance schedule means they are all looked at on a set timetable rather than when something fails.

What the F-Gas leak check rules say

Separate from servicing, the F-Gas rules set legal minimum intervals for leak checks. They are based on the amount of refrigerant in the system, measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent. That figure depends on how many kilograms of refrigerant the system holds and how strong a greenhouse gas that refrigerant is. According to GOV.UK:

5 tonnes to under 50 tonnes CO2 equivalent: leak check at least once every 12 months.
50 tonnes to under 500 tonnes: at least once every 6 months.
500 tonnes or more: an automatic leak detection system is needed.
If an automatic leak detection system is fitted, the time between checks can be doubled.
Hermetically sealed systems holding less than 10 tonnes CO2 equivalent have no maximum interval.

Most single wall-mounted home units hold well under the 5 tonne threshold, so the legal leak check rule often does not apply to them. Larger commercial systems are a different matter. The refrigerant charge is usually shown on the outdoor unit's label, and your engineer can work out where your system sits.

What a service includes

A proper service is more than a filter clean. Ours covers:

Filters cleaned or replaced.
Indoor and outdoor coils cleaned.
Refrigerant charge checked and leak tested.
Condensate drain cleared.
Electrical connections checked and tightened.
Controls and thermostat tested.
Performance checked in both cooling and heating modes.
A written report.

You should get a written report of what was checked, which is worth keeping with your warranty documents. Only an F-Gas certified engineer should work on the refrigerant side of a system. Ask for the engineer's certification number.

What you can do between services

On most home units the filters slide out from behind the front panel. Your user manual will say how to remove them and how often to clean them. Many manufacturers suggest every few weeks during heavy use. Switch the unit off first. Leave the coils, the refrigerant and the electrics to an engineer.

Signs it needs attention sooner

Weaker airflow or the room taking longer to cool or heat.
A musty smell when the unit starts.
Water dripping from the indoor unit.
Ice on the pipes or the outdoor unit in cooling mode.
New rattling, buzzing or grinding noises.
Higher electricity bills with no change in how you use it.

Any of these is worth a call. Low refrigerant usually means a leak, and under F-Gas a known leak has to be found and fixed, not just topped up.

Book a survey or service

We service all makes and models, including systems we did not install. See our air conditioning servicing page, or commercial air conditioning for planned maintenance. We cover Poole, Ferndown and the rest of the area. Call 07910 686513 to book.