What's in the Toshiba range here?
AHI Carrier's New Zealand site lists split system high-wall heat pumps, multi-split, ducted and floor console systems for its Carrier and Toshiba range, along with hot water heat pumps, ventilation and light commercial products. Its split system page, which covers both brands, names the Allure Plus, Haori, Shorai Edge and Seiya Classic, each with a brochure to download.
A hot water heat pump heats your cylinder, not your rooms. It's a different job with its own plumbing and council questions, so treat anything you read about space heating as not applying to it.
How often does a Toshiba heat pump need a service?
We couldn't find a Toshiba servicing interval in the documents our researchers could read, and AHI Carrier's warranty page wouldn't load for them. So go by the written terms and the manual for your model. If you don't have them, ask the dealer who supplied the unit.
For heat pumps in general, BRANZ suggests a service check every 2 to 3 years, with the indoor filter cleaned several times a year if the unit gets frequent use. Some brands' warranties ask for a service every year, so check the Toshiba terms before you stretch the gap. A home near the sea or in a geothermal area needs closer attention: BRANZ says outdoor units there need extra anti-corrosive coatings.
What to ask for on the service record
- The date, the model and serial number, and the technician's business name.
- That the filters, indoor coil and drain were cleaned and checked.
- The state of the outdoor unit: its clearances, fins, mounting and any rust.
- Any error code they found, and what they did about it.
- Anything they recommend fixing, written down as a quote rather than mentioned on the doorstep.
Between services
You can
- Clean the filters the way your Toshiba manual describes.
- Keep bark, leaves and plants away from the outdoor unit. BRANZ wants at least 500 mm clear in front of its air inlet and outlet.
- Write down any error code before you call anyone.
- Turn it off at the remote if it starts making a new noise or smell.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Cleaning inside the indoor unit, including the coil and the drain tray.
- Anything involving refrigerant, which is a heat pump technician's work.
- Electrical faults. Prescribed electrical work is for a registered and licensed electrical worker.
- Warranty repairs. Ask the dealer who supplied the unit how AHI Carrier wants a claim made.
Finding someone to service it
AHI Carrier has a dealer finder on its site at ahi-carrier.co.nz. Or send the job through us: say it's a Toshiba, roughly how old it is and whether anything's wrong, so the heat pump servicing specialist who takes it knows what they're walking into.
What we'd do
What we'd do
We'd find the warranty paperwork first and book servicing to the interval it asks for, not to a sticker on the unit. With no paperwork at all, we'd ask AHI Carrier for the terms on that model before deciding whether a service or a repair comes first.