Originally Posted By: rwills This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Any suggestions on what may have caused an A/C compressor to stop working the day after I did home inspection?
I mean is that the luck or what? Here's a 17 year old unit (High Efficiency) that was working when I left inspection yesterday. Today, (94 deg.) the seller calls to say the unit is not blowing out cold air. I go back and find that the condenser unit is just humming but not running. As far as inspecting the unit, I did not operate any switches either on the unit, cutoff switch, or main panel. Only took cover off furnace to inspect heat exchanger.
Of course the seller thinks this has to be much more than just coincidence.
Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
It is extremely difficult to overcome coincidence…innocent people are convicted every day because they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and cannot explain the coincedence.
However, it doesn’t hurt to revisit the home and do a walkthru with the homeowner as to what the inspection really entailed…turned it on using the thermostat controls, checked the lines (visually), checked the disconnect (visually) and checked the temperature drop with a thermometer at the vents.
Originally Posted By: rwashington This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Wow! Perfect example why I have this statement in every report.
This inspection report is made under prevailing conditions of the items indicated at the TIME and DATE of the inspection, and it is expressly understood that no warranty or guarantee of subsequent performance of condition of said items is being made by the inspector.
Originally Posted By: rwills This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
To answer Michael’s question! No, I came nowhere near a float switch OR pan, OR any other component that could have caused the unit to not operate. After approx. 1500 inspections, this is the first time anything even close to this has happened. I know without a doubt that it is mere coincidence. I am posting this as a foresight if you will to other inspectors in case they ever find themselves in this predicament. My only out now is that the seller gets an evaluation done by an HVAC tech and his determination shows that I could have not possibly have caused any negative conditions with the unit!
Originally Posted By: dbowers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
You ought to find out if it was cooling AT ALL after you left - if so, I’m so sorry for you Mr. Seller but s#!t happens.
Something I've seen happen several times over the past 25 years is along the same lines, however in my cases it was later the same day. The A/C unit was older (15-20 years old); either the blower, filter or condensor was fairly dirty. I ran the A/C unit for most of the inspection, and it was cooling but on the low side (10-12 degrees TD). At the very end of the inspection I briefly ran the furnace (10 minutes +/-), then turned it off and after it shut down restarted the A/C. It was cooling when I left - 6 hours later the listing agent calls saying the A/C was running but putting out warm air. I must have broke something.
In several instances when I went back the unit had tripped out on its internal overload. Once or twice it was off on the high head pressure switch and twice the compressor was grounded.
Bad luck for the seller - good luck for me and the buyer.
Originally Posted By: dandersen This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
In several instances when I went back the unit had tripped out on its internal overload. Once or twice it was off on the high head pressure switch and twice the compressor was grounded.
Food for thought.
When the furnace is run in the summer and the a/c is turned back on, the head pressure goes way up. If the unit is in need of condensor coil cleaning, the pressure goes over the safty switch limit and trips. It can also damage that worn out old compressor. Just too much work on the old girl.
Originally Posted By: rwills This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Dan B wrote"You ought to find out if it was cooling AT ALL after you left - if so, I’m so sorry for you Mr. Seller but s#!t happens."
Actually, it was running when I left! The last thing I inspected was the crawlspace which had a leaky air duct blowing cold air into the crawlspace. I pointed this out to both the buyer and seller at the end of inspection. 
Originally Posted By: randerson1 This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
If you noted in your report that it was working at the time of the inspection and it was indeed working and your report states that, than you have nothing to worry about. Home inspections do not warranty anything after the inspection is complete. So if something is working at the time of the inspection but isn’t working 2 hours later then it is just pure coincidence and bad luck for the buyer. You should have nothing to worry about in this case!
Originally Posted By: Jay Moge This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
just calculate the amount of money you saved them by noticing costly repairs before they became disasters, minus the cost to repair the A/C and send them the bill.
Originally Posted By: jhugenroth This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
HMMMMMMMM… Humming but not running? Could be just the condenser fan motor. That would be a couple of hundred bucks instead of a thousand for a compressor or 2-3 grand for a new unit. If the fan motor goes, the compressor will still run (that’s the humming)
Originally Posted By: tpszczolkowski This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I work for an HVAC company, it could be just about anything, even a dirty air filter could cause an A/C not to run. Get hooked up with a local HVAC and usually for under $100.00 have certified tech check it out. Better then a lawyer.
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Perfect example why I have this statement in every report.
