Do any of you try to give ages of A/C evaporators? I do but I’ve had a very difficult time finding out how to decode the serial numbers. Some of the units I see do not have any obvioous manufacturers name. Some that do show the manufacturer have serial numbers that are in totally different sequences than those used on consenders. Since these two pieces of equipment are often replaced separately I want to report how old each is.
Any and all tips or advice is appreciated.
They can be difficult to decode sometimes. You can call the manufacturer with the MN & SN, but I think the age of the evaporator is less important than the age of the condenser, and usually just do a visual and operational check.
So do evaporators have an expiration date too?!!
Just what do you plan to report if the dates don’t match?
It matters if the two pieces of equipment are compatible.
The simple fact that the two pieces of equipment are not designed for use by the same company immediately voids all warranties.
I sure wish you guys would spend as much time money and effort in learning the real principles of HVAC rather than make up more irrelevant information to report in your irrelevant home inspection reports.
As Robert pointed out you can call the manufacturer (both manufacturers) to find out this information. That is what the HVAC supply houses have to do each and every time they order a coil. No one knows the specifics of the evaporator coil off the top of their head and must contact the manufacturer’s when replacing equipment.
When you buy a truck, do you go through it and determine the age of all of the components? If the alternator is not the same age as the engine, what do you do?
Not buy the truck?
Let’s all go back and open up our SOP’s and see where it says that we have to determine the age of anything that is inspected in a home inspection. Let’s pay particular attention to the requirements for home inspectors to analyze the capacity and performance of certain systems in the house. Also about the steps to take to determine the predicted life expectancy of any component in the house.
Then let’s go to the point where it says what we are to report.
You know, things that are inoperative, do not function as intended, and are a safety hazard… There must be something in there about irrelevant information.
… Ah yes, I found it.
It’s in the part where we are allowed to exceed the standards of the SOP if contractually agreed-upon with the client.
I guess that covers providing information that no one understands nor can use and drives participants in the real estate transaction (real estate agents, homeowners, home buyers, repair contractors) through the roof trying to understand what why when and where they have to make the house meet your standard.
Hummmm…
I wonder if this has any effect on the marketing strategy of our business plan?!
I just know there are clients out there waiting on baited breath for home inspectors that can determine the comparative age of HVAC evaporator and condensing units!
Should I consider an e-mail marketing plan, advising all of my past clients that I can now determine the age of evaporator coils so they will call up all their friends and recommend my services because they now found someone who can supply this critical piece of information?
Hey, let’s not stop here! There are date codes on all the major appliances in the house!
Maybe we can even impress the seller by telling them the age of their washer and dryer, that they are taking with them when they move or maybe their personal computer.
Maybe they’ll consider giving us an inspection job if they’re not moving too far away!
More importantly, what was the physical condition and cleanliness of the evaporator coil. How many inspectors take the extra half a minute to look at the underside of the evap coils? Most expensive piece of equipment in the home and the most neglected and abused. I would estimate that a full three quarters of the homes I inspect have not had their equipment serviced in years. Did one last week where the bottom of the coil was 95% blocked with packed in dirt, dust, mold and other nasty gray mat of materials that was not allowing air through the coils. Registers were dripping, dirty streaks down the walls where there were side wall registers. IN short, the age is not what is so important. Is the equipment REALLY working as designed or is it just running. There is a difference. Matters not what the age is if it isn’t working. Giving that kind of information may lead the buyer (your client) to believe their new home’s equipment is performing when in fact it isn’t. To buy the home, move in and find that it does not do an adequate job is not just a diappointment but a disservice. The costs to just clean an evap coil is in the hundreds, that is right hundreds, of dollars. I haven’t done one in years, and they may have found new methods but it used to take 3-4 hours or longer. Back then at $95 an hour it does not take long to rack up a hefty bill.
Dirty indoor coil (heat pump)
Dave,
based on our observations of your recent posts you’re nearing the end of your integrated luminosity accelerator ;~))
can you give me a “projected repair cost”? 
No David has a rebuilt transducer , gives him another 20 years lol
Now you guys are in trouble!!! 
Wow Dave,
I did not mean to push you off the deep end. Your reply to my question was useless and close to beingin insulting. However, it is obvious from yours and other replies that most readers of this forum are not concerned with this question.
Ed Fryday
Space City Inspections, LLC
Seeing your question is useless, so was the answer.
We can go through your standards of practice from top to bottom and come up with half a dozen reasons why you do not need to do what you’re asking to do.
And maybe you can enlighten us as to exactly what you are going to accomplish by obtaining and reporting this information in reference to a real estate transaction.
My verbose reply is because I so many home inspectors are out there to beat out the other inspector by utilizing unproven and unnecessary tactics.
Have you been to court and had to face an attorney who accuses you of not doing stupid crap that other home inspectors out there frequently do and now it is expected to be a standard of the home inspection industry?
So yes, it pushes me off the deep end. You can read time and time again about real estate agents saying stupid stuff like all my other inspectors turn on the water when it’s shut off, or turn on circuit breakers that are tripped/off.
These people begin to expect stupid crap that suddenly becomes a “requirement” in the eyes of people that don’t know what a home inspection really is all about.
So why do we bring this upon ourselves?
What could you possibly expect to achieve by venturing down this road?
When you end up in court because you didn’t turn the water on because it was turned off and didn’t find a leak, you’ll have a real estate agent standing right there saying that the rest of the inspectors that they know turn on the water. The lawyer will then twist things around in the court and make the judge think that you were supposed to take it upon yourself as a home inspector to turn on the water because you know how.
The defense attorney should be shot for even allowing the agent to answer that question since it would be hearsay from an unqualified third party … :roll:
I didn’t hear no gunshots!
Do you know what “hearsay” is?
If other HI’s turn it on for that agent, it’s not hearsay.
Why would that agent be in the court room? Because everyone gets sued when the suing begins. And everyone knows the HI is the one at fault!
Been in court many times as an expert, and that defense attorney should not only be shot but thrown in the garbage bin and shot again. The technical circumstances surrounding why a utility is off and the relative risks of turning it on in each case are not known to the agent … the agent shouldnt have been allowed to even hear that question, let alone answer it …