The inspector shall inspect:
A. the central cooling equipment using normal operating controls.
II. The inspector is not required to:
A. determine the uniformity, temperature, flow, balance, distribution, size, capacity, BTU, or supply adequacy of the cooling system.
B. inspect window units, through-wall units, or electronic air filters.
C. operate equipment or systems if exterior temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or when other circumstances are not conducive to safe operation, or may damage the equipment.
D. inspect or determine thermostat calibration, cooling anticipation, or automatic setbacks or clocks.
E. examine electrical current, coolant fluids or gases, or coolant leakage.
If you ask me this is pretty weak. Accoriding to the NACHI standards all you have to do is turn the system on and see if it is cooling. How do you determine if it is operating properly??
There have been many dicussions on this of these boards. Some of you will agree and many of you will disagree. However, I think these standards need to be a little more specific. Can you imagine being pulled into court over this. The judge asks: How do you inspect the Cooling system. Your answer: Per the NACHI standads. The judge asks: and what is that? Your answer: I turn the system on and if it blows cold air it is working.
There are many things to check on and AC system. You can stand by these standards. If you do, I think you can expect problems. I check the coil fins of the condenser unit, the running load and fan amperage compared to the label, the shut off rating on the label compared the the actual breaker or fuse, the capacitor wiring (just looking for any burned wires) the air handler coils, the taping around the plenum, the duct system in the attic, air flow, and temperatures at the register. Usually there is no point in taking a temperature drop, as there will problems with the system that need to be corrected before a proper drop can be taken.
Now, I know I will catch flack from some of you for this, but I have never had anyone come back at me on an AC unit. I give them enough information so they know the condition it is in. After that, they can decide if they want to repair or replace it depending on the costs.