I completed an inspection recently on an oil furnace and tank. It is always hard to distinguish the type of heating fuel used on some older farm homes, which means you really need to pay attention and look around and find the source. Here there was an oil tank in the cellar area, within 15 feet of the furnace. This was difficult to see as it is painted the same color as the stairs, grey, and blends into the surrounding stone walls. I happened to notice this when I was exiting up the stairs. I was on my way out to the yard to attempt to locate the propane tanks. The key to a successful inspection, is the ability to search out the correct answers, especially when they are not completely apparent.
I was researching the article about missing something in an inspection. I have always prided myself in being very thorough and double checking my work to make sure that I don’t miss things. There have been instances when I have missed something, but usually they are minor and not important items. I have on the rare occasion had to return to collect the proper photos of a hazard that I missed and corrected the situation. I believe that items that are missed are usually a mistake and more often than not, happen when the client asks a question in the middle of inspection, and takes the attention away from the concern at hand. Just remember to be vigilant and return to the inspection right where you left off.
This is a Rheem Air Condition handler. After visiting www.Buildingcenter.org I was able to find the build date of the unit, which is week 2 of 1998. The air filter is clean and the unit appears to be in good working order.
Defrost Cycle of a heat Pump
When outside air drops to around 32 degrees F the system will start a defrost cycle. This is done by the system reversing to the cooling system until it reaches 57 degrees F. The main components that make up the heat pump defrost cycle are a thermostat, timer, and a relay.
I inspected this house about 2 weeks ago. The first photo shows the first of 2 horizontal natural gas forced air furnaces located in the attic. Both of the filters needed replacement, but the units are in good condition and operate as they should. On both units, the primary and secondary condensation drain lines are routed to the exterior of the attic.
There are 2 identical 3 ton air conditioner condenser units outside, mounted at ground level on concrete pads. Both units have some condenser fin damage, but the system operated very well cooling the house from 92 degrees F to the 80 degree thermostat setting within about an hour and a half of being turned on. Not bad on a 100 degree day.
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The first photo is from an air handler part of a heat pump air conditioning system. The second photo is taken from the ground looking up. It shows the evaporator coils. Overall for the age of the unit, the coils are fairly clean.
Inspected Mobile home forced air furnace. Unit was clean, signs of recent preventive maintenance. Newer unit, with electronic ignition. Flame was clean and blue
Read the article, “Check on Your HVAC Systems (Before They Check Out on You)”
I believe that most homeowners don’t realize that an air conditioning system need periodic maintenance and evaluation beyond changing a filter. Many inspectors are accustomed to finding ‘dust bunny’ heaven when they inspect air conditioning systems. In addition to cleaning evaporator coils, a HVAC tech can test electrical components such as capacitors and have them replaced as needed before they fail (usually summer when it feels like the sun is your neighbor).
Maintenance is key when it comes to avoiding the replacement of big ticket items
such as HVAC systems. There are several things a homeowner can do themselves to help prolong the life of their cooling and heating system like cleaning the condenser coils, changeing the filters regularly, and making sure all vents, baseboard heaters and radiators are not blocked in any way. Also it is a good idea to hire a professional HVAC tech to perform yearly maintenance. These simple tasks could save you from having to replace your unit before its full life expectancy.
Things to remember when running into an electric filter on an HVAC unit is good maintenance. Always check the filters to see if they are clean or in need of some serious TLC. Maintaining good air quality and efficiency is dependent on that simple component and can save a client a lot of money in monthly bills. When the system is running you will usually hear some popping aka zapping of air particulates as larger items may come in contact with the filter elements. Time to check those filters.
I read the article on basic maintenance considerations for the outside condenser unit and making sure that the area around is clear enough for good ventilation. Also, making sure to keep the exterior clean and that the fins are straight can both help your unit work as designed and not harder or not at all. Good simple TLC can help your unit operate as designed and thus save you some money.
This is a typical up flow highboy furnace. The 6" warm air outlet is visible here at upper left and the 6" return air inlet duct runs down the wall to within a foot of floor.
The vegetation growing next to this HVAC unit illustrates a common issue that I find frequently. The vegetation within 3 feet of an HVAC unit will hinder proper air movement around the unit which causes a unit to not cool properly. This will result in a decrease of the units efficiency of the unit. Debris from plants can also find their way into the unit which can hold moisture leading to accelerated rusting and they obstruct air movement within the unit.
I selected the article “Visual Inspection of Concrete” for my research report. Concrete is associated with every property a home inspector inspects, so I thought I should brush up on this common building material.
Concrete is a building material that clients are familiar with, but they have little understanding of it. It is also quite expensive to remove and replace. It is beneficial to have the knowledge to identify and explain how incomplete consolidation or cold joints affect the integrity of the concrete.
I found the table on types of concrete cracks and the accompanying explanations very beneficial. The section on foundation walls is also very useful knowledge to have. Cracks in foundation walls are a primary source of anxiety for homeowners.
Type B and L Vent Inspection.
Type B and L vents are only to be used for specific types of appliances. Neither should be used for coal, wood, or pellet burning stoves, fireplaces or other appliances.
It is not easy to differentiate between Type B and Type L vents. They both have double walls but the Type L has a stainless steel inner wall that some inspectors may be able to identify using a magnet. The Type B vent may have a reflective aluminum inner wall.
Type B vents are should not be used with any appliance that produces flue gas temperature greater than 480 degrees F.
Type L vent exhaust gasses should not exceed 570 degrees F (or 926 degrees F for 10 minutes in an over-fire situation).
Most modern furnaces are forced warm air furnaces. Warm air furnaces heat the air by transfer of combustion, from fuel, through metal directly to air. in gravity furnaces heat rises and falls trough the return air duct as temperature drops.
Here is an image of proper propane gas connections to a furnace. The red valve is the main shut off while the yellow valve on the left tees off to the fireplace gas starter. The drip leg can also be seen downstream of the shut off to allow for service.
Private Water Wells:
Very good article about stressing the importance of having your well water tested on a regular basis. Installation of wells is also easier than it may seem to some home owners depending or where you live. In rural parts of Georgia, wells can be very common to see. I have seen two houses built on the same 5 acre tract of land that have different wells dug where one had to be redone in a different location. Even though the wells were less than 200 feet apart, one had very good water pressure while the other was mostly sediment and low pressure. In the case of the one that had to be moved, the home owner spent over $25,000 on their well.
Inspected home’s AC unit. System is a Lennox electric 3 ton Heat Pump manufactured in 1993 (23 years old). Service disconnect breaker is a 60 AMP 240 Volt disconnect in good condition. The breaker panel is somewhat brittle from sun exposure but is still serviceable. The insulation on the refrigerant line should be replaced to maximize unit efficiency. The heat pump is securely mounted to the concrete pad. The manufacturers label is damaged from sun exposure but the serial and model numbers are still legible.
I used the Building center.org to find the manufacture date of my furnace. The serial number begins with 6000C, the 3rd &4th digit is the year and the C is the 3rd month. Manufactured March of 2000.
