As an inspector and a homeowner, finding ways to save money is what we all want. Some ways to save money are right under our noses (or over our heads in some cases…) In reading the two articles , “10 Easy Ways to Save Money and Energy In Your Home” and “15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own”, there are so many, easy and practical ways we could all use the every day tools that hang out in our garages to save a little green. From caulking and sealing windows to replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED and compact fluorescent bulbs, saving some cash on your electric bill could really add up over the course of a year. These two articles are a nice little reminder of things we all need accessible and ways we can more responsibly use energy.
I inspected the heating and cooling system of a residential home. The thermostat is located in the dining room on the south wall next to the closet containing the central heating and air unit. I operated the unit using normal operating controls. There is also a combination unit upstairs. The thermostat is on the south wall (closest to the street) next to the stairs. The upstairs unit is in the attic.
The attached picture shows one of the two evaporator/condensers. The unit on the left has vegetation growing around it which includes vines. I recommend keeping the vegetation away from the units to ensure efficient operating conditions.
Thomas Ailstock
Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC
Homeowners can (and should) perform routine inspections on their central air-conditioning systems. The exterior condenser unit should be cleaned and kept free of debris. The filters inside the home should be changed at regular intervals to ensure the unit performs at maximum efficiency. Gromicko (n.d.) states that a dirty air filter will degrade the air quality within the home and cause strain on the air-conditioning system.
Thomas Ailstock
Blue Bear Home Inspection, LLC
Reference:
Gromicko, N. (n.d.). Central air-conditioning system inspection. InterNACHI. Retrieved from http://www.nachi.org/central-air-conditioning-system-inspection.htm
Inspecting HVAC systems for a home inspector will likely not include a full diagnostic of the system however some tell tale signs can alert the home inspector of issues that he or she may want to alert the homeowner to.
Starting with the AC, generally running the AC will tell right away if it runs at all however a quick check with an infrared thermometer will allow you to point and read at the supply and return registers what the difference in temperature is between supply and return air (often called Delta T)
Generally speaking this should be between 18°F - 22°F for Air Conditioners. For instance a 78°F Return Air or Room Temperature should yield about 58°F supply temperature from the supply registers in the rooms. It is best to take the return air or room temperature right at the return grill or suction side of the fan, generally found at the base of the air conditioner on a up-flow found in a hallway or the large intake where the filter is found in a ceiling on a horizontal found in an attic.
Anything below 18°F Delta T may indicate mechanical issues or airflow issues involving ductwork etc. This is for a qualified contractor to determine.
Anything above 22°F points to airflow restrictions such as undersized returns or supply or even dirty filters may cause the same issues. Again a qualified contractor should be called to determine the issue.
The same is true of forced air heat. Generally a heat rise or Bonnet capacity will tell what the heat rise should be across the heat exchanger. If the bonnet capacity were 40°F then a measurement of 78°F at the return should yield a 118° F discharge air at the supply registers in the rooms being heated. If these temperatures are greater than or less than 40°F Delta T Than air flow issues or perhaps gas pressure issues may exist and a qualified service specialist needs to be called. Measurements above 40°F across the heat exchanger as in our forgoing example for prolonged periods will likely crack the heat exchanger and carbon monoxide (CO) will enter the home.
Lastly it is a good idea to inspect the condition of the condenser coil to see if there is oil around the coil. this is indicative of a refrigerant leak and will likely be noticed in your measurements of supply and return air, in addition to the forgoing a CO meter can assist in measuring any CO present at the inlet of the heat exchanger and assist identifying any cracked heat exchangers wherein furnaces with high delta T’s above bonnet capacity have cracked the heat exchanger and are no longer safe to run. Qualified Contractors will be required to change the forced air furnace.
The forgoing are quick and easy inspections that do not take long however a quick accurate measurement can tell the inspector that he or she should alert the homeowner to potential mechanical cooling or heating issues that may require further inspection during a HVAC maintenance inspection that should be done at least bi annually by a qualified service contractor
From InterNACHI Inspection Forum - Reply to Topic http://www.nachi.org/forum/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=61526#ixzz3lBGhEPuL
I recently had outdoor AC unit replaced. The date it was manufactured was in May 2014.
The AC installers replaced a small section of insulation on the suction line but failed to mention the damaged insulation around the existing suction line.
I inspected my house for the Air conditioner. This unit for the downstairs is about a year old. We replaced it last july. The lines are well insulated and I noticed to rips opr tears in the insulation. The air handler in the crawlspace has a pump attached to help force the water to the outside of the crawlspace because of insufficient slope for gravity to work. I got a 21 degree difference in the return air and at the registers. Everything appears to been operating as designed.
For my reading assignment I read, Inspecting furnaces which pretty much hot the high points of the course I just completed. I also read, Mudjacking. I know its not relevant to the course but I have heard the term before and was never really sure what it meant. It was a very interesting article and I can say that I now have a clear understanding.
As a requirement of this course I am inspecting the HVAC system. The unit is a carrier Mid-Efficiency gas forced air. The unit is located in the attic and the condensing unit is located out side. The thermostat is in the hallway downstairs. The unit operated fine using normal operating controls.The duct work all comes off of one plenum . The duct work looks to be connected as should be. The Return duct has som damage and needs to be checked.
I would recommend to the client that the duct work be checked by a qualified service technician.
The first article I read was central air condition system inspection. The air conditioning unit is probably one of the least maintained parts of the home, But it should be checked out every year before the season. The coils may not look that dirty but they can hold a lot of dirt. The second article was central humidifiers. They seem to be a lot of pros and cons. Seems to me you would only use them if you were in a very dry climate.
The crawlspace air handler shows evidence of condensation and/or leakage from the pain. Note the corroded screws at the bottom of the jacket and the water beads on the underside of the unit. I recommended cleaning and possible repair. What might you have said here?
For my two articles, I chose one on consumer maintenance and another on indoor air quality. One thing the consumer maintenance article mentioned that I had never thought of was covering an outdoor condenser unit that is not in use during the winter. This prevents undue wear and tear on the unit. The indoor air quality article mentioned two good tips: washing new bedding and drapes and using more hard surfaces in the home. In my experience, both changes have drastically improved our indoor breathing.
Hello, starting another class.
The attached picture is of a HVAC system that I had installed in a 2 bedroom condo. As you can see, the ducts coming off the top of the unit are unnecessarily twisted. This causes resistance and reduction of air flow. The installer said that he hooked the ducts to the trunk and plenum before the unit was pushed into place and then twisted them as he pushed the unit back. I had him shorten and straighten the ducts with the unit in place.
For this assignment I read all 5 of the IR camera articles. I couldn’t imaging not using IR whenever possible. Other than in unoccupied non-basement homes with no utility services and lack of recent rain, IR technology is bound to locate some areas of concern. I’m very excited to learn that many new cameras take standard and IR shots at the same time. This makes explaining the IR image to the customer very easy.
Heat_pump.zip (223 KB)
The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was inspected by A. Snyder. Annual maintenance of the heating and cooling equipment is essential for safe and efficient performance, which will maximize the system’s useful life. The result of our visual and operational inspection of the heating and air condition system are described below.
The home was heated by a Bryant electric heat pump.
Serial number: 3004A86320
Model Number: FB4BNF024 which is approximately 11 yrs. old.
The unit was located in the basement of the home.
Termination of the condensate lines were raised above the floor drain and trapped.
The heating system was found to be functional.
The disposable filter was clean and should be replaced on a regular basis to maintain the efficiency of the system.
The control for the heating and air conditioning unit was a 24 volt thermostat located in the hallway. The thermostat was manufactured by Bryant and found to be in working order.
The electric outdoor heat pump condensing unit was a Bryant
Model Number: 650ANA024-E
Serial Number: 2004E01534
The unit is approximately 11 yrs. old.
The unit is located in the rear of the home.
Periodic preventive maintenance is recommended to keep this unit in good working order. The cooling system was found to be functional.
I read the article of humidifiers. Central humidifiers are directly connected to the heating system and provides moisture to the air by vaporizing the water collected. The vapor is distributed throughout the home and adding moisture to the dry air.
I read the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning article. The article lays out in detail how much carbon monoxide exposure causes health hazards. Strategic placement of carbon monoxide detectors are important in protecting family members from accidental poisoning. Exposure to carbon monoxide can occur when fuel burning appliances are malfunctioning or improperly installed.
I read two articles one about the Humidifiers and one about Swamp coolers.
Both of the articles were very informative and Increased my knowledge of both systems. I see a lot of humidifiers in my neck of the woods
I have never inspected a swamp cooler. I don’t do Commercial inspections and they are not real common in Michigan.
Larry Crager
I read an article on central air-condition system inspections. It gave some good tips for home owners to help them maintain their equipment. Some of them where to remove leaves and other debris, and trimming foliage back from the out door unit. It also talked about checking the condensate drain. When the system is off for the winter season the dust in the trap dries and sometimes blocks the drain from working. This is one of the most common service calls in the spring. Some contractors install a “T” with a cap to allow easy cleaning.It would be a good idea to make sure that it flows freely before the beginning of the season.
This is a gas furnace. Note that black pipe supplies the gas to the furnace through a flexible gas line. Black pipe passes through the cabinet wall. A drip leg or sediment trap is missing.
I read an article about identifying and describing heating systems.It stated that there are just four ways to identify and describe most heating systems; and they would be:
- the heat conveying method
- the fuel used
- the nature of the heat
- the efficeincy and capacity of the system
The mediums are air, water, steam, and electricity. The fuels could be: fuel oil usually #2 in residential systems. However in some commercial systems it could be #4 or #6, natural gas, propane, coal, electricity, wood, kerosene, and wood pellets. The nature of the heat could be: forced hot air, hydronic or hot water radiators], steam, and electric.
Under electric heating systems there are several types. There electric baseboard radiators. Which is just a electric element that radiates heat with out a fan. There are also electric baseboard radiators that are oil filled, they hold the longer and are more efficient. There are forced hot air heaters that just have a heat strip which looks like a toaster oven] in them. The fan just blows air over the coils to send warm air out the attached duct work.The final system would be a heat pump which absorbs the heat from the outside air and brings it inside. It is basically a central air conditioner, but with a few extra parts in it. The main one being a reversing valve.
