How do you guys report

[wsiegel]

AC systems that have been off in these forclosures or short sales for a couple of months. By the time we get in there and turn them on, there is not enough time for the unit to cool down and balance out.

[Bruce A. King]

I see lots of these vacant ones on hot days. Check the heat mode first to get it out of the way. Observe the inside temperature. Depending on the time of day and the outside temperature there are other things you can do. I have dropped the attic stairs and opened windows to let lots of air go up into the attic to make it more bearable up there for the inspection. Turn it to A/C and check for airflow as you work your way around the house. The outside unit should be discharging some really warm air after the unit has run for awhile. The suction line should be cold at the exterior unit by now. The temperature split will not be much more than 10-11 degrees on these vacant heat saturated houses unless it has a larger than typical system. Its a judgement call at this point.... did the temperature in the house drop at least a few degrees during the inspection? Did the house have direct sun on it the whole time? No window coverings present?

If the client is there I explain to them that the house will not likely cool down on a hot day during move-in activities until the sun goes down.

You will typically find something wrong with the HVAC system anyway that needs a service call.

[hspinnler]

Thanks for sharing Bruce. Basically, when you come down from an attic that's 130 degrees, the "heat saturated" interior is typically in the 90's with dead air space. Lately, I've had to step outside to cool off and maybe catch a slight breeze. If the the home has been vacant awhile and there's no evidence of recent servicing, (for example dirty filters or there's old dates on service stickers), those are additional reasons to recommend servicing prior to use.

[Tim Spargo]

I'm just finishing up a report before I hit the bricks again today.

Don't know about all areas, but I have to reverse what Bruce does for my afternoon appointments. As it is too hot for the Thermostat to work The thermostats only go up to 90 degrees and many times it's hotter than that in the home. If all goes well, the home will have cooled down enough to test the furnace...

If the AC doesn't work, which sucks BTW if it's my last stop of the day... I've used the igloo things in my ice chest to lower the thermostat temps, if only temporary to allow me to cycle the furnace.

Or, if it's way too hot in the home and I can't cool it down... I'll simply explain that in my report/summary.

Thankfully this summer hasn't been too bad for here, which is usually 100+ on a daily basis. Still plenty of time to warm up again though.

[Richard Fitzwater]

if it's way too hot in the home and I can't cool it down... I'll simply explain that in my report/summary.

Thankfully this summer hasn't been too bad for here, which is usually 100+ on a daily basis. Still plenty of time to warm up again though.

Here in "Hell Paso" same problem checking heaters (Too hot inside). Cool the home wait half hour with the cooler off before hitting the heat. (don't want to damage anything.

[Paul Pendley]

Why not turn the unit on when you show up and make that the last thing you inspect???

[Brian E. Kelly]

Phoenix equals HOT,,, turn the ac in first thing, two hours later test the gas furnace...

If the unit does not get cold, i write it up.

If the house is too hot and the furnace will not come on, i write "the house was too hot and the furnace would not come on, have it checked........bla bla bla"

I recommend that all clients obtain any and all service records for the HVAC System. If there are no records, or if the records are more than a year old, I recommend a service...

[Blaine Wiley]

The first thing I do is turn on the A/C unit, if there is one. If the house hasn't dropped in temperature by the time I check it at the end of the inspection, and it doesn't pass the "beer can in the fridge" test, it isn't working properly. Two to three hours is plenty of time to determine whether a unit is functioning or not.

Most foreclosure units are in need of service anyway.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by ppendley

Why not turn the unit on when you show up and make that the last thing you inspect???

I am with Bruce on this. Seems to depend on local climate, as to your procedure.

Last Friday, 10:00am appt., (already been a week of 90's with high humidity) I showed at 9:30am and already 85f and humid. I entered the home to start the heat mode to get it out of the way and end the inspection with the cool AC running. Heat kicked on immediatly. Should have, as the listing claimed a new HVAC unit installed recently.

I returned outside to await the client, and set-up my ladder to inspect the roof. The client showed as I was climbing down off the roof. We went inside to get the necessary paperwork signed, and it was cooking in there! Inside temp had climbed 10 degrees in 45 minutes. (Purposely), I commented that the heat really works well, they agreed, and opened a few windows. I told my client that I would switch over to A/C after a short cool-down of the unit. I/we returned outside for the exterior inspection.

It did not take very long for me to find, or should I say not find, that there was NO A/C unit on the premises. I mentioned this to my client and they said they were told by the agent that it had a new HVAC installed a short while ago. Assuming the unit may have been stolen, I searched and searched, but no signs of there ever being AC (other than a support for a window unit). I checked the furnace, and yes brand spanking new, but nope, no A/c installed. I pulled my copy of the listing, and sure enough it had new Central A/C listed.

The point of my story is... If your procedure is to run the heat before the A/C, on expected hot days, make sure the A/C is actually there and starts prior to running the heat. If no A/C is in the home, I save the heat test for last. After all these years, I sure learned my lesson that day. Never again. Between the high outside temps, the high humidity, the even higher inside temp, and the extreme humidity (lots of water leaks in basement from t-storms all week) it made for one miserable and sweaty day!!!

[Kenneth Dolin]

Regardless of the interior temperature there should still be an acceptable differential between the supply and return. if its 90 degrees in the house, the supply should still meet the minimum differential of 14 degrees