AC and Heat Pump Inspection

Do you remove the cover panel on AC and heat pump cabinets to inspect the interior coils?

Matt whats your background and what kind of training have you had on this type of equipment. I can answer your question better if I know a little about you.

Hi Charley,
I trained/apprenticed with a licensed inspector (20 yrs experience) for a year, have taken all required classroom training for licensing in my service area, and taken all the NACHI online HVAC training courses available.

The inspector who trained me never inspected AC or heat pump coils, nor do the 3 other inspectors I’m friendly with.

I’ve never worked with/for a licensed HVAC tech.

Well I don’t inspect the coils either unless I see massive amounts of lint on the blower motor and or wheel and then only if there is easy excess like taking out 3 or 4 screws I don’t cut any metal fronts. What I do inspect on every HP and or electric furnace is the strip heat and I use a amp meter to determine if the elements are operating. Burnt wires are very common and you can not see them if you don’t remove the cover.

If you are trained and qualified as you stated, HVAC inspections can get you jobs and money. just like any other ancillary service.

I became a HI because of my HVAC abilities. I was drafted.
When people seek you out because of a service no one else does, don’t you think it’s a good thing? Who cares what everyone else does?!

I am inspecting 3 houses concerning HVAC next week.
I also have two coal fired power plants to inspect this month…

Inspect what people need you to inspect.
So many HI’s offer services that people do not realize (or realize but don’t need), like Thermal Imaging. We can see how good it is, but until your customer “needs” your services, they will not bite (at least not for what you should be paid). That’s why people do things for free!

HVAC contractors do not want to, nor do they have the time for inspecting HVAC systems that are working.

Now HVAC is not something you just learn out of a book. There are three parts of the HVAC system and there are three groups of people that do this work. You need to know all three, better then them:

#1 Equipment operation
#2 HVAC system design
#3 Building load and balancing