Heating and Air Conditioning inspection

     One of the benefits of using HomeTeam is our high level of service to the buyer, and part of that includes having your heating and air conditioning system inspected by a licensed HVAC technician.  A typical home inspection in Louisville includes some very basic tests of the system, but we go much, much farther than that.  From typical standards of practice, here are the basics:
 
9.0 SYSTEM: HEATING

9.1 The inspector shall observe:

A. Permanently installed heating systems including:

1. heating equipment
2. normal operating controls
3. automatic safety controls
4. chimneys, flues, and vents
5. solid fuel heating devices
6. heat distribution systems including fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with supports,
dampers, insulation, air filters, registers, radiators, fan-coil units, convectors
7. the presence of an installed heat source in each room

9.2 The inspector shall:

A. describe:

1. energy source
2. heating equipment and distribution type

B. operate the systems using normal operating controls

C. open readily openable access panels provided by the manufacturer or installer for routine homeowner maintenance

9.3 The inspector is NOT required to:

A. operate heating systems when weather conditions or other circumstances may cause equipment damage

B. operate automatic safety controls.

C. ignite or extinguish solid fuel fires.

D. observe:

1. the interior of flues
2. fireplace insert flue connections
3. humidifiers
4. electronic air filters
5. the uniformity or adequacy of heat supply to the various rooms

10.0 SYSTEM: CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING

10.1 The inspector shall observe:

A. Central Air Conditioning including:

1. cooling and air handling equipment
2. normal operating controls

B. distribution systems including:

1. fans, pumps, ducts and piping, with supports, dampers, insulation, air filters, registers
and fan-coil units
2. the presence of an installed cooling source in each room

10.2 The inspector shall:

A. describe:

1. energy sources.
2. cooling equipment type.

B. operate the systems using normal operating controls.

C. open readily openable access panels provided by the manufacturer or installer for routine homeowner maintenance

10.3 The inspector is NOT required to:

A. operate cooling systems when weather conditions or other circumstances may cause equipment damage.

B. observe non-central air conditioners

C. observe the uniformity or adequacy of cool-air supply to the various rooms

In a nutshell, this is a very topical look at your HVAC system.  We do all of this, of course, and much, much more.  And remember that most home warranties require you to have a licensed HVAC tech inspect your system anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone and have us bring him with us?


Next week:  plumbing

Radon mitigation

I've spoken of the high radon levels in Louisville before, but I wanted to give you an idea of how easy it is to mitigate the risk.  As a reminder, radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the US according to the EPA (next to smoking), and the really good news is that it is very simple to keep the radon levels in the home below the recommended mitigation threshold of 4.0 pico Curies per liter (pCi/L).

The system is basically a PVC pipe stuck in the slab of the home on the lowest level that vents to the outside of the home.  A fan housing is attached and runs 24/7, putting a slight negative pressure under the foundation of the home.  That small pressure differential is enough to lower the radon levels significantly.  In fact, we have tested many homes for radon that had an operational radon system in place, and I've never seen a radon level above 4.0 in any of those homes.  Check out the video for more.