How To Assess HVAC Systems As You Buy A New Home

Buying a new home is stressful, especially since you need to consider so many different things you do not know that much about. When looking at HVAC units, most people have no real knowledge about how to make it sure that the system is in a good working condition. Fortunately, there is always the possibility to contact a professional Philadelphia HVAC service. However, this is not always possible and there are cases in which you need to assess the HVAC systems yourself. If this is the situation you are in, here are some simple tips that will help you make a final decision.

Visual Inspection

In most cases you find the air conditioning units, boilers and furnaces in a specific utility area or in the basement. You want to look at the equipment and see if it seems to be in a good working condition. See if the system makes noises or if anything looks weird. Accurate assessments cannot be made based on appearance but whenever something concerning is noticed, you want to seriously consider doing a professional home inspection or hiring HVAC contractors for equipment checks.

System Age Counts

All HVAC equipment has an expiry date. If systems are over 15 years old, there is a pretty good possibility they should be replaced. Most air conditioners, boilers, furnaces, heat pumps and boilers will work for over 15 years. However, this only happens if proper maintenance was a reality. Also, we do have access to technological advances and energy regulations changed. Cost efficiency is simply much higher for the newer models. Really old systems have to be replaced as this reduces utility bills and even increases home security in some cases.

Find Energy Labels

Cooling and heating equipment should have yellow energy labels. This will list energy efficiency and sometimes even operating costs. The Energy Star logo is something that you do want to see. Items qualifying for the Energy Star program are much more energy efficient when compared with typical equipment. Remember that tables list minimum standards though since there are air conditioners, furnaces and even heat pumps that will be so much more efficient than the listed minimum ratings.

Talk About Repairs And Maintenance

Maintenance is always needed for HVAC systems so you do want to be sure you talk about the past maintenance work done. That is especially necessary if you are genuinely interested in making a purchase. Many HVAC technicians will leave dated job tickets as they service equipment. These are mini-maintenance records. If they exist, it is a great piece of information you want to use. If you are told or see on the tickets that larger repairs were done, it is a sign that some problems will appear in the future.

Room Comfort Levels

Last but not least, walk from one room to the next is the HVAC system is turned on. This is important since everything should be as similar as possible. If you notice large temperature differences, there is a pretty good possibility the HVAC system does not work as it should.