I'm looking for suggestions on what to ask an HVAC person to look
for when inspecting the equipment on a home we're probably going
to buy. I have a pretty good idea on what to ask, but would
appreciate your experience as well. The home is fairly large,
with 4 Heil A/C units, and 4 upflow gas furnaces of unknown size.
I don't have the model numbers of the Heil units, but see they use
Copeland scrolls. The house is 4 years old, so the equipment is
modern. I'll be getting an overall home inspection as well, but
am planning to ask a local HVAC company we used in the past to
come out to look over the equipment and to make sure all is right.
Specifically, what should I tell them I want done and what should
I ask for? The equipment is in two mechanical rooms, each on
either side of the house, so there's no attic work involved unless
you think there's a reason they should check ductwork in the
attic.

One of the split units does the heating and cooling of a great
room, with a 18' flat ceiling. The dual filter return is on the
blasted ceiling, 18' up in the air. Rather than buy a tall step
ladder for changing the filters, would it be prohibitively
expensive to jack the upflow furnace up a few inches and slip a
filter box under it? Have you ever done this? What other choices
are there for this rather impractical filter location?

The visit would take place during the "due diligence" phase of a
purchase, but before we would close the transaction. The power is
on, so I would expect the tech to cycle the furnaces and AC's to
be sure they start and run. During that time, I suspect he'd
check the refrigerant pressures. Would it make sense at that time
to add refrigerant if needed, or would you have him come back?

Any other thoughts, suggestions or help would be appreciated.
--
Nonny
Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member
of Congress.... But then I repeat myself.'

-Mark Twain
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