Kansas City HVAC Systems And Inspection
It’s Nice When They’re Hot, But Not THAT Kind Of Hot
There are 5 major areas in every home. And no matter how big or how old it is, they are always the same:
1. Foundation
2. Plumbing
3. Roof
4. Electrical
5. HVAC
These 5 areas also make up our Major-Items Inspection and form the basis of our discussion at the end of every inspection because they not only mean the most to me, but to everyone else who’s ever bought a home.
And when it comes to feeling comfortable in your own home, that means the HVAC systems. These are the things that keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
In Kansas City, that means air conditioners, heat pumps, furnaces, and sometimes even boilers.
Let’s talk about the basics of what these are, how they work, where you’ll find them, and how long they’ll last.
Then we’ll talk about how they get inspected.
HVAC Heating Systems
Furnace
Either gas or electric, these units deliver heat to your living spaces and the size of the unit (measured in BTU’s) depends on the size of the home.
Lifespan: 20-25 years
Air-To-Air Heat Pump
This is an air conditioner that works in reverse. It provides both cooling and heating to your home from the same piece of equipment (if you’ve ever seen an a/c running in the winter, that was a heat pump).
In heat mode, it extracts hot air from the cold air outside to heat your home.
It’s efficient down to about 35° F. Lower than that and it starts to cost more than $1 to get $1 worth of heat.
As the temperature continues to drop, the thermostat will automatically switch to the furnace for heat.
Lifespan: 20-25 years
Geothermal (Ground Source) Heat Pump
Instead of using outside air, this type of heat pump exchanges energy with the ground, which is a constant 60°all year round in Kansas City.
Since a heat pump is efficient down to 35°, that makes this design greater than 100% efficient.
The only downside is that it’s expensive.
Prices range from $12k-$45k based on size, type, ground conditions, and location.
Lifespan: 25-50 years
Boilers
Boilers were used in Kansas City around the turn of the 19th century and believe it or not, there are still some alive today.
They’re mainly used as a backup heat source, but a lot of historic homes still use hot water radiant heat as their primary heat source (which happens to be a great way to heat a home full of wood floors, wood trim, wood ceilings, and wood furniture).
One thing has changed, though. They were originally fueled by coal, today they’ve all been converted to natural gas.
Lifespan: 50-75 years
HVAC Cooling Systems
Air Conditioner and Heat Pump
Air conditioners and heat pumps are essentially the same thing with the exception of a reversing valve.
The reversing valve is inside the exterior unit and lets the heat pump reverse the flow of refrigerant so that it’s able to provide both heating and cooling from the same unit.
This allows the unit to take the cold air from the hot air and use it to cool your home.
Lifespan: 20-25 years.
Common question: “My A/C looks too small. What do you think?”
The answer is not that simple because your A/C does 2 things:
1) It cools the home
2) It removes humidity
If the a/c is too big, the HVAC systems shuts off as soon as the temperature is reached.
But it doesn’t run long enough to remove moisture from the air. So your home is clammy and uncomfortable.
If the HVAC systems is slightly undersized, it might run longer, but it’s doing a better job.
Moral of the story: Sometimes smaller is better.
By the way, it takes about 1 ton to cool 500 sq.ft. of Kansas City living space.
The HVAC Systems Inspection
Cooling Equipment
The exterior a/c unit and heat pump (cooling side) are operated, tested, and checked for excessive noise, ice build-up, rust, damage, movement, and cleanliness.
NOTE: The a/c system and cooling side of heat pump are NOT tested when the outside temperature has been less than 60° for 24 hours straight.
Heating Equipment
Furnace And Heat Pump (heating side)
Tested and operated for proper operation, rust, water damage, corrosion, dirt, bad ductwork, and excessive noise.
If the furnace is gas fueled, the gas lines are also checked along with any signs of malfunction and Carbon Monoxide hazards.
The furnace and heat pump (heating side) can both be tested (briefly) in the summer.
Boiler
Tested and operated during cooler weather. In warm weather, a shutoff keeps it from operating while the outside temperature is warmer than the inside temperature.
Its purge control is checked along with water pipes, flames, vents, and the overflow valve.
Due their age, many boilers need regular maintenance by a professional HVAC company.
Airflow
This is pretty straightforward.
The system is operated, tested, inspected, and measured to make sure air is blowing hard enough – and at the proper temperature – through all the vents – especially the ones furthest away from the furnace.
Ductwork is also inspected for loose, corroded, and disconnected seams.
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