For buyers and sellers
What buyers and sellers should know about the heating and cooling in Jacksonville and Eastern North Carolina.
On a home inspection in Jacksonville and Eastern North Carolina, the heating and cooling system is checked for age, for the temperature differential, and for the moisture it can leave in the house.
What changes the price
A system that is old, a weak temperature differential, and a system that is wetting the attic or the crawlspace are the three findings buyers negotiate.
Age and type
The data plate is read. Heat pumps are common here. So are a gas furnace with a separate air conditioner. A system that is already past a normal service life can be a repair or a replacement cost. That number belongs in the offer, not in the first summer after you move in.
Temperature differential
While the system is running, every return and every supply is measured, in the mode the weather allows. Each group is averaged. The difference between those averages is the delta T. It is compared with the industry standard for that equipment. A number outside that range points to a deeper problem in the system, not one warm room.
Condensate
The water the system pulls out of the air has to leave the house. A line that dumps into the attic or the crawlspace is a moisture problem. It is not a small comfort complaint.
The outdoor unit and the ducts
The condenser is checked for damage, level, and corrosion. Salt air near the coast shortens that equipment. Ducts in the attic or the crawlspace are checked where they are visible for sections that are crushed, disconnected, or uninsulated. Thermal imaging, included on every full inspection, is used to find missing insulation.
The equipment is part of the house
The report names the type and the age, and it shows the condition in photos. You can ask for a repair, a service, or a credit before you close. Sample reports show how that is written.
Heating and cooling is one part of the buyer checklist. Condensate that misses its drain often shows up as moisture in the crawlspace.
No-obligation pricing
Know the age of the system before you buy.
Takes less than a minute.