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by Wally Conway,
Host
of the Home and Garden Show on WOKV
During a home inspection, it is the desire of the buyer to know
all that can be known about the home. And that desire by the buyer
is matched by the inspectors desire to tell all that can be told.
This is as it should be!
However, sometimes, seasonal inspection limitations conspire to
cause concern. What does this mean?
An example of a common cause for concern is the inspection of heat
pumps, or more precisely, the seasonal limitations confronted by
a home inspector when inspecting a heat pump. Seasonal limitations
- what seasonal limitations?
 A
brief description of how a heat pump operates will make things clear.
An electric heat-pump system has two basic components, a compressor
section located outside the home, and an air-handler section located
inside the home. The two components are connected by loop of cooper
pipe through which refrigerant is pumped by the compressor section.
That was easy. Now to explain further!
In order to cool the home in the summertime, the flow of the refrigerant
is cycled from the compressor to the air handler where air is blown
across the coils in the air handler. This cooled air is then distributed
via the ducts. As the warm air from inside the home flows across
the cold coil in the air handler, that air warms the refrigerant.
The now warm refrigerant is then returned outside to the coils in
the compressor section where it is cooled by a fan. The cycle repeats
until the thermostat tells the system that the home is cooled to
the desired temperature.
In the wintertime, the heat pump operates exactly the same way,
with one exception. When we switch our heat pumps from "cool"
to "heat", we are reversing the direction the refrigerant
flows in the system. This is accomplished via what is known as a
reversing valve. The only significant difference between an "air-conditioner"
and a "heat-pump" is this ONE component, the "reversing
valve", that allows the thermostat to change the direction
of refrigerant flow. All other components operate the same, whether
in cooling mode or heating mode.
So what does that have to do with seasonal limitations? The heat-pump
systems are equipped with protective devices to reduce the likely-hood
of damage to the system from over pressurizations and ice accumulation.
The system designers make the assumption that people intend to cool
their homes in summer and heat their homes in winter. This seems
reasonable to me!
As a practical matter, when a heat-pump system is inspected it
should be inspected in the mode in which it is presently being operated
to preclude damage to the system. Hence, operate in cooling mode
in summer, and heating mode in winter. If the system is off at the
time of inspection, it is common practice to operate in the heat
mode if the outside temperature is below 65 degrees, in the cooling
mode if the temperature above 65 degrees.
What is important to understand is that even given this seasonal
limitation, a proper inspection of the system was performed!
Even though the heat pump is operated in only one mode at the time
of an inspection, virtually every component of the system, from
the ducts to the fans to the compressor, operate the same way in
either mode. The principal component not checked is the operation
of the reversing-valve. It should be considered a proper inspection
to operate the system in only one mode. If the system were forced
to operate in a mode contrary to its design, there is a high risk
of damage to the system!
A respect and understanding of common seasonal inspection limitations
can go a long way in helping buyers to understand their home, their
home inspection, and feel great about the home buying process.
Copyright © Florida HomePro, Inc. and Wallace
J. Conway. All rights in all media reserved.
About the Author: Wally Conway is your weekly Host of the Home
and Garden Show on WOKV, and author of the book "Secrets of the Happy
Home Inspector", available at GoHomePro.com.
Wally's expertise and experience has been sought after by HGTV's "House
Detective", DIY Network's "Finders Fixers", the National Association
of REALTORS®, newspapers, and corporations. As a speaker, writer, and instructor,
Wally blends the right amount of up-to-date information with just the right
amount of humor, insight, motivation, and real-world application. Visit WallyConway.com
for more information!
Reproduction of this article: Permission is granted to use this article
in any media provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety as shown
above, with the authors resource box/bio included including links to http://www.gohomepro.com
and http://www.wallyconway.com
as the original publisher.
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