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The AC Doesn't Work; The Heating Doesn't Work - What's The Problem?

Reblogger
Property Manager with Gibson Management Group, Ltd.

Homeowners wonder why I have the HVAC system of their home serviced semi-annually when I take them for property management...I have seen similar situations in HOMEowner occupied units and I try NOT to have this in my rental units. 

Original content by Jay Markanich 3380-000723

If the thermostat works, the circuit breaker is on, there is electricity to the house and the AC doesn't work; the heating doesn't work - what's the problem?

Glancing in the return in the hallway might lend a clue.

We have many years of dust build up.

Now, people think this is because they don't use a good air filter in the HVAC unit, or replace/clean it enough, or whatever.

The problem in this photo is from general dustiness in the house.  If the house isn't vacuumed often, or dusted, dust happens and the dust floats easily.  Of course it will move with air and if air is being sucked into the HVAC returns the dust will accumulate over time.

Dustiness in the house has little to do with the HVAC filter!

LOOKING INTO THIS RETURN, THE ACCUMULATED BUILD UP IS FROM MANY, MANY YEARS OF GENERAL DUSTINESS!

When you see this kind of build up keep in mind, it is not simply "dust."  It also contains millions, billions probably, of living organisms.

Yummie!

What did I expect to find in the HVAC unit, in this case a heat pump?

More of the same!

Predictably this filter (the washable kind) was so clogged the screen had been getting pulled into the unit.

The electric panel board and the blower inside were similarly caked with dust.

The house is 29 years old.  This is the "replacement" heat pump and is only six years old!

I really don't know how long a heat pump can last without a filter being changed, but could this filter have six years worth of dusty build up?

In the past I have seen the cheap, cardboard filters so caked and the unit actually tried so hard to get air that it collapsed the filter right into the blower!  Not in this case however.  This filter has a plastic frame and isn't that easy to collapse.

One of my (silly) jokes that I grace clients with on home inspections is, "How often once a month should you replace or clean your filter?" 

WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU THAT VERY FEW GET IT AND ANSWER "EVERY SIX MONTHS?" OR "ONCE A YEAR?"

There might be a month here and there when the system isn't used much and the filter does not need replacement.  But once a month is a great rule of thumb!

My recommendation:  while my joke may seem silly, it is intended to be instructive.  Clients don't forget it!  Truly, not cleaning the house and not replacing/cleaning the filter can be an HVAC system killer!  Then, when the system doesn't fire up during a home inspection, the inspector won't have to say, "I think it died from choking on dust!  It needs to be looked at by a licensed professional..."  Well, that guy is in for a good pay day!

 

 

Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC  

Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia

www.jaymarinspect.com


Posted by

Wallace S. Gibson is a Certified Property Manager with over 50 years of property management experience and expertise.  She maintains a specialized property management business in Central Virginia serving Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna and Louisa counties  

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Comments (5)

FN LN
Toronto, ON

Hi Wallace - Regular HVAC servicing saves a lot of money and problems.  Some people have their furnaces break down during the coldest days of winter because their filters were clogged up and waiting for an emergency visit by the furnace repairman can take some time.

Sep 18, 2012 08:55 PM
Wallace S. Gibson, CPM
Gibson Management Group, Ltd. - Charlottesville, VA
LandlordWhisperer

I rarely had these problems in NoCA and NEVER in Hawaii where we only had AC in commercial buildings for the most part....filtering and AIR return are a science best left to PROs

Sep 18, 2012 09:31 PM
C. Lloyd McKenzie
Living Albuquerque - Albuquerque, NM
Living Albuquerque

Excellent reblog Wallace.  This is a vital service that we all need, but here is a twist: Just recently I saw a piece on one of the network tv stations where HVAC Technicians were ripping HOMEOWNERS off.  This industry needs to bee more carefully monitored

Sep 18, 2012 10:00 PM
Michelle Francis
Tim Francis Realty LLC - Atlanta, GA
Realtor, Buckhead Atlanta Homes for Sale & Lease

Wallace, 

Great re-blog.  We agree and have the systems routinely serviced to avoid this issue.  Once a month is great, but few folks actually pull that off!

All the best, Michelle

Sep 18, 2012 10:42 PM
Frank Laisch
Orlando, FL
"The Insurance Guy"

Wallace, It amazes me when people say their AC doesn't work, Change the Filter & have the system serviced will avoid these problems

Sep 18, 2012 11:07 PM