Home buyer HVAC inspection in Birmingham, AL
A general home inspection notes that the AC turned on. Our home buyer HVAC inspection tells you how old it is, how it is holding up and what it may cost you soon.
A home buyer HVAC inspection goes further than a general home inspection. Zeltman Heating & Air reads the data plates to date the equipment, tests cooling and heating, checks refrigerant type, ducts, drains and venting, compares system size to the house and gives you a written summary you can use before closing.
What a general home inspection skips on the HVAC system
A general home inspector covers the whole house in a few hours. The heating and cooling check is usually brief: does it run, does air come out, is there visible damage. That is useful. It won't tell you whether the system is 6 years old or 19, whether it uses R-22, or whether the furnace has a cracked heat exchanger.
We start with the data plates. The model and serial numbers on the outdoor unit, the indoor cabinet and the coil give us the manufacture year and the refrigerant. Mismatched dates are worth knowing about before you own the house. A new outdoor unit sitting on an old coil is a common example.
Then we test it the way we would on a service call. That means temperature split, refrigerant readings, static pressure and the condensate drain. On gas furnaces we add a combustion test and a heat exchanger inspection. We also compare the equipment size with the square footage, layout and windows, which flags a system that looks badly oversized or undersized.
The result is a written summary in plain language. It covers age, condition, what works, what needs repair soon and a rough sense of remaining life. Many buyers use it to ask for a repair, a credit or a price adjustment while the contract's inspection period is still open.
What our home buyer HVAC inspection covers
- Data plates for age, model and refrigerant type
- Cooling test with temperature split and pressures
- Heating test, with combustion and CO readings on gas units
- Heat exchanger and flue inspection on furnaces
- Rough sizing check against square footage and layout
- Visible ductwork, returns and insulation
- Condensate drain, pan, float switch and signs of past leaks
- Thermostat, electrical disconnect and breaker sizing
Red flags a pre-purchase HVAC inspection can catch
An R-22 system
Equipment that still runs on R-22 can work for years, but any leak means an expensive recharge. Buyers should budget for replacement.
Equipment past 15 years
Data plates sometimes show the outdoor unit and furnace are much older than the listing suggested.
Cracked heat exchanger or venting faults
Rust, cracks, rollout marks and a poorly joined flue point to carbon monoxide risk on a gas furnace.
Water damage around the air handler
Rusted pans, stained ceilings and a missing float switch on an attic unit often mean past drain overflows.
Wrong size for the house
A system much larger than the load short cycles and leaves the house clammy, while an undersized one runs all day in July.
Duct trouble in the attic or crawlspace
Disconnected runs, crushed flex and sweating ducts waste a big share of what the system produces.
How a pre-purchase HVAC inspection works
Book inside your inspection window
Call with the address, your closing timeline and how to arrange access with the listing agent. We schedule around the contract dates.
Run heating and cooling
We test both modes as the weather allows, and check heat pumps in heating and cooling when outdoor temperatures permit.
Inspect the equipment and ducts
We open panels, read data plates, look at the coil, drain and venting, and check visible ductwork in the attic or crawlspace.
Written summary with photos
You get a plain-language summary of age, condition, red flags and repairs to expect, with photos of anything that matters.
Answer your questions
We walk you through the findings by phone, so you can decide what to ask the seller for before the deadline.
What a home buyer HVAC inspection costs in Birmingham
$139 to $286
Most single-system inspections land in this range. A second system, a gas furnace that needs a camera look at the heat exchanger, or hard attic access adds to the price. Repairs are not part of the inspection fee, and any repair is priced separately if you choose to have it done.
Ask for a price (659) 777-4129What moves the number
- How many systems
- Two-story homes often carry a separate system per floor, and each one gets its own inspection.
- Fuel type
- Gas furnaces add combustion and heat exchanger checks, and heat pumps add a test in both modes.
- Attic or crawlspace access
- Attic units over tight framing or crawlspace units take more time than a hall closet furnace.
- Camera inspection
- A deeper camera look at the heat exchanger adds time when the visual check raises questions.
- Timing
- Tight deadlines near the end of an inspection period may need an evening or weekend slot, which can cost more.
Buying a home in the Birmingham area: what we look for
The housing stock here varies widely, and so do the red flags. In 1900s through 1920s homes in Avondale, Forest Park and Highland Park, we look hard at retrofitted ducts and old chimney venting. Around Crestwood, Roebuck and Center Point, the 1950s through 1970s ranches raise other questions. Are the crawlspace ducts sound, do the attic drain lines work, and is the equipment original or a second set?
Subdivisions in Pelham and Helena often have two builder-grade systems between 12 and 18 years old. That can mean two replacements soon after you move in. In parts of Fultondale and Pratt City, rebuilt homes may carry newer systems. Since most of the metro sits within easy reach of our base on 15th Avenue North, a tight inspection deadline is usually workable.
Areas we cover most often
We repair and replace equipment from these manufacturers, plus most other makes.
Questions about home buyer HVAC inspection in Birmingham
A general inspector checks that the system runs and looks for obvious damage. Our HVAC inspection dates the equipment from the data plates, measures performance, inspects the heat exchanger and drains, checks the ducts and sizing, and gives you a written summary focused only on heating and cooling.
The serial number on each data plate encodes the manufacture date, and each brand uses its own format. We read the outdoor unit, the indoor cabinet and the coil separately, since they are not always the same age.
As early as possible inside your contract's inspection period. That leaves time to get repair prices and negotiate with the seller. Call us as soon as your offer is accepted, and we will schedule around your deadline.
Yes. You get a written summary covering age, condition, test results, red flags and likely repairs, with photos. It is written in plain language so you and your agent can use it in negotiations with the seller.
We test what the weather allows. Heat pumps can usually be checked in heating mode in cold weather, while cooling tests are limited when it is very cold outside. We note anything we could not fully test in the summary.
Few findings alone end a deal, but a cracked heat exchanger, an old R-22 system with a leak, major water damage around an attic unit or badly failed ductwork can mean thousands in near-term costs. The summary helps you weigh that against the price.
Related services and reading
- Heat Exchanger and CO Safety CheckA camera and combustion check for cracks, rollout and carbon monoxide risk.
- Indoor Air Quality TestingHumidity, particle and airflow readings that show what is actually in the air.
- Ductwork Repair and SealingDisconnected runs, crushed flex, sweating ducts and leaky joints in attics and crawlspaces.
- Complete HVAC System ReplacementOutdoor unit, indoor unit, coil and controls replaced together as one matched system.
- Repair or replace an older AC: how to decideCosts guide
- Sweating, leaking, crushed: duct trouble in older homesDuctwork guide
Need home buyer HVAC inspection in Birmingham?
We answer 24/7. Tell us what the system is doing and we will tell you what happens next.