A/C Testing During Home Purchase Inspection Question (furnace, Air Conditioners, heat)

[richzx14]

I am in the process of purchasing a home in Henderson, NV. The house just went into escrow on 12/30 and has a close date of 1/15/14.

HOUSE DETAILS: Built in 2006, 2,401 SF main home and separate 304 SF casita, single story built by Pulte.

The main and pest inspections were performed yesterday 12/31 and the three main findings were:

1) Separate casita A/C does not work.
2) Outside main line water line has been leaking and there is rust and some discoloration on the pipe.
3) One bathroom had evidence of a former leak where a small spot of black mold was observed. This inspection showed the area is now dry.

There were a number of smaller maintenance findings but nothing major.
The seller will be responsible for repairs to the above 3 items prior to close of escrow.

Overall the Pulte built house is in good condition and I have actually been renting a Pulte 2007 built home just a half a mile away am familiar with the Pulte homes features and what I believe to be very good build quality.

QUESTION ON THE MAIN HOME A/C UNIT: This is a replacement unit for the original A/C unit. I plan to ask the seller for the install date and the warranty details. The unit is a Goodman and I did some research on Goodman A/C units and the overall ratings and comments were not very positive. I understand this is the unit that will come with the purchase - however the home inspector was not able to test the cooling capacity/capability of the unit yesterday as the temperature was below 65 and he said running the unit at below 65 could damage the compressor. SO my concern that is that the combined numerous unfavorable ratings and the lack of being able to test the unit could present a risk when the weather warms up. I will also find out the size of the unit to evaluate the capacity to cool 2,401 SF. I am looking for ideas and recommendations this A/C situation.

This is just one Goodman reference and there many more.

Consumer Reviews of GOODMAN central air conditioners from 08-28-2013 to 11-09-2013

Goodman A/C 678 Reviews by owners/installers with separate comments detailed in the link above.
Very Satisfied 170
Somewhat Satisfied 11
Neutral 22
Somewhat Unsatisfied 34
Very Unsatisfied 441


Thanks in advance and ideas and recommendations are welcomed - and Happy New Year 2014!

[Billy_J]

If you want to be picky about what brand/model A/C, have them lower the selling price $500, $1,000 or whatever and replace it yourself!

[donald cherry]

it is what it is. it may work or it may not,it has not been tested yet, it may be fine and work great. you can always replace. after all it is a used house............

[K'ledgeBldr]

As the old saying goes- buyer beware/

But if you want some kind of assurance, get a quote from a couple of HVAC contractors and use the average cost of replacement as an escrow amount. Then when temperatures are comparable for a test/service inspection you can go from there. But getting the seller to agree is probably an exercise in futility.

[kwong7]

Generally you have to take reviews with a grain of salt since a greater proportion of dissatisfied customers will out report those that are satisfied (happy folks tend to not report, elated and upset folks will definitely report). However, those numbers look horrible. I would do a little more research on various AC units; perhaps you should ask around your region to see which models or brands work best. Next, you should grab at least 3 blind estimates and compare the work proposed and the pricing; this will help you know if you're being BS'd by one of the contractors. Given the season, you should be able to find a pretty good deal on AC components.

[TrapperL]

Around here it takes a 4 ton unit minimum to handle that square footage. I can't imagine that your summer temps are any cooler than South Texas. Goodman is as close to crap as you can get. The seller looked for and bought the cheapest crap he could. It makes you wonder how well he maintained the house or lack of and what he may have just covered up. For the original unit to die in just 8 years would have me asking why. Most units, even the old GE units, last for 20+ years here. And we run ours 8 months out of the year. We ran them this Christmas for an example. Heat pumps here last just as long. If you go thru with the purchase, expect the electric bills to be high and A/C life short. Goodman here doesn't have a good reputation about covering anything under warranty. Best of luck.

[Ohiogirl81]

Your perception of manufacturer reviews is not the seller's problem. Nor is the ambient temperature.

Every purchase carries some risk. Put on your big boy pants and accept it.