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I scheduled an appointment with an inspector but he says he can't turn on the air conditioning unit to check its function unless its at least 65 degrees out, or risk damage to the motor. High temperatures are currently 60-65 degrees so its doubtful. Sellers can easily say they only know it to function since they probably haven't turned it on since last September. What do people do about this in cold climates? My last purchase was in CA where its always over 65.
Location: Mokelumne Hill, CA & El Pescadero, BCS MX.
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It was my understanding that the efficiency of the system drops substantially when the temps are that low. Running it for a few minutes to determine it's operation as I recall doesn't hurt the system.
The various lubricants and components in the outdoor compressor vary by age and manufacturer. Some units are fine to operate in any weather, while others are at risk. I agree that a service company or a better trained home inspector should be consulted.
I just had an inspection Friday and the guy used a handheld temperature meter and showed me the temp difference it read when placed in front of the vent. Based on this tool he told me the A/C was functioning very well. I took his word for it. I'm in Michigan.
Last edited by tryin2buy; 04-19-2010 at 05:54 PM..
Reason: typo
A basic home inspector is fine but I usually like an HVAC contractor to check out the system. In short my answer is to contact such a contractor. That said, it's correct that with low temps they can't truly test the AC. I'd ask the contractor to check it out to the extent they can and they depend on the seller's property disclosure - (if that's not provided, ask for a statement that the AC is in working order).
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