TOPIC: What is the best way to check an ac unit?

Got it. And thanks for clearing things up for me a little, David. BTW, I started to email you about a month ago. I was at a 100 yr old house with a boiler and radiator system. I was actually a little relieved when I found there was no water to the house, and the gas was turned off. I read up and studied the boiler system, but I'm not confident I could have given it a qualified inspection. What was confusing to me was the absence of an expansion tank. I found a pressure reducing valve, pressure relief valve, and temp gauge. The burner area was severely charred and looked like it was full of rust and soot. The client said he was going to upgrade to a forced air system anyway, but I wanted to check the thing to satisfy my curiosity. Each radiator had in and out lines, and there were in and out lines at the boiler, which I assumed "closed system", but no expansion tank. When is an expansion tank not necessary?

If your client is really concerned about HVAC evaluation, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot hire an HVAC contractor to do that part of the inspection for you.

It is not uncommon for me during large home inspections and commercial inspections to be hiring HVAC and other outside contractors to do some of the work. Just contact some local contractors and tell them what you're looking for and if they're interested in working with you. Simply add on their fees plus your markup and add it to your inspection report.

If someone is not willing to pay the markup for an HVAC evaluation during a normal home inspection, I do the same thing I described above (nothing more and nothing less) to determine what I need in that limited inspection.

So basically even though I have a degree in HVAC system design, I do nothing more than a home inspection standard of practice evaluation on equipment if I'm not being hired to do anything otherwise.

Trying to overstep our scope can have many adverse effects on your business. HVAC evaluation is simply just something that is not part of home inspection. The client should be made to understand this.

When you're interviewing your client asked them if they are concerned about the HVAC equipment and to what extent they want it inspected. If they are interested in knowing more, you just arrange for someone else to be there with you.

Understood, David. And thanks again for the input. Makes basic common sense.