Water Heater

Water heaters will typically be fueled by natural gas or electricity. During the home inspection, I will identify the type of primary fuel for the heat, capacity, and age of the system. Safety features, such as earthquake restraints and pressure relief valves will be noted.

A common misconception of tank-less “on demand” water heaters is that the hot water will be instantaneous to the fixture. Unless a recirculation system is installed, the hot water still has to travel from the heater to the fixture.

The hot water temperature will also be measured (note: this is not 100% reliable as the tank may be re-heating)

The hot water temperature should not exceed 120 deg F

Heating

Most single family homes are heated by a forced air natural gas or electric heating system. Other heat sources such as heating oil, hydronic, and electric resistance are also used.

The age of a forced air furnace will be identified along with the last service date for the system. The inspection does not involve dismantling the heat exchanger. A heat source will be identified for every room.

Other common issues with heating systems include disconnected heating ducts, condensate leakage from high efficiency furnaces or air conditioning systems, or imbalance of the heating system from floor to floor

Heating system installed backwards at a new home	Birds inside a furnace
Disconnected heating duct in the crawlspace	Condensate drip pan improperly located
Electric resistance ceiling heat	Electric resistance tile floor heating

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