Home Inspection Checklist

Mechanical Systems

During a prepurchase examination, a thorough home inspection will include a review of all the mechanical systems in the home. You should go over each of the bulleted points listed below to make sure each item is in good working order.

√ Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

• How is the heating system in the home fueled? Gas, electric, oil? This is one mechanical system that is expensive to repair or replace so extra care should be taken to inspect it properly.
• What kind of heating system does the home have? The normal life of an oil or gas fired furnace is 15-20 years, a cast iron boiler has a normal life of 30-50 years, a steel boiler lasts from 15-30 years, a circulating pump has a useful life of 10-15 years, electric baseboard has a normal life of 10-15 years and a heat pump lasts from 6-10 years. A home inspection should assess the useful life left in the existing heating system.
• Check the heat source in each room. Does it provide adequate heat? Make sure the number of ducts, size of the radiator, number of baseboard units, etc. are adequate for the room size and location.
• Get a serviceperson to check the condition of the heat exchanger if you have a gas or oil furnace. The heat exchanger can be an expensive repair and it is difficult to determine if there are any problems with it without taking the unit apart.
• Is there a humidifier? Has it been recently serviced with the furnace?
• Check the condition of the air filter on the furnace, if any. Is it clean, or in the case of disposable filters, has it been changed recently?
• Are the radiators in good condition? Notice any leaks?
• If the home has central air conditioning, what is the age of the compressor/condensing unit? A compressor can last from 8-15 years, the condensing coil a bit longer.
• If the a/c is delivered by a heat pump, has it been recently serviced? Heat pumps operate best when serviced yearly and the filter is kept clean.
• Are ceiling fans (if any) in good repair? Inspect them to assure they are quiet and run properly.

• How is fresh water delivered to the home? Does it come through public pipes or a private well? Private wells should be checked for water purity and for adequate flow during droughts.
• What kind of water pipes does the home have for supply and waste? Copper and PVC are standard for supply, PVC and cast iron are standard for waste. Some older homes (20+ years old) that were built with galvanized pipes have experienced rust from the inside out. These pipes may need to be replaced. Lead pipes were also in use many years ago and these should have been replaced due to lead contaminating fresh water.
• Is the water flow/pressure satisfactory in the sinks, showers and tubs?
• Do the drains in the home flow freely? Any sign of leaks?
• If the home doesn't connect to a public sewer system, the septic system should be checked by an expert or a public health authority. Usually, this task is beyond the scope or expertise of a home inspection.
• Check the faucets for leakage and operation. Check the toilets, too. Make sure the toilets are anchored securely to the flange.
• Has any remodeling been done on the bathrooms or kitchen? Ask for a copy of the building permit to make sure the improvements or upgrades are to code and have passed inspection.

√ Electrical

• What is the electrical service capacity in amps? Ideally, the capacity should be between 200 and 400 amps for the average house.
• Where is the main electrical panel? Is it grounded? Are there ample circuits? A home inspection will assess the adequacy of the circuits in the electrical panel.
• Is there a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) on all outdoor outlets? Is there one wherever there is water indoors, such as bathrooms, kitchen counters, laundry room? These should be tested monthly.
• Do all the electric outlets and electrical fixtures (lights, fans) work properly?
• Check for aluminum wiring. This wiring was used primarily between 1960 and 1973 and may need to be replaced due to fire hazard. Copper wiring is the standard.
• Again, if any remodeling was done on the home, check to make sure the proper permits were pulled for electrical work and the appropriate inspections done.

Finished inspecting the mechanical systems? You're ready to move on to the next home inspection checklist "Home Inspection - Fixtures". You can also go back to Preparing a Home for Sale to review the general tips for staging a home for sale there.

Return to Home Inspection - Mechanical Systems.