HVAC question

[brazeau]

I'm looking to buy an apartment for my daughter. Found one, and had a property inspection done. He indicated the fan coil did not respond to the thermostat so it was not able to be tested. Don't know if this has any bearing but it was a very hot day with inside temp in the high 20's.

My first question: Do fan coils have a life expectancy?

Second question: What is the implication of the fan coil not responding to the fan coil?

Third question: What is worst case scenario money-wise if the fan coil has to be replaced?

Thanks for any insight to my questions.

[Dewey Cox]

That's just not enough info to answer your questions.
My gut feeling is that the switch was turned off. (I dont put much stock in a home inspector's opinion).
It is summer after all.
I would guess that each unit has a fancoil, and its fed hot water from a single source in the building. That whole system might be shut down for the summer.

To get the right answer, you'd have to get a pro out there,.who actually knows what he's looking at.

[Supermag]

Make sure the fan-coil is a fan-coil and not a heat pump! Sometimes people interchange the 2 terms.

A fan coil is a pretty simple piece of equipment and not that expensive to replace, unless it's shoehorned into a tight spot and the new one is quite different.

A heat pump is much more expensive to replace and often more to repair

[brazeau]

Originally Posted by Dewey Cox

My gut feeling is that the switch was turned off. (I dont put much stock in a home inspector's opinion).
It is summer after all.
I would guess that each unit has a fancoil, and its fed hot water from a single source in the building. That whole system might be shut down for the summer.

I'm thinking you've nailed it right here. The unit is fed hot water from the building source.

[brazeau]

Originally Posted by Supermag

Make sure the fan-coil is a fan-coil and not a heat pump! Sometimes people interchange the 2 terms.

Pretty sure it's a fan coil. If this helps, it's a First Co. Model 6PHBCX-32 LH.

[Fearson]

Originally Posted by brazeau

Pretty sure it's a fan coil. If this helps, it's a First Co. Model 6PHBCX-32 LH.

The coil itself should last a long time. The motor maybe 5 yrs, I've seen the set up you are talking about many times in condos.

Theres nothing in that fan coil but a fan motor, water coil, a contactor with a relay and a zone valve

The fan was either off, dead thermostat or maybe a bad relay etc. Maybe it has a chilled water loop for a/c with another zone valve and the stat is programmed for regular a/c and has a built in 5 minute time delay. Lots of variables and things it could be. I canr see you needing to replace the entire "fan coil" and if it's a condo it's generally their responsibility anyways.

[RBI]

Originally Posted by brazeau

I'm looking to buy an apartment for my daughter. Found one, and had a property inspection done. He indicated the fan coil did not respond to the thermostat so it was not able to be tested. Don't know if this has any bearing but it was a very hot day with inside temp in the high 20's.

My first question: Do fan coils have a life expectancy?

Second question: What is the implication of the fan coil not responding to the fan coil?

Third question: What is worst case scenario money-wise if the fan coil has to be replaced?

Thanks for any insight to my questions.

What everybody else is saying is most likely the issue, but one more possible thing , although unlikely, is if the thermostat is battery operated , it can be a battery issue .
I've seen one , recently in one of our rentals , that has enough power to show the temp , and show the numbers that you try to reset to have the furnace come on , but then in a few seconds , it reads something about replacing the battery .

Just a thought ...

[czechm8]

Originally Posted by brazeau

Pretty sure it's a fan coil. If this helps, it's a First Co. Model 6PHBCX-32 LH.

I've pasted some links to the product details below to save others' some time.

Based on the "32" in the model number, this is a 4-pipe fan coil (3-rows of cooling, 2-rows of heating), so it should be a fairly safe assumption that it should be set up for cooling (but I wouldn't be too surprised if not, multi-unit construction can be the pits sometimes). A photo of the side of the unit with hydronic connections would confirm 100%.

Given that it most likely is set up to do cooling, you should be able to get it working regardless of the season (should have been able to do cooling mode, and possibly just a fan/ventilator mode as well). I agree with others above that finding a home inspector that's worth his salt and knows HVAC is... a challenge. Maybe he only tested it in heating mode.

If you're seriously considering the investment and like the place far better than others you've seen, request the realtors to set up a 2nd viewing and bring a good plumber / HVAC tech. If the previous home inspector actually knew what he was doing and tested it in heating and cooling mode and it wouldn't come on, then diagnosing the issue without you having easy access to answer ongoing questions (does this come on if..., what happens if you turn this switch then press this...) is probably more than anybody on the board can do.


Product page:
https://www.firstco.com/#/productCat...?ProductId=597

Specs:
https://www.firstco.com/documents/Pr...hbc(x)0917.pdf

IOM: (pretty crappy documentation)
https://www.firstco.com/documents/Pr...structions.pdf

[brazeau]

Appreciate the info from the responders. Know a bit more about fan coils than I knew before. However, after reviewing the Condo Assn Documents we didn't walk, we ran. Very large deficit reserve fund ($1.2M), 15 year old unresolved lawsuits with the builder, chronic parkade flooding, repair & maintenance levy’s likely in the very near future, high condo fees, etc. Quite the learning experience. Beware the superhot purchase price!