Preparing for a Commercial AC Inspection: A Facility Checklist

An AC inspection is a survey: someone walks the site, counts and identifies every unit, notes access, tests what can be tested, and writes a scope. If the site is disorganised, the survey gets truncated and the proposal gets padded with assumptions. Preparing properly takes an hour and saves weeks of negotiation later.

1. An accurate unit count before the visit

Walk the building yourself and list every unit — indoor and outdoor — with location. Include the ones nobody thinks about: the pantry, the server room, the security cabin, the equipment room, and any unit switched off for years.

For each, note the make, the tonnage on the sticker, and roughly how old it is. If a sticker is unreadable, photograph it and let the surveyor identify the model.

The most common surprise in a commercial survey is that the actual count differs from the count in the manager's head by 20–30 percent. That discrepancy alone changes the proposal, so establishing it beforehand makes the numbers comparable between providers.

2. Access arrangements, in writing

Access decides how long the inspection takes and what equipment is needed.

• Who holds keys, and who can open the terrace, shafts and plant rooms?
• Are there restricted areas — server rooms, labs, clean zones — that need an escort?
• For high outdoor units, is there a safe access route, or does the surveyor need rope access or a ladder?
• Are false ceilings fixed or removable? Cassette units need panel access for inspection.

Confirm this a day in advance in a message. A survey that stalls at a locked door produces estimates, not measurements, and you will be the one who pays for the difference.

3. Power, water and operating hours

The surveyor needs to run units to assess them properly. Confirm which circuits are live, whether the isolators are accessible, and where water is available for a test if needed.

Also state operating hours and any windows when the building is empty. A survey during business hours in a clinic is disruptive; a survey after hours needs someone on site. Deciding this in advance avoids a second visit.

If there are known electrical issues — a circuit that trips, a stabiliser that buzzes, a phase imbalance — mention them. They affect both the scope and the safety of the inspection.

4. Service history, even if it is thin

Bring whatever records exist: past invoices, service sheets, warranty cards, the previous AMC. If there is nothing, say so — that is itself information, because units with no history usually need a deeper first visit.

Flag anything known to be faulty: the cassette that drips in July, the split that never cooled properly after installation, the outdoor unit that makes noise. A good proposal prices the remediation separately and honestly rather than burying it in the annual fee.

Also list any units under manufacturer warranty with dates. Those should not be included in parts cover, and the contract should say so.

5. What the surveyor should give you on the day

A credible inspection produces notes on the spot, not just a quotation a week later. Expect:

• A per-unit list with type, tonnage and condition rating.
• Photographs of problem areas — corroded coils, damaged insulation, blocked drains.
• An indication of any unit that needs repair before a contract makes sense.
• A clear statement of what the proposal will and will not include.

If nobody opens a single unit or looks at a condenser during the visit, the proposal is a price list, not an assessment. That is worth knowing before you compare numbers.

6. Comparing proposals fairly

Three proposals for the same building are rarely comparable as totals. Normalise them before deciding:

Ask each provider to quote the same visit count and the same parts boundary, then compare. Otherwise you are choosing between different products and calling it a price comparison.