North Carolina Home Inspector Practice Exam

In a residential A/C retrofit, duct work is often found to be?

1. Oversized

2. Properly sized

3. Undersized

4. Flexible

The correct answer is: Undersized

In a residential A/C retrofit, duct work is often found to be undersized. This situation typically arises from a few common scenarios. During the initial construction or installation of a home's heating and cooling systems, the ductwork may not have been properly sized to accommodate the cooling load requirements for the space it serves. This inadequacy can lead to several problems, including inefficient airflow, increased energy expenses, and uneven temperature distribution throughout the home. Retrofitting existing systems complicates this issue, as new equipment is often added to enhance efficiency without a corresponding upgrade to the duct system. If the ducts are not large enough to handle the increased capacity of the new A/C unit, airflow will be restricted, causing the system to work harder. This mismatch leads to decreased performance and potential system failure, which underscores the importance of assessing duct sizes during a retrofit. The other choices do not accurately reflect typical findings during such projects. While ductwork can sometimes be oversized or properly sized in certain installations, these cases are not as common. Flexible ductwork refers to a type of material rather than the sizing issue at hand, making it less relevant to the question regarding common findings related to sizing during a retrofit.