Real Anderson Work

Know What to Look For

How to Judge HVAC and Insulation Workmanship

You don't have to be a technician to spot a quality install. Use this as a checklist against any contractor's photos and finished work:

• Outdoor unit set level and clear. A condenser belongs on a solid, level pad with room to breathe. A unit tilted on settled ground or crammed against shrubs runs hotter and wears out early.
• Tidy, supported line sets. Refrigerant lines should run straight, be insulated and be secured, not sagging or kinked. On mini-splits, look for a clean line-set cover instead of bare copper and tape.
• Sealed ductwork, not just taped. Joints should be sealed with mastic or proper foil tape and runs supported so they don't crush or disconnect. Leaky ducts can waste 20–30% of the air you pay to heat and cool.
• Even, measured insulation. Blown-in attic insulation should sit at a consistent depth, with no thin spots over hallways or bare patches near the eaves. Air sealing should come first.

Why We Take These Photos

The Part of the Job You Never See Again

The part of an HVAC or insulation job that lasts longest is the part you never see again once the walls, the pad or the attic hatch close up: the condenser sitting level, the line set run straight, the duct seams sealed, the attic blown to an even depth. That's where a system either runs efficiently for years or quietly costs you money every month. These photos show the workmanship before it disappears.

Because we're BPI certified, we look at your house as a whole system. If you want to know where your home is losing comfort and money, a whole-home energy audit is the place to start.