How To Look At A House
McGarry and Madsen's home inspection blog for buyers of
site-built, mobile/manufactured and modular homes
What is the code for minimum height of an air conditioner or heat pump condenser mounting pad/slab above ground?
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
The Residential Editon of The Florida Building Code (FBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) both state that it must extend at least 3 inches above the ground, be level, and firmly supported.
If your house is in a coastal hurricane storm-surge zone, or an inland area prone to occasional flooding, the local building code may override the 3-inch requirement and specify that the condenser be installed above the historical flood elevation. This can mean that it must be mounted on a platform 8-feet or more above the ground in some areas of the Florida Keys, for example. Also, see our blog post Why does an air conditioner condenser unit need to be level?
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To learn more about heating and air conditioning systems, see these other blog posts:
• How can I find out the SEER of my air conditioner?
• My air conditioner won't turn on. What's wrong?
• How can I find out the size of my air conditioner?
• How can I find out the age of my air conditioner or furnace?
• How can I tell whether the condenser (outdoor unit) is an air conditioner or heat pump?
• Where is the air filter for my central air conditioner and furnace? I can’t find it?
• Does an old air conditioner use more electricity as it ages?
• How did homes stay cool in Florida before air conditioning?
• What is wrong with an air conditioner when the air flow out of the vents is low?
• Why has the thermostat screen gone blank?
• How do I understand the air conditioner or heat pump condenser label (data plate)?
• Why does it take so long to cool a house when an air conditioner has been off for a while?
• Why is my air conditioner not cooling enough?
• What are the most common problems with wall/window air conditioners?
• Will closing doors reduce my heating and cooling costs?
Visit our HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.
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