Some manufacturers have fins that are made with a side baffle when these are combed the fin is flattened which causes the efficiency to be severely affected and lose its effectiveness. When inspecting these coils I always recommend replacing the coils even if they are not ripped due to the ability or lack there of to get the coil to a pre-loss condition. The only exception is if the hail damage is so shallow that it would not need to be racked with fin combs more then 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch.
Normally if the coil has a rip in it then the coil must be replaced. The exception is if the coils has a rip thats a preexisting damage that is not from the hail, or if it is a previous repair. In this case as an inspector I make sure to document the fact the the coils hail damage can be combed and I notate that the coil has some FOI or other damage not caused by the hail.
As for condenser coils if they are 70% damaged or more then even if combed completely the unit still has effects to the units efficiency and the unit would not be able to be brought to a pre-loss conditions. See (Hail effects on air-conditioning performance) performed by the Haag Engineering, Co, University of Texas at Arlington, the people involved were Matthew J. Sitzmann, Frank K. Lu, and Steve R. Smith its an excellent body of work and research document performed November 11th thru the 15th in 2007. See (IMECE2007-41518)
Another thing I always check for is direction of the hail damage to see if there are multiple hail events that occurred. This can tell me if I am looking at a recent event that the claim pertains too or if a percentage of the damage is from previous hail strikes that could have occurred before coverage by the current insurance company.
Last is refrigeration that has the coil located on the bottom of the condenser I find that if the roof is a rubber roof that the bounce from the hail can cause to the underside of the coil. I find that most inspectors miss looking for this. Also there is always damage from the top of the coil where the fans are located and require additional funds to first remove the fans then comb the coils.
Glen
Normally if the coil has a rip in it then the coil must be replaced. The exception is if the coils has a rip thats a preexisting damage that is not from the hail, or if it is a previous repair. In this case as an inspector I make sure to document the fact the the coils hail damage can be combed and I notate that the coil has some FOI or other damage not caused by the hail.
As for condenser coils if they are 70% damaged or more then even if combed completely the unit still has effects to the units efficiency and the unit would not be able to be brought to a pre-loss conditions. See (Hail effects on air-conditioning performance) performed by the Haag Engineering, Co, University of Texas at Arlington, the people involved were Matthew J. Sitzmann, Frank K. Lu, and Steve R. Smith its an excellent body of work and research document performed November 11th thru the 15th in 2007. See (IMECE2007-41518)
Another thing I always check for is direction of the hail damage to see if there are multiple hail events that occurred. This can tell me if I am looking at a recent event that the claim pertains too or if a percentage of the damage is from previous hail strikes that could have occurred before coverage by the current insurance company.
Last is refrigeration that has the coil located on the bottom of the condenser I find that if the roof is a rubber roof that the bounce from the hail can cause to the underside of the coil. I find that most inspectors miss looking for this. Also there is always damage from the top of the coil where the fans are located and require additional funds to first remove the fans then comb the coils.
Glen
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