Decommissioning pitfalls

Quoting oil decom without the electric water heater. Every oil decom is full tank removal plus a 50 or 70 gallon electric water heater (plumber sizes at survey). Both line items must be on the order. → Oil decommissioning

Leaving 410A units in the home. Even functional 410A units must be consultantlaced for the job to qualify. → R32 vs 410A

Forgetting the boiler-removal adder on gas decommissioning. If the homeowner wants the shell removed (Option B), the order needs the adder. → Gas boiler decommissioning

Sizing pitfalls

Underselling on unit count is a red flag. Selling a 9K in every room without thinking about size is a problem. Consultants should oversize before underselling. → Sizing rules

Skipping a small room with a bed. Even tiny rooms with beds need either a unit or the bed clearly removed/covered. → Room requirements

Skipping an empty room. Decently-sized livable rooms count even if no one currently sleeps there. → Room requirements

Survey pitfalls

Not setting the piping-cover expectation on attached homes. If the homeowner doesn’t want front-facade units, back-routing means visible piping covers inside the house. Set this expectation at the survey. → Site survey

Skipping the breaker box check. Sub-panel adders surface as change orders if not surveyed. → Electrical & sub-panel

Equipment pitfalls

Selling Mitsubishi without warning the homeowner about consultantair times. Consultantairs can take 48 hours because only one specialized team services Mitsubishi. → Brand selection

Skipping the refrigerant nameplate check. Always verify whether existing units are R32 or 410A at the survey. → R32 vs 410A

Promising the homeowner they can keep their old unit before checking. Don’t commit to leaving any existing unit in place until you’ve read the nameplate. → R32 vs 410A

Electrical pitfalls

Quoting without checking the breaker box. Sub-panel adders become change orders. → Electrical & sub-panel

Assuming “looks like enough space” = no sub-panel. Available slot count is necessary but not sufficient. → Electrical & sub-panel

Diagnosing old panels from memory. Fuse panels, Federal Pacific-style panels, and unfamiliar breaker boxes need photos escalated to electrical review. Don’t guess in the home. → Electrical & sub-panel

Permit / location pitfalls

Yonkers + active solar inspection = stop. If solar is pending inspection, you must pull HVAC permits before install or homeowner gets a violation. Fines $8K–$32K. → Solar interaction

Multi-family pitfalls

Not offering a common-area unit on multi-family homes. Tenants will complain about freezing hallways. Always make the offer at the sales appointment. → Common areas

Process pitfalls

Inaccurate Newtonian layout. Forces a survey or causes change orders on install day. Get good at the layout. → Site survey, Speed-to-install