Heat pump installation checklist: the photos to take, before and after
Incentive programs and utilities often ask for before-and-after photos of a heat pump install, and missing one can hold up the paperwork. Shoot the same set on every job, in order, and it's done before the crew leaves.
Printable photo checklist: PDFWordExcel
The checklist
This follows the photo list New York's Clean Heat program asks for, which covers what most programs want. Where your program's list differs, follow theirs.
Before the installation
The existing boiler or furnace: the whole unit from the front, the nameplate up close, the fuel connection, the flue or exhaust connection
The oil tank location, if it burns oil
The existing thermostats
The electrical panel with the door open, and a close-up of the open breaker spaces
The proposed location of each outdoor unit and each indoor unit
The attic or crawlspace, if it matters for ducts or insulation
The outside of the home, front and side, and the main living area inside
After the installation
Each outdoor unit: the whole unit from the front, the nameplate up close, the refrigerant line connections, the electrical disconnect
Each indoor unit: the whole unit on the wall, the nameplate up close, the line set where it goes through the wall
The electrical panel with the new circuits
The new thermostats or controls, installed and working
The line set route, the whole run, and the wall penetration sealed outside
The old system decommissioned: the removed unit, the capped or sealed fuel line, the removed oil tank if there was one, the sealed flue or chimney connection
The system running, with the thermostat calling for heat
The outside and inside after the install, and the customer with the system at the walkthrough
Before photos can't be retaken
Once the old boiler is out, its nameplate and connections are gone for good. Take the before set on the first visit or the morning of the install, before anything is disconnected.
Nameplates you can read
Programs usually check model and serial numbers from the photos. Take each nameplate close enough to read, in focus, with no glare, and a step-back shot that shows which unit it belongs to.
One unit at a time
On a job with several indoor heads, shoot each one fully before moving to the next, and label them the same way every time (living room, bedroom 1). It keeps the photos matched to the right unit when the paperwork is put together.
Doing it in FieldPix
FieldPix has this list built in as NYS Clean Heat Program, with every item in English and Spanish so the whole crew can follow it. Load it on the job in one tap and it asks for each photo on the spot; every photo carries the time, date and location burned into the image. One tap turns the job into a PDF report with your logo for the program paperwork.
