You're purchasing a home in Sunny Phoenix, Arizona and your home inspector says your furnace is short cycling. What!? Homes have furnaces in Phoenix!?

As a home inspector in one of the hottest climates in the world, determining the condition of the air conditioning system for my clients is a top priority. Summer temperatures routinely exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and may still be above 100 at dawn. A recent home inspection I performed in Chandler, Arizona (home to the Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-Off Festival every November) revealed a problem with the air conditioning system. The home was only two years old, so the air conditioning should be good as new, right? You'd be wrong. About 15 percent (my estimate based on my inspection history) of the one and two year old homes that I inspect have a problem with "Not cooling enough". This was the case in Chandler.