PCS move-in AC checklist for Eglin and Hurlburt families

Why the timing is bad

The Army puts peak PCS moving season at May 15 to August 31. Around Crestview, that is the hot part of the year: the first 90°F day now comes around April 24 and the last around October 16, and Crestview averages 108 days a year at 90°F or hotter (2016 to 2025). So a summer move lands when the AC is working hardest, in a house where nobody can tell you how the system has been treated.

A problem you document on day one is easy to show was there before you. One you find in week three is harder to argue about. That is the reason to check early, and to write down what you find.

The day-one checklist

1. The filter. Find it: in a return grille on a wall or ceiling, or in a slot at the air handler. Note the size printed on the edge and put in a new one. A filter that has been sitting through a vacancy can be packed solid, which cuts airflow and can freeze the coil.
2. The drain line and float switch. Water should drip from a small pipe outside, or into a drain, while the AC runs. Look in the pan under the air handler; standing water there means the main line is clogged. Many systems have a float switch that shuts the AC off when the pan fills, so an AC that quits for no clear reason may be a drain problem. Our drain line guide explains it.
3. The thermostat. Set it to cool and the fan to auto, and check that the outdoor unit starts. Replace the batteries if it takes them. If it is a smart thermostat, it may still be tied to the last owner's or tenant's account; ask for it to be reset.
4. The outdoor unit's age. Find the data plate on the side of the outdoor unit and photograph it. The manufacture date is printed on some plates and coded into the serial number on others; a technician can read it. This Old House puts the typical life of a home cooling system at 12 to 15 years.
5. Ice. Look at the larger copper line going into the outdoor unit and, if you can see it, the indoor coil. Frost or ice there means low airflow or low refrigerant. Turn cooling off, leave the fan on to thaw it, and get it looked at. A coil that kept freezing in a family's first summer in a newly bought house was one of the few local AC questions we found on Reddit.
6. A real run. Let it run an afternoon. Air from the vents should feel noticeably cool, and the house should feel dry, not clammy. A house that stays sticky at a normal setting is worth mentioning in your first report.

Renting off base

Off base, anywhere from Crestview to Mary Esther, you are an ordinary Florida tenant. Florida's landlord statute, section 83.51, does not list air conditioning among the landlord's duties, so your lease is what usually decides who fixes it. Read the lease, then send anything you found on day one to the landlord or property manager in writing with photos and the date. Keep copies. Our guide to a broken AC in a Florida rental covers what to put in the request and what not to do before you get advice.

Living on base

Census figures (2020 to 2024) count about 954 housing units in the Eglin ZIP (32542) and 583 in the Hurlburt ZIP (32544). If yours is one of them, AC problems go through the base housing office or its privatized housing partner, using the work order process you get at move-in. Crestview AC Desk doesn't handle on-base housing and has no connection to either installation. The checklist above is still worth doing on day one, so your first work order is specific.

If you are buying

If you bought, or are about to, I'd want three things in hand before closing.

• The system's age. Ask the seller, and confirm it from the data plate photos. If the outdoor unit and the air handler are different ages, find out why.
• Permits. The Florida Building Code requires a permit to replace a mechanical system, per the City of Crestview. Ask the seller whether the last replacement was permitted, and check with the building department that covers the address, which may be the city or the county. A replacement with no permit is a question worth asking before you own it.
• The HVAC line on the home inspection. Read what the inspector wrote about the system, not only the summary. If it says "near end of life" or "recommend evaluation by an HVAC contractor," get that evaluation before your contingency runs out.

An older system is something to negotiate on, and rarely a reason to walk away. Our repair or replace guide helps you decide whether to plan for a replacement, and if you hire someone, check the license first with our license lookup guide.

Heat matters here more than in South Florida. The metro averages about 1,586 heating degree days a year, and in Crestview 80% of homes heat with electricity, so the heat pump or heat strips get real use in January. Test the heat before your first cold snap.