You may start to think that storm season is year around. Spring comes through with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer ushers in hurricane season. By the time the Atlantic hurricane season tapers off in November, blizzards are upon the north. Most recently the floods caused destruction for our family in Louisiana. The welfare of your family during treacherous storms should absolutely take priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still need to make sure that your home and family remain unharmed. Check out these recommendations for preparing your home’s heating and air conditioning equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outside AC equipment should be installed on a concrete pad and properly fastened to keep the system from being thrown in the air or washing away in a storm. If you live in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be required to fasten your air conditioner with hurricane straps to keep the equipment safe from high winds. Ask your air conditioning technician about anchoring your home’s air conditioner during your Precision Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually prevent the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can safeguard your heating and cooling equipment from it. Install a high-quality surge protector where any heavy appliances, like a furnace, are plugged into a standard wall outlet, to automatically shut down your heating system if there’s a jump in the line voltage. This will help safeguard the electrical components in your HVAC equipment that the power surge could harm. Remember to never touch any electrical components, and request a technician’s help if you are not comfortable using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your loved ones and you need to find shelter first and foremost, but if time permits, shut down your heating and cooling system and cover the outdoor system with a tarp. Before you turn your system back on after the storm, make sure you remove the tarp and get rid of any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
Once the storm is over, ensure the system is safe before turning on your HVAC system. To begin, verify there are no indications of damage and clean any debris from around the system. Try to evaluate and make sure there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 704-464-4307 for an equipment inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the equipment. Once you’ve had the equipment inspected by a professional to ensure safe working, turn the heating and cooling system back on immediately to help dry the home and restrict mold from getting into the system or ductwork.
If there was any damage to your equipment, check out these recommendations on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and learn about our membership options to help keep your heating and air conditioning system in working order all year long.