Sometimes it feels like storm season is all year. Spring brings rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. Before the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. Most recently the rains wreaked havoc on our friends in Louisiana. The welfare of your family during hazardous storms should absolutely take priority. But even when the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still need to make sure that your home and family stay safe. Check out these suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and air conditioning equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your Air Conditioner
Your outdoor air conditioning equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly anchored to keep the equipment from going up in the air or washing away during a storm. If you reside 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 fastening down your home’s air conditioning system during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t literally stop the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can protect your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment from it. Put in 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 an increase in the line voltage. This will help safeguard the electrical components in your heating and cooling equipment that the power surge could harm. Remember to never touch any electrical components, and request expert help if you are not accustomed to using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if time permits, shut off your HVAC system and cover the outside system with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, be sure to remove the tarp and clean up any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
When the storm has passed, make sure the system is safe before starting up your heating and air conditioning system. To begin, verify there are no indications of damage and get rid of any debris surrounding the system. Try to evaluate and make sure there is no apparent harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioner. Call 866-397-3787 for an AC inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the air conditioning. Once you’ve had the equipment inspected by an expert to ensure safe working, turn the heating and cooling system back on ASAP to help dry the home and prevent mold from getting into the system or ductwork.
If your system has had any damage, 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 find out about our membership options to help keep your HVAC system in working order all seasons long.