Sometimes it feels like storm season is all year. Spring arrives with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season tapers off in November, snowfalls are upon the north. Last month the floods wreaked havoc on our family in Louisiana. The welfare of your family during perilous storms should absolutely take priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to be sure that your home and family remain unharmed. See our tips for preparing your home’s heating and air conditioning equipment for storm season.
Secure Your Air Conditioning
Your outside AC equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly secured to avoid the air conditioner from being thrown in the air or washing away over the course of a storm. If you are in a climate that is subject to hurricanes, it may be required to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to protect the equipment from high winds. Ask your expert technician about anchoring your home’s AC during your Fall Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t really stop the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can protect your heating and cooling equipment from it. Install a high-quality surge protector where any heavy appliances, a furnace for example, are plugged into a standard wall outlet, to automatically turn off your heating system if there’s a jump in the line voltage. This will help safeguard the electrical components in your heating and air conditioning equipment that the power surge could harm. Be sure never to touch any electrical components, and ask for a technician’s help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
You and your family need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if there is time, turn off your heating and cooling system and cover the outdoor equipment with a tarp. Before you turn your system back on after the storm, you must 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. First, verify there are no signals of damage and remove any debris from around 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 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 ASAP to help dry the home and limit mold from getting into the system or ductwork.
If there was any damage to your equipment, check out these tips 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 year long.