Prepping Your Home's HVAC Equipment for Storms
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. As the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. Most recently the floods caused destruction for our family in Louisiana. The welfare of your family during perilous storms should always 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. See our suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and air conditioning equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outside air conditioning equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly attached to avoid the air conditioner from going up in the air or washing away during a storm. If you are in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be critical to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to protect the system from high winds. Ask your expert technician about fastening down your home’s air conditioner during your Fall Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t literally avoid the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can protect your heating and air conditioning equipment from it. Put in a high-quality surge protector where any large 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 protect the electrical components in your HVAC equipment that the power surge could harm. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and ask for a technician’s help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your loved ones and you need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if time allows, turn off your heating and cooling 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 get rid of any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
Once the storm is over, ensure the system is safe before turning your heating and cooling system back on. To get started, verify there are no indications of damage and clean any debris from around the equipment. Try to evaluate and confirm there is no visible harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your AC. Call 904-450-5672 for an equipment inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the system inspected by a professional to ensure safe working, turn the heating and air conditioning system back on immediately to help dry the home and prevent mold from getting into your equipment or ductwork.
If your equipment has suffered any damage, check out these suggestions on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Air Engineers Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your heating and cooling system in working order all year long.
