While your air conditioner is made to withstand all sorts of conditions, including precipitation and wind damage, there are times when you need to call your AC repair technician to inspect likely damage. If your air conditioning unit sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause serious damage to the moving parts and electrical pieces. The water usually has to reach about a foot in depth to affect your air conditioning system, but if there has been any flooding at all, call Air Engineers Service Experts for a safety inspection as soon as possible.
If heavy showers or flooding caused your air conditioning unit to sit in standing water, there are a few things we suggest doing to avoid further damage or a dangerous environment:
- Turn off all the electrical switches to your AC system. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can call your AC maintenance company to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your AC system to dry out. Get rid of any standing water if possible and safely clear any debris from the surrounding area.
- Don’t turn your air conditioner back on until a professional air conditioner inspection has been performed. Call Air Engineers Service Experts and ensure your equipment will run safely and effectively with a full air conditioning system safety inspection.
REMEMBER: Do not cover your outdoor heating and air conditioning systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more damage, including not allowing the unit to air out properly and remove moisture, a could cause rust or other damage.
In addition to April showers, spring tends to bring hail storms, too. Each year thousands of commercial and residential AC units are damaged by hail. While you can usually see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the AC system may be causing restricted air flow, hindering the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the AC unit more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around 10% of AC systems damaged by hail had to be completely replaced.
Strong winds tend to accompany storms and while your AC system probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like bushes, trash cans, or children’s outdoor toys, can be thrown, damaging your system.
For a full air conditioner inspection and safety check, call Air Engineers Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your air conditioner is operating safely and efficiently. Help keep your home safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your area is under a serious storm warning.