Prepping Your Home’s HVAC Equipment for Storms
It feels like storm season is every season. Spring arrives with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer starts the hurricane season. Before the Atlantic hurricane season ends in November, blizzards are upon the north. The safety of your family during dangerous storms should invariably be priority. But even while the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to make sure that your home and family remain unharmed. Check out these suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your Air Conditioning
Your outdoor AC equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly fastened to avoid the system from going up in the air or washing away over the course of a storm. If you reside 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 fastening down your home’s air conditioning system during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t really avoid the surge that often occurs during a storm, but you can safeguard your heating and air conditioning equipment from it. Get 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 spike in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your heating and cooling equipment that the power surge could hurt. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and seek a technician’s help if you are not comfortable using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to acquire shelter first and foremost, but if there is time, shut down your heating and cooling system and cover the outside system with a tarp. Prior to turning your equipment back on after the storm, you must remove the tarp and get rid of any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
When the storm has passed, ensure the system is safe before starting up your heating and air conditioning system. First, make sure there are no signs of damage and remove any debris from around the equipment. Try to check and confirm there is no visible harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 954-736-4314 for a system inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the air conditioning. Once you’ve had the equipment inspected by a technician to ensure safe function, turn the heating and air conditioning 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 suggestions 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 cooling system in working order all seasons long.