While your AC system is made to withstand the weather, including rain and wind damage, there are times when you need to call your AC maintenance technician to inspect potential damage. If your air conditioner sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause severe damage to the moving parts and electrical components. The water usually has to reach about 15 inches in depth to affect your air conditioner, but if there has been any flooding whatsoever, call Golden Seal Service Experts for an air conditioner inspection as soon as possible.
If severe storms or flooding caused your air conditioning unit to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we advise doing to avoid additional damage or dangerous situations:
- Disable all the electrical switches for your AC system. If you are not comfortable with this, you can call your air conditioning service company to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your AC system to dry out. Clear out any standing water if possible and cautiously clear any debris from the surrounding area.
- Don’t turn your air conditioner back on until a professional air conditioning inspection has been done. Call Golden Seal Service Experts and ensure your equipment will work safely and effectively with a full AC safety inspection.
CAUTION: Do not cover your outdoor heating and air conditioning systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more damage, including not allowing the system to air out completely and remove moisture, a could cause rust or other damage.
In addition to downpours, spring also brings hail storms, too. Each year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are in need of repair because of hail. While you can usually see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioner may be causing restricted air flow, decreasing 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 one out of ten of air conditioning units damaged by hail had to be entirely replaced.
Intense winds tend to accompany storms and while your air conditioning unit probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like tree limbs, furniture, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your system.
For a full AC inspection and safety check, call Golden Seal Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is working safely and efficiently. Help keep your home safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your home is under a serious storm warning.