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 ushers in hurricane season. By the time the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. The well-being of your family during treacherous storms should absolutely take priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want 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.
Attach Your Air Conditioning
Your outdoor AC equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly fastened to avoid the equipment from going up in the air or washing away over the course of a storm. If you are in a climate that generates hurricanes, it may be critical to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to keep the system safe from high winds. Ask your professional technician about fastening down your home’s AC during your Precision Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t really avoid the surge that often comes during a storm, but you can shield your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment from it. Install a high-quality surge protector where any sizable appliances, like a furnace, 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 protect the electrical components in your heating and air conditioning equipment that the power surge could damage. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and seek expert help if you are not accustomed to using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
You and your family need to find shelter first and foremost, but if time permits, shut down your heating and cooling system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, make sure you remove the tarp and clean up any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
When the storm has passed, ensure the system is safe before turning your heating and cooling system back on. To begin, confirm there are no signals of damage and get rid of any debris surrounding the equipment. Try to check and make sure there is no apparent harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 954-736-4314 for an equipment inspection if it looks like there may have been any damage or flooding to the equipment. Once you’ve had the system checked by a technician to ensure safe function, turn the heating and air conditioning system back on ASAP 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 through all the seasons.