You may start to think that storm season is year around. Spring arrives with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, snowstorms are upon the north. In August the floods wreaked havoc on our family in Louisiana. The safety of your family during treacherous storms should always take priority. But even when the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still need to be sure that your home and family remain unharmed. See our tips for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Attach Your Air Conditioner
Your outdoor AC equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly secured to keep the system from going airborne or washing away over the course of a storm. If you are in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be critical to fasten your air conditioner with hurricane straps to keep the equipment safe from high winds. Ask your professional technician about securing your home’s air conditioning system during your Precision Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually prevent the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can shield your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) 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 shut down your heating system if there’s an increase in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your HVAC equipment that the power surge could hurt. Be sure never to touch any electrical components, and seek expert help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to find shelter first and foremost, but if time permits, shut down your heating and cooling system and cover the outdoor system with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, you must remove the tarp and clean up any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
After the storm ends, make sure the system is safe before starting up your heating and air conditioning system. To get started, confirm there are no indications of damage and clean any debris surrounding 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 847-250-6729 for an AC inspection if appears there has been any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the equipment inspected by a professional to ensure safe working, turn the HVAC system back on immediately to help dry the home and restrict mold from getting into the equipment or ductwork.
If your system has had any damage, check out these suggestions on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Comfort Masters Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your heating and cooling system in working order all year long.