Sometimes it feels like storm season is all year. Spring arrives with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, snowfalls are upon the north. In August the rains wreaked havoc on our friends in Louisiana. The safety of your family during perilous storms should absolutely take priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to be sure that your home and family stay safe. Check out these recommendations for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your Air Conditioning
Your outside air conditioning equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly fastened to prevent the system from going airborne or washing away in a storm. If you live in a climate that is subject to hurricanes, it may be necessary to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to keep the system safe from high winds. Ask your air conditioning technician about securing your home’s air conditioning system during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t literally stop the surge that often occurs during a storm, but you can safeguard your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment from it. Put in a high-quality surge protector where any sizable 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 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 ask for professional 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 allows, shut down your HVAC system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, you must remove the tarp and remove 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. First, make sure there are no signals of damage and clean any debris surrounding the system. Try to check and make sure there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioner. Call 386-310-2061 for an AC inspection if appears there has been any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the system inspected by a technician to ensure safe function, turn the heating and air conditioning system back on as soon as possible to help dry the home and prevent mold from getting into your equipment or ductwork.
If there was any damage to your equipment, check out these tips on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call All American Air Service Experts and find out about our membership options to help keep your HVAC system in working order all seasons long.