Prepping Your Home's HVAC Equipment for Storms
You may start to think that storm season is year around. Spring brings rain storms and tornadoes, while summer starts the hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season tapers off in November, blizzards 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 while the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to be sure that your home and family are safe. See our suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Secure Your Air Conditioner
Your outside air conditioning equipment should be installed on a concrete pad and properly attached to keep the system from going airborne or washing away during a storm. If you live in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be required to fasten your air conditioner with hurricane straps to keep the equipment safe from high winds. Ask your air conditioning technician about anchoring your home’s air conditioning system during your Precision Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually stop the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can safeguard 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 off your heating system if there’s a jump in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your heating and air conditioning equipment that the power surge could damage. Remember to never touch any electrical components, and seek expert help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
You and your family need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if there is time, turn off your HVAC system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before you turn your system back on after the storm, make sure you remove the tarp and get rid of any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
Once the storm is over, be sure the system is safe before starting up your heating and air conditioning system. To get started, verify there are no signals of damage and remove any debris surrounding the system. Try to evaluate and confirm there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your AC. Call 602-906-0111 for an AC inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the system inspected by an expert to ensure safe operation, turn the heating and air conditioning system back on as soon as possible to help dry the home and restrict mold from getting into the system or ductwork.
If your equipment has suffered any damage, check out these suggestions on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Orangutan Home Services and find out about our membership options to help keep your HVAC system in working order all year long.
