You may start to think that storm season is year around. Spring comes through with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer ushers in hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season ends in November, snowstorms are upon the north. Most recently the floods wreaked havoc on our loved ones in Louisiana. The safety of your family during treacherous storms should always take priority. But even as the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still need to make sure that your home and family are safe. Check out these suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outside AC equipment should be placed on a concrete pad and properly attached to avoid the equipment from going airborne or washing away over the course of a storm. If you live in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be critical to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to protect the equipment from high winds. Ask your professional technician about securing your home’s AC during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually stop the surge that often occurs during a storm, but you can shield your heating and cooling equipment from it. Get 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 a spike in the line voltage. This will help protect the electrical components in your HVAC equipment that the power surge could harm. Be sure never to touch any electrical components, and ask for professional help if you are not comfortable using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if time allows, turn off your HVAC system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, be sure to remove the tarp and remove any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
When the storm has passed, ensure the system is safe before turning on your HVAC system. To begin, verify there are no indications of damage and get rid of any debris from around the equipment. Try to examine and make sure there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioner. Call 804-548-4480 for an equipment inspection if it looks like there may have been any damage or flooding to the equipment. Once you’ve had the equipment inspected by a professional 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 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 Eveready Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your heating and cooling system in working order all seasons long.