What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage 

While your AC system is made to withstand all sorts of conditions, including rain and storm damage, occasionally you need to call your AC maintenance technician to inspect possible damage. If your AC system sits in standing water, due to storms or other unexpected issues, it can cause severe damage to the moving parts and electrical pieces. The water usually has to reach about 15 inches in depth to affect your air conditioner, but if there has been any flooding at all, call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for an air conditioner inspection right away. 

If heavy showers or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we advise doing to avoid more damage or a dangerous environment: 

• Deactivate all the electrical switches to your AC system. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your AC maintenance technician to help assist you with the process. 
• Allow your air conditioner to dry out. Remove any standing water if possible and cautiously clear any debris from around the area. 
• Do not turn on your air conditioning system until a professional air conditioner inspection has been completed. Call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing and ensure your equipment will work safely and effectively with a full air conditioning system safety inspection. 

NOTE: Do not cover your outdoor HVAC systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more problems, including not allowing the air conditioner to air out completely and remove moisture, a could cause rust or other damage. 

In addition to downpours, spring tends to bring hail storms, too. Each year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are in need of repair because of hail. While you can normally see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioning unit may be causing restricted air flow, obstructing the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the air conditioner more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around a tenth of air conditioning units damaged by hail had to be fully replaced. 

Intense winds tend to accompany storms and while your AC system probably won’t get wind damage, other things picked up by the wind, like tree branches, furniture, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioning unit. 

For a full air conditioner inspection and safety check, call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing today and we’ll make sure your air conditioning unit is working safely and efficiently. Help keep your family safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your home is under a serious storm warning.