It feels like storm season is every season. Spring brings rain storms and tornadoes, while summer starts the hurricane season. By the time the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. In August the floods wreaked havoc on our loved ones in Louisiana. The well-being 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 make sure that your home and family are safe. Here are some suggestions 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 secured to keep the air conditioner from being thrown in the air or washing away during a storm. If you live in a climate that produces hurricanes, it may be required to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to keep the system safe from high winds. Ask your professional technician about fastening down your home’s AC during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually stop the surge that often comes during a storm, but you can shield your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment from it. Install a high-quality surge protector where any large appliances, such as a furnace, are plugged into a standard wall outlet, to automatically turn off your heating system if there’s a spike in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your heating and air conditioning equipment that the power surge could hurt. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and request a technician’s help if you are not comfortable using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your loved ones and you need to acquire shelter first and foremost, but if time allows, shut down your HVAC system and cover the outside system with a tarp. Before you turn your system back on after the storm, be sure to 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 begin, confirm there are no indications of damage and remove any debris from around the equipment. Try to evaluate and verify there is no visible harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 205-267-0023 for a system inspection if appears there has been any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the equipment checked by a technician to ensure safe working, turn the heating and cooling system back on ASAP to help dry the home and limit mold from getting into your equipment or ductwork.
If there was any damage to your equipment, check out these suggestions on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Norrell Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your heating and air conditioning system in working order through all the seasons.