While your air conditioning unit is built to withstand the weather, including rain and wind damage, there are times when you need to call your AC maintenance technician to inspect likely damage. If your air conditioner sits in standing water, due to storms or other unexpected issues, it can cause serious damage to the moving parts and electrical pieces. The water usually has to reach about 15 inches in depth to affect your AC system, but if there has been any flooding period, call Norrell Service Experts for an AC inspection right away.
If heavy showers or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a few things we recommend doing to avoid additional damage or a dangerous environment:
- Disable all the electrical controls for your AC system. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your AC maintenance expert to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your air conditioner to dry out. Get rid of any standing water if possible and safely clear any debris from around the area.
- Don’t turn your air conditioner back on until a professional AC inspection has been done. Call Norrell Service Experts and ensure your equipment will operate safely and effectively with a full air conditioner safety inspection.
CAUTION: Do not cover your outdoor heating and cooling systems with a tarp. This may actually cause more problems, including not allowing the unit to air out entirely and remove moisture, possibly causing rust or other damage.
In addition to rain, spring escorts in hail storms, also. Annually thousands of commercial and residential AC units are in need of repair because of hail. While you can normally see obvious damage from the outside, you may not be able to see that the damage inside the AC system may be causing restricted air flow, obstructing the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the AC unit more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around a tenth of air conditioners damaged by hail had to be fully replaced.
High winds tend to accompany storms and while your air conditioning unit probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like bushes, trash cans, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioning unit.
For a full air conditioning inspection and safety check, call Norrell Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is operating safely and efficiently. Help keep your family safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your area is under a serious storm warning.