Prepping Your Home’s HVAC Equipment for Storms
It feels like storm season is every season. Spring brings rain storms and tornadoes, while summer ushers in hurricane season. By the time the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. The safety of your family during treacherous storms should invariably be priority. But even when the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still need to make sure that your home and family are safe. Here are some suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and air conditioning equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outdoor AC equipment should be positioned on a concrete pad and properly anchored to prevent the equipment from going airborne or washing away during a storm. If you live in a climate that generates hurricanes, it may be necessary to fasten your AC with hurricane straps to protect the system from high winds. Ask your professional technician about securing your home’s AC during your Precision Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t literally prevent the surge that often happens during a storm, but you can safeguard your Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) equipment from it. Install a high-quality surge protector where any sizable appliances, such as a furnace, 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 protect the electrical components in your heating and cooling equipment that the power surge could hurt. Make sure you never touch any electrical components, and seek expert help if you are not comfortable using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to acquire shelter first and foremost, but if time allows, shut off 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 clean up any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
Once the storm is over, make sure the system is safe before turning your heating and cooling system back on. To get started, confirm there are no signals of damage and get rid of any debris surrounding the equipment. Try to examine and confirm 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 it looks like there may have been any damage or flooding to the system. Once you’ve had the system inspected by a technician to ensure safe function, turn the HVAC 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 recommendations 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 all seasons long.
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