Prepping Your Home's HVAC Equipment for Storms
It feels like storm season is every season. Spring comes through with rain storms and tornadoes, while summer kicks off hurricane season. As the Atlantic hurricane season comes to a close in November, blizzards are upon the north. In August the floods caused destruction for our family in Louisiana. The well-being of your family during perilous storms should always take priority. But even when the winds die down and the rain dries up, you still want to make sure that your home and family stay safe. Check out these suggestions for preparing your home’s heating and cooling equipment for storm season.
Anchor Your AC
Your outdoor AC equipment should be positioned on a concrete pad and properly fastened to avoid the system from being thrown in the air or washing away in a storm. If you are in a climate that generates hurricanes, it may be necessary to fasten your air conditioner with hurricane straps to keep the equipment safe from high winds. Ask your professional technician about securing your home’s air conditioner during your AC Tune-up.
Stop the Surge
You can’t actually prevent the surge that often comes during a storm, but you can protect your heating and air conditioning equipment from it. Get a high-quality surge protector where any sizable appliances, such as a furnace, are plugged into a standard wall outlet, to automatically turn off your heating system if there’s an increase in the line voltage. This will help shield the electrical components in your heating and air conditioning equipment that the power surge could hurt. Remember to never touch any electrical components, and request professional help if you are not familiar with using surge protectors properly.
Provide Cover
Your family and you need to seek shelter first and foremost, but if time permits, shut down your heating and air conditioning system and cover the outside equipment with a tarp. Before turning your system back on after the storm, you must remove the tarp and clean up any debris.
This, Too, Shall Pass
After the storm ends, make sure the system is safe before turning on your HVAC system. To begin, confirm there are no signs of damage and clean any debris surrounding the system. Try to evaluate and make sure there is no noticeable harm to any of the refrigerant or electrical lines running from your air conditioning system. Call 204-800-0613 for an equipment inspection if seems like there is any damage or flooding to the air conditioning. Once you’ve had the system checked by a professional to ensure safe function, turn the heating and air conditioning system back on ASAP to help dry the home and limit mold from getting into the equipment or ductwork.
If your system has had any damage, check out these suggestions on What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage and then call Winnipeg Supply Service Experts and ask about our membership options to help keep your HVAC system in working order all year long.
