When a hurricane hits, life’s priorities rearrange. Understandably, many seemingly minor projects fall by the wayside, all focus on safety and recovery. So, keeping your AC intact is probably one of the last things on your mind.
However, leaving your AC unprotected during a tropical storm can have detrimental effects on you, your house, and your HVAC system. To help you better protect your home, SM Mechanical Services, which offers the best air conditioning repair and excellent furnace repair services in West Hartford, will walk you through expert hurricane AC unit preparation before the next tropical storm hits.
Power The Air Conditioner Down
The first and most crucial step in pre-hurricane AC unit preparation is to shut down the system and remove power from the unit. Major tropical storms like hurricanes will likely shut your home’s power down, rendering your AC unit ineffective, but that power surge can also break your air conditioning if it’s plugged in when you lose power.
Hurricanes threaten your AC’s health if you leave your unit plugged in in multiple ways, even if nothing contacts the unit directly. For example, a lightning strike can send voltage strikes through your power grid, frying vulnerable air conditioner components. Therefore, it’s essential to power down your AC before the hurricane reaches your circuit breaker, even if you’ve plugged the air conditioner into a surge protector.
Remove The AC Unit From Your Window (If Necessary)
If you have an AC fixed to a window, it’s vital to remove it before the hurricane comes in.
Hurricane-force winds can rip your AC system from your window and toss it into the standing water, which will likely break it beyond repair. Powerful winds can even throw the unit to a neighboring property or turn it into a hazardous projectile.
Since this step requires you to be outside, it’s best to handle it before the storm settles in.
Pick Up Large, Heavy Debris From Outdoor Areas
Not only can hurricane-force winds turn your AC unit into a damaging projectile, but they can also pick up anything in your backyard and hurl it into your home and air conditioning unit. Because of this, it’s essential to remove any items that could cause damage at high velocities from your outdoor spaces and secure them inside.
You should move everything from small pebbles to large patio furniture indoors before the storm hits, as it doesn’t take much to damage an AC unit or your home. For example, the entire AC system could break if the hurricane winds pick up a lawn chair and toss it into your air conditioning or outdoor unit. Even worse, that debris could fly into your or your neighbor’s home and damage the windows or siding.
Debris removal should also include trimming limbs from trees or uprooting them entirely, if possible. Hurricanes can snap branches off tree trunks and send them flying into AC units, knocking them out of place and destroying them.
Protect Your Air Conditioner’s Outdoor Unit
While your air conditioner’s outdoor unit is stronger and more secure than indoor components, it’s also more exposed to the harsh elements of tropical storms. Of course, outdoor air conditioning units withstand regular rainfall with no issues, but days of exposure to standing hurricane water are enough to break them completely.
Fortunately, you won’t need to bring your outdoor unit inside to protect it; you just need to secure it to an elevated platform. Most air conditioning installation teams fasten the outdoor unit and condenser to a four-inch concrete pad that rests above your area’s flood line. However, if you don’t have a concrete slab, you can call SM Mechanical Services to learn how we can protect your system from hurricane water damage.
Don’t Touch The AC Until The Storm Subsides
If you’ve followed all of our pre-hurricane AC unit protection steps, your air conditioning should stay safe during the storm. However, even with the proper hurricane defense, you should avoid using your air conditioning until the storm and its aftermath disappear entirely.
Standing water and the damp environment after a hurricane can cause water damage, while storm winds can pick up small debris, lodge it in your outdoor unit, and prevent the entire system from functioning. Therefore, it’s vital to wait until it’s safe to return outside and inspect your unit before re-installing everything and running it.
If a tropical storm has worn down your AC system, or if you’re just ready for a tune-up, our team at SM Mechanical Services can repair your unit so that it runs as smoothly as the day you installed it.
Preparing For Life During a Hurricane
Hurricane AC unit protection is only one small part of preparing for a tropical storm; you must also tend to other parts of your home before the water comes in.
The most important thing you can do is act as quickly as possible. Of course, this applies to protecting your AC unit, but the storm may rob you of electricity in general. To get everything, including your air conditioner, running again sooner rather than later, you’ll need an alternative.
If you have a backup generator, you will want to power it on before the storm to ensure that it works and will provide power throughout the hurricane.
After the hurricane passes, you will want to ensure that your AC system is ready to use. While you can look at the unit’s internal parts yourself, the most reliable way to ensure its safety is to call for AC repair from SM Mechanical Services.
Hurricane AC Unit Repair From SM Mechanical Services
At SM Mechanical Services, we offer thorough post-hurricane AC unit repair services that ensure your system is safe to use. We’ll scan every part of your system for water damage, debris, and worn-down parts and offer complete repairs that restore your entire system to peak condition.
Call SM Mechanical Services today at (860) 296-5100 to schedule a hurricane AC unit repair quote or learn more about the elements of an air conditioning system.