Protecting Your Air Conditioning System During Hurricane Season

If you live in an area where severe storms are a concern during the summer months, including coastal areas with hurricane risks, it's important to consider how your air conditioning system will fare through any severe storms. Preparing your air conditioning system for hurricane season takes some careful consideration. Here are some of the things you should consider as you determine if your system is prepared for the upcoming storm season.

Check The Pad

When you know that there's a storm coming, inspect your concrete pad to ensure that it is free of cracks and damage. A structurally sound concrete pad is important for ensuring that your air conditioning unit remains stable throughout the storm. In addition, you can reinforce the enclosure by ensuring that all of the straps and bolts securing the unit to the pad are tight and in good condition. Anything corroded or weak should be replaced before the storm.

Protect The Unit

The exterior unit for your air conditioning system is vulnerable to all sorts of damage during severe weather. Especially in hurricane season, you risk impact damage from high-speed debris. As a homeowner, it's important that you remove anything that could become a projectile in heavy winds, so bring in your lawn chairs, planters, and yard decor that's not secured in place. Moving things to the garage will keep your air conditioning unit from being struck by those items in the wind.

Shut Off The System

Depending on the nature of the storm, it's often in your best interest to shut off your air conditioner while the storm moves through. Not only does this prevent short circuits from weather damage inside the enclosure, but it can also protect your air conditioner from any power surges caused by storm damage. Save yourself the costly repair bills that result from these types of damage by turning off your air conditioner ahead of the storm and waiting until the storm has been cleared for some time before you turn it back on again. If you live somewhere hot, cool your home as much as possible before turning it off to delay any potential temperature increases in your home.

These are a few of the most important things to consider when it comes to caring for a central air conditioning system in a hurricane-prone environment. Talk with your HVAC technician today for more information about steps you can take to help your system weather the storm. For more information about how to handle your air conditioning unit before a storm, reach out to a local HVAC service. 

About Me

Maintaining Your HVAC Unit

My husband and I live in an older brick ranch home. Since we moved into this house ten years ago, we’ve been slowly renovating it. We installed new hardwood and tile floors. We’ve also replaced cabinet hardware and installed a new backsplash in the kitchen. While we’ve definitely completed some upgrades, we still have a lot of work to do. One of our future purchases will be a new HVAC system. Our unit is twenty years old. However, to keep it running efficiently for the time being, we have it regularly inspected. In order to properly maintain the air conditioning unit at your home, you should consider having an HVAC contractor examine it annually. On this blog, you will discover the things an HVAC contractor looks at during an annual inspection.

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