While your air conditioner is built to withstand the elements, including rain and hail damage, there are times when you need to call your AC repair technician to inspect possible damage. If your AC system sits in standing water, due to storms or other unexpected issues, it can cause serious damage to the moving parts and electrical sections. The water usually has to reach about 12-15 inches in depth to affect your AC system, but if there has been any flooding period, call Fras-Air/General Service Experts for an AC inspection as soon as possible.
If severe storms or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a few things we suggest doing to avoid more damage or a dangerous environment:
- Turn off all the electrical switches to your air conditioning system. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can call your AC maintenance expert to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your air conditioning equipment to dry out. Get rid of any standing water if possible and cautiously clear any debris from the surrounding area.
- Leave your AC system off until a professional air conditioning inspection has been done. Call Fras-Air/General Service Experts and ensure your equipment will operate safely and effectively with a full air conditioning system safety inspection.
CAUTION: Do not cover your outdoor HVAC systems with a tarp. This may actually cause more issues, including not allowing the system to air out completely and remove moisture, a could cause rust or other damage.
In addition to April showers, spring tends to bring hail storms, also. Annually thousands of commercial and residential AC units are damaged by hail. While you can normally see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioning unit may be causing restricted air flow, hindering the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the air conditioning system more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around one out of ten of air conditioning units damaged by hail had to be entirely replaced.
High winds tend to accompany storms and while your air conditioning unit probably won’t get wind damage, other objects picked up by the wind, like tree limbs, trash cans, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioner.
For a full AC inspection and safety check, call Fras-Air/General Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is working safely and efficiently. Help keep your family safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your city is under a serious storm warning.