While your AC system is created to withstand all sorts of conditions, including precipitation and wind damage, occasionally you need to call your air conditioning repair technician to inspect potential damage. If your air conditioner sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause terrible damage to the moving parts and electrical sections. The water usually has to reach about a foot in depth to affect your AC system, but if there has been any flooding at all, call A1 Chesney Service Experts for a safety inspection as soon as possible.
If intense rainfall or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a few things we recommend doing to avoid further damage or dangerous conditions:
- Turn off all the electrical switches for your air conditioner. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your air conditioning service technician to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your air conditioning equipment to dry out. Remove any standing water if possible and carefully clear any debris from the surrounding area.
- Do not turn on your air conditioning system until a professional air conditioner inspection has been performed. Call A1 Chesney Service Experts and ensure your equipment will operate safely and effectively with a full AC safety inspection.
NOTE: Do not cover your outdoor heating and cooling systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more damage, including not allowing the system to air out entirely and remove moisture, possibly causing rust or other damage.
In addition to April showers, spring escorts in hail storms, too. Each year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are damaged by hail. While you can typically see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioning unit may be causing restricted air flow, decreasing the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the AC unit more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around 10% of air conditioners damaged by hail had to be fully replaced.
High winds tend to accompany storms and while your AC system probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like tree branches, grills, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioner.
For a full air conditioner inspection and safety check, call A1 Chesney Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is working safely and efficiently. Help keep your loved ones safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your area is under a serious storm warning.