While your air conditioning unit is made to withstand the elements, including heavy showers and wind damage, sometimes you need to call your air conditioning repair technician to inspect likely damage. If your AC system sits in standing water, due to flooding or other unexpected issues, it can cause significant damage to the moving parts and electrical components. The water usually has to reach about 12-15 inches in depth to affect your air conditioning system, but if there has been any flooding at all, call McElroy Service Experts for a safety inspection as soon as possible.
If intense rainfall or flooding caused your AC system to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we recommend doing to avoid more damage or dangerous situations:
- Deactivate all the electrical switches for your air conditioner. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can call your AC maintenance company to help guide you through the process.
- Allow your air conditioning equipment to dry out. Remove any standing water if possible and safely clear any debris from around the area.
- Don’t turn your air conditioner back on until a professional air conditioner inspection has been performed. Call McElroy Service Experts and ensure your equipment will work safely and effectively with a full air conditioner 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, potentially causing rust or other damage.
In addition to downpours, spring tends to bring hail storms, as well. Each year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are harmed by hail. While you can typically see obvious damage from the outside, you may not notice that the damage inside the AC system may be causing restricted air flow, hindering 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 one out of ten of AC systems damaged by hail had to be completely replaced.
Intense 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 bushes, trash cans, or children’s outdoor toys, can be thrown, damaging your system.
For a full AC inspection and safety check, call McElroy Service Experts today and we’ll make sure your AC system is running safely and efficiently. Help keep your loved ones safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your city is under a serious storm warning.