What To Do If Your Air Conditioning System Experiences Flooding or Hail Damage

While your air conditioning unit is made to withstand all sorts of conditions, including heavy showers and storm damage, there are times when you need to call your AC repair technician to inspect potential damage. If your air conditioning unit sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause serious damage to the moving parts and electrical pieces. The water usually has to reach about 12-15 inches in depth to affect your air conditioner, but if there has been any flooding at all, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning for an AC inspection immediately.

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:

• Disable all the electrical controls for your AC system. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your AC maintenance expert to help help you complete the process.
• Allow your AC system to dry out. Clear out any standing water if possible and safely clear any debris from the surrounding area.
• Leave your AC system off until a professional air conditioner inspection has been performed. Call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and ensure your equipment will run safely and effectively with a full AC safety inspection.

NOTE: Do not cover your outdoor HVAC systems with a tarp. This can actually cause more problems, including not allowing the air conditioner to air out completely and remove moisture, potentially causing rust or other damage.

In addition to rain, spring tends to bring hail storms, too. Annually thousands of commercial and residential AC units are harmed by hail. While you can typically see obvious damage from the outside, you may not be able to see that the damage inside the air conditioner may be causing restricted air flow, obstructing the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the air conditioner more easily, by combing the fins or replacing the coil, but an insurance company’s claim breakdown showed that around a tenth of air conditioning units damaged by hail had to be entirely replaced.

Strong winds tend to accompany storms and while your air conditioning unit probably won’t get wind damage, other things picked up by the wind, like tree branches, trash cans, or children’s outdoor toys, can be thrown, damaging your system.

For a full air conditioner inspection and safety check, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning today and we’ll make sure your air conditioner is operating safely and efficiently. Help keep your family safe during storm season and make sure to follow these guidelines if your area is under a serious storm warning.