The hurricane season in Florida always brings with it major risks. Flooding and heavy winds often cause severe damage to buildings. One of the risks of a hurricane is that it can damage or destroy your air conditioning system. Here are some steps you can take to lessen the damage to the AC condenser or heat pump.
Make Sure Your Outdoor AC Unit Is Covered and Secured
The extreme winds produced by a hurricane can potentially lift your AC or heat pump off the ground. There is a risk of flying debris smashing into the unit and bending the fan blades. One easy thing you can do to lessen the risk of damage is to cover the top and sides of your AC unit. You can purchase a vinyl condenser or fitted cover designed for the size of your unit. If you don’t have time to find these accessories, you can also use sheets of plywood to create a barrier against flying debris. When doing so, it’s also essential that you make sure all of the sheets are securely fastened down so that they can’t come flying off as a result of the extreme winds. Using hurricane straps to secure each of the four sheets to the ground and around the side of the unit should be sufficient to keep them secured.
Store Loose Items
You are likely to be boarding up your windows during this time. As a part of this process, remove any window air conditioner to store inside. Additionally, look around your lawn to see what is loose. This includes things like patio furniture and landscaping decor. These items are likely to blow into your outdoor unit if they are left unsecured.
Build a Flood Barrier to Reduce the Risk of Damage
In addition to high winds and flying debris, you also need to be extremely cautious to prevent the heavy rains from flooding your outdoor AC unit. If the unit sits directly on the ground or on a shallow concrete pad, even a few inches of standing water can result in severe damage.
To assess your flood risk level, start by looking at the elevation of your home. You can type your address into FEMA’s flood risk map to get more details. Additionally, look at the location of your home compared to the landscape around it. Ideally, your home should be slightly elevated and water should slope away from it. Consider the direction that floodwaters would come from, like the nearest river, and make your fortification plans from that direction.
The easiest way to prevent flood waters from potentially getting inside the unit is to use sandbags to create a barrier around all sides. In a severe storm, you want to create multiple walls back to back for stability. You can also make rows with spaces between to slow the flow of moving water. Make sure each row extends at least as high as the top of the unit.
Turn the Power to Your AC Off
Whether or not you have to evacuate, make sure that you shut your air conditioning off before the storm is predicted to hit your area. The safest way to do this is to flip the breaker that leads to your HVAC system. This will prevent the risk of live wires if the storm damages your electrical system.
Prepare a Backup Generator for After the Storm
Even if your home makes it through the storm undamaged, you still may have to deal with power outages. In this case, you can get your air conditioner up and running again if you have a backup generator that can handle the necessary power load. Be sure that the generator is as protected as your outdoor AC unit during the storm event. Also, make sure that the generator is tuned and fully fueled. If you don’t have a fuel tank that feeds a permanent generator, you may want to store a few extra cans of gas to refill the generator as needed.
If you’re having any issues with your air conditioning or heating in the Sarasota area, AirNow Air Conditioning is the company to turn to. We offer expert repair and maintenance plans and work on all brands and models of HVAC equipment. We’re also here to help if you need to prepare your HVAC for a major storm or require any installation services. To learn more about what makes us the area’s most trusted source for air conditioning and heating, contact AirNow Air Conditioning today.
