While your AC system is created to withstand the elements, including rain and hail damage, sometimes you need to call your AC repair technician to inspect possible 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 components. The water usually has to reach about a foot in depth to affect your air conditioner, but if there has been any flooding period, call Matz-Rightway for an air conditioner inspection right away.
If intense rainfall or flooding caused your AC system to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we suggest doing to avoid more damage or dangerous situations:
- Disable all the electrical controls to your air conditioning system. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can call your air conditioning service expert to help assist you with the process.
- Allow your air conditioner to dry out. Clear out any standing water if possible and safely clear any debris from the immediate area.
- Do not turn on your air conditioning system until a professional AC inspection has been done. Call Matz-Rightway and ensure your equipment will run safely and effectively with a full air conditioning system safety inspection.
REMEMBER: Do not cover your outdoor heating and cooling systems with a tarp. This could actually cause more problems, including not allowing the system to air out properly and remove moisture, a could cause rust or other damage.
In addition to rain, spring tends to bring hail storms, also. Each year thousands of commercial and residential AC units are in need of repair because of 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, decreasing 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 10% of air conditioners damaged by hail had to be fully replaced.
Intense winds tend to accompany storms and while your air conditioning unit probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like tree limbs, grills, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your system.
For a full air conditioning inspection and safety check, call Matz-Rightway today and we’ll make sure your AC system is operating 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.