How A Hurricane Can Affect Your Air Conditioner

Your entire home might be at risk of serious damage if there is a hurricane approaching your area. This even includes your air conditioning system. These are some of the different ways that a hurricane can affect your air conditioning system.

Flooding

First of all, since your air conditioning system is designed to be installed outdoors, it's obviously designed to be exposed to rain. However, there is a difference between your unit getting wet during a rainstorm and completely sitting under water because of flooding, which is common during hurricanes. If your air conditioning unit has been flooded, you absolutely should not try to use it until it has completely dried out. To prevent even worse damage to your air conditioning unit and to prevent electric shock, have it checked out by an air conditioning repair company before turning it on.

Flying Debris

During the windy conditions in a hurricane, all sorts of things can be blown around your yard. Heavy items can hit your air conditioning unit and leave dents and other serious damage. Leaves and other lawn debris can end up inside of your unit, causing clogs and preventing important parts from moving properly. You can be proactive and help prevent flying debris from damaging your air conditioning unit by picking it up and putting it away before the storm. However, you can't prevent all lawn debris or debris from your neighbors' yards. Cleaning away any debris that you see after the storm will help, but if something heavy has hit your unit, it may be damaged beyond repair and you'll need an AC system replacement.

Power Surges

Your power might turn off and on during the storm. These sudden changes can result in power surges, which can damage the electrical components of your air conditioning unit and can even cause electrical fires. Having your air conditioning system hooked up to a special surge protector that is designed for use with air conditioning units is a good thing to do before a hurricane comes, and it can help both during hurricanes and during other storms and power outages. If it's too late to take this step, consider turning off the power to your air conditioning system once conditions start to get bad.

Hurricanes can cause significant damage to many things on your property, including your air conditioning system. Preparing ahead of time will help you protect your system, and working with a professional can help you repair or replace your system after the storm has passed.