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

While your air conditioner is built to withstand the elements, including rain and wind damage, there are times when you need to call your AC maintenance technician to inspect potential damage. If your AC system sits in standing water, due to a torrential downpour or other unexpected issues, it can cause severe damage to the moving parts and electrical components. The water usually has to reach about 12-15 inches in depth to affect your AC system, but if there has been any flooding whatsoever, call Bryant Heating & Cooling Service Experts for a safety inspection immediately. 

If severe storms or flooding caused your air conditioner to sit in standing water, there are a few things we advise doing to avoid further damage or dangerous situations: 

• Disable all the electrical controls to your air conditioner. If you are not comfortable doing this, you can call your AC maintenance company to help help you complete the process. 
• Allow your air conditioner 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 completed. Call Bryant Heating & Cooling Service Experts and ensure your equipment will run safely and effectively with a full air conditioner safety inspection. 

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

In addition to April showers, spring escorts in hail storms, too. 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 conditioner 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 air conditioning units damaged by hail had to be completely 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 bushes, grills, or sandboxes, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioning unit. 

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