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

While your air conditioning unit is created to withstand all sorts of conditions, including rain and storm damage, occasionally you need to call your air conditioning repair technician to inspect likely damage. If your air conditioning unit sits in standing water, due to flooding or other unexpected issues, it can cause severe damage to the moving parts and electrical sections. The water usually has to reach about 12-15 inches in depth to affect your air conditioning system, but if there has been any flooding whatsoever, call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning for an AC inspection as soon as possible.

If intense rainfall or flooding caused your air conditioning unit to sit in standing water, there are a handful of things we suggest doing to avoid more damage or dangerous conditions:

  • Turn off all the electrical switches to your air conditioner. If you are not comfortable turning off your switches, you can call your air conditioning service company to help guide you through the process.
  • Allow your AC system to dry out. Remove any standing water if possible and carefully clear any debris from around the area.
  • Don’t turn your air conditioner back on until a professional air conditioning inspection has been completed. Call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning and ensure your equipment will work safely and effectively with a full AC safety inspection.
Flooding preparedness infographic Gainesville

REMEMBER: Do not cover your outdoor heating and cooling systems with a tarp. This can actually cause more issues, including not allowing the unit to air out entirely and remove moisture, potentially causing rust or other damage.

In addition to rain, spring also brings hail storms, also. Every year thousands of commercial and residential air conditioning systems are in need of repair because of hail. While you can normally see obvious damage from the outside, you may not realize that the damage inside the air conditioning unit may be causing restricted air flow, obstructing the performance of the system. Sometimes you can fix the AC unit 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 entirely replaced.

High winds tend to accompany storms and while your AC system probably won’t get wind damage, other items picked up by the wind, like bushes, trash cans, or unattached enclosures, can be thrown, damaging your air conditioning unit.

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


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