We know storms in the Sunshine State. From hurricanes to freak lightning displays so amazing they’re on par with some communities’ fireworks, there are plenty of opportunities for your home to take on some damage. Here are a few things you can do to protect it:
Trim Trees
Our summer storms can kick up a lot of wind. Wind snaps tree branches, particularly those older trees that are more brittle. When they fall on your roof or your AC, or slam into a window, the tree branch wins and you end up with a costly repair. Avoid this by trimming all unhealthy tree branches, especially those that hang near your unit. Hiring an arborist to perform an assessment of your trees on your property, or those that hang into your’s, is less costly than replacing your AC unit or your roof.
Check Your Roof
Before the rainy summer season, check for missing shingles on your roof. With the sudden downpours and strong winds, it’s easy for water to seep into your attic if you’re missing a shingle or two. Since most of us don’t get into our attics very often, you could have quite the problem festering before you discover it.
Clear Your Gutters and Check Them
Make sure there’s nothing in your gutters that will cause them to overflow and drip water in places it’s not meant to sit. Drainage problems in Florida cause erosion and rot quickly. Make sure your gutters are ready to do their job of guiding water away from your house and air conditioner. Also, check that the gutters are sturdy and attached securely to the home. You don’t want them pulling away during a big storm.
Check Your AC’s Fin Compression
Although your AC unit was designed to live outdoors and can take some rough weather, the wind and debris from summer storms can cause compression of the fins around the condenser. If this happens, you start to lose the ability to cool efficiently. You can use a fin comb to straighten the compressed fins or call an AC repair & maintenance company.
Turn the Unit Off?
There’s no need to turn a central-air unit off during a storm, unless it’s a sever electrical one. Summer storms here only seem to last a few minutes anyway and since your AC doesn’t suck air in, you needn’t worry about debris getting sucked into it. If you have a window unit, turn it off but don’t remove it from the window.
Consider a Full Home Surge Protector
Lightning strikes and other causes of electrical outages contribute to uneven current and surges, which can burn out all appliances and electronics, including your AC unit. For that reason it’s wise to consider a surge protector for the whole home. However, if the lightning strike bypasses the place of entry to your home these protectors can’t do much. Still, some protection is better than nothing.
If your unit sustains damage from a storm don’t investigate it yourself, particularly if you believe it to be electrical. Turn the unit off and call us for 24 hour emergency AC repair. Easy A/C will get your unit up and running quickly. We’re comfort made easy. Contact us today.