PREPPING YOUR HVAC AND PLUMBING FOR HURRICANE SEASON

How to Prepare your HVAC and Plumbing for Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is sweeping the North Carolina coast, which can bring costly damage and difficult repairs to your home. Protecting your HVAC system during hurricane season can minimize damage and give you one less thing to worry about. Here are some HVAC hurricane tips from a Wilmington heating and cooling professional.

When to Protect Your HVAC From Hurricane Weather

While you should always take the measures needed to preserve your HVAC system, this unit requires extra care during the annual hurricane season. The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1st and lasts until November 30th. During this period, you should ensure that your HVAC system has what it needs to survive intense storms and frequent rain. By completing even the basics of needed services and professional maintenance, you can help your system survive the hurricane season. However, if your home is projected to be within the direct path of a coming hurricane, you might need to take more drastic measures.

• Make sure that your lawn furniture and other outdoor hazards are secure to prevent them from being tossed about your home. This not only saves your outdoor furniture, but it also eliminates the risk that these items cause damage to your property, including your outdoor HVAC unit.
• Tighten any bolts or screws that may be coming loose in and around your unit. The hurricane weather will first impact any existing vulnerabilities in your system.
• If the weather permits, shut off and cover your unit. Be sure to take the cover off after each hurricane. While this may seem like unnecessary work, leaving a cover on your unit will cause moisture to sit within your system.

Once the storm passes, it is best to have an inspection of your unit completed before turning the power back on. You can contact a local professional to ensure that your unit is unimpacted to promote safety and prolonged function. These experts can also guide you through any needed repair plans.

After the Hurricane

After each hurricane passage, you should revisit your unit and check for damages or needed care. If your unit seems like it may have been compromised during the hurricane, turn the system off and call a professional for emergency care. For homes in North Carolina, especially the Wilmington area, contractors often choose HVAC units and create designs to prepare for storms as best as possible. However, if you need a new HVAC unit or HVAC design following a storm, ask your HVAC company to take extra measures to protect your unit from future hurricanes, and ask about units with free HVAC warranty agreements.

HVAC Maintenance

An HVAC maintenance is the first step towards reducing the risk of storm damage and preparing your HVAC system for hurricane season. With regular inspections and care, a professional can detect any imminent issues and thwart them before they create problems for your system. Any system vulnerabilities will be worsened by hurricane season, which can accelerate pre-existing problems and heighten their effect on your unit.

HVAC Repair Wilmington

While there is no guaranteed way to protect your home from a hurricane, taking these steps can help you reduce the impact of hurricane and storm destruction. If your home falls victim to hurricane damage, the professionals at Newcomb and Company can help. Give us a call, day or night, and our professionals will gladly help you get your unit back in working order.