5 Ways to Prepare Your AC Unit for Hurricane Season

Preparing your AC unit for hurricane season is just as important as preparing your home for hurricane season. Hurricane season usually starts around the middle of May, which is a time when the warm weather is really picking up, so you may also be relying on your AC system to beat the heat. However, if you want to continue seeking relief from the punishing heat, you want to make sure that you take certain measures to protect your AC unit and to make sure your AC unit has the strength to take on a category four or five hurricane. Here are five ways to prepare your AC unit for hurricane season.

1. Make sure that there is plenty of refrigeration fluid. When it comes down to it, hurricane season can be quite warm, so you want to make sure your AC unit has enough cooling fluid to work efficiently. The last thing you want is to run out of air conditioning fluid and have to suffer through a day of punishing heat. If you are unsure how to replace the fluid, you probably want to contact an HVAC professional.
2. Make sure that your window unit is firmly fastened. In a major storm, your window unit can become dislodged and can cause significant damage – to your home and to the unit. In fact, if yourfurnace is cold in the winter, it may be because of some kind of damage that occurred during hurricane season. So, make sure that screws are tightly fastened and that the frame doesn’t have any visible cracks or damage. You may even want to reseal the window frame with caulking – just to prevent leaks from occurring.
3. Make sure that your AC unit is turned off and not plugged in during a hurricane warning. When it comes down to it, you don’t want your AC unit to be turned on during a major hurricane. This is important for a number of reasons. One of the most important reasons why you want to turn off your AC unit is because you don’t want an electrical surge to cause a fire. Not only that, but debris from the hurricane could damage the fans in your AC unit’s outdoor compartment.
4. Make sure that you thoroughly inspect your AC unit after a major hurricane. When it comes down to it, your AC unit may look fine on the outside, but there may be damage on the inside that could become worse if you turn your unit on. For instance, if there is something wrong with the fans inside the AC unit’s outdoor compartment, you don’t want to make it worse by turning them on.
5. Make sure that your AC unit doesn’t have any noticeable issues before hurricane season starts. The last thing you want is a broken or inefficient AC unit. Not only that, but if you want to maintain the lifespan of your unit, especially through hurricane season, you want to make sure that you change filters and perform tune ups wherever your AC unit needs them. Taking these important measures will ensure that your unit stays strong throughout hurricane season.