Flood Damage & Your HVAC

Here is a quick list of items to know about flood damage and your HVAC unit. First and foremost, go to your breaker panel and turn off the power to your AC unit. More damage could potentially occur if electricity flows into the unit. Second, contact your homeowner’s insurance company and see if you have coverage from flooding or storm damage. Many policies exclude floodwaters but will cover if a tree limb hits and damages your unit. So if you have wind damage, be sure to mention that first before you mention the flood damage.

For the outdoor unit:

• Turn off the breaker
• Have the coils cleaned. This should be done from the inside of the unit by removing the top of the unit by a licensed HVAC professional like the ones here at LHT Cooling, Heating and Refrigeration, Inc.
• If any electrical component was submerged, it should be removed and checked for corrosion and faults.
• The condenser fan motor could be damaged if the seal around the motor is bad. These motors are designed to be in the rain but not submerged in water.
• Compressor terminals should be cleaned as rust and corrosion will build up over the next 60 to 90 days.

For the indoor unit:

• Turn off the breaker
• Water will damage more components in the indoor (furnace or air handler) unit as there are many more electronic controls in this unit. They are also not built to be water resistant as they are usually installed in dry areas such as attics or closets. However, many here at the beach are installed in crawl spaces, and unfortunately, crawl spaces flood. They should be a couple of inches off the ground, but that won’t help when you have a foot of water.
• Turn off the AC unit at the thermostat. If the thermostat has a battery backup, there could still be low voltage signals being sent through the control board to the submerged unit.

Even if your unit survives the storm and starts working again, there could be damage to the blower motor that may not show up till months later after the metal corrodes or rusts. Water will shorten the life of the motor. Be sure to call us at LHT to check out your flood damage and your HVAC.