My A/C is under water!

As the water starts to recede in some areas, here’s what you need to know when “my a/c is under water.” 

First and foremost – TURN OFF THE POWER – go to the breaker and turn off the power to your a/c unit. Second, contact your homeowner’s insurance company to confirm if you have coverage from flooding or storm damage. Many policies exclude flood damage but will cover if a tree limb falls on your unit and damages it. If you have “wind and hail” coverage, make sure to mention this 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.
• 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 built to withstand rain but not submersion.
• 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 unit (furnace or air handler) as there are more electrical controls in this unit. They are also not built to be water resistant as they are usually installed in dry areas. However, many get installed in crawl spaces under homes. The unit should be several inches off the ground, but even 6 inches of rain could easily submerge parts of the unit.
• Turn off the a/c unit at the thermostat. If the thermostat has a battery back-up, there could still be a low voltage signal being sent to the control boards in the submerged unit.

Even if your unit survives the storm and starts working again, there could be damage to the motor that may not show up for a couple of months as the metal corrodes or rusts. Remember if “my a/c is under water,” the water will shorten the life of motors!