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YourHub.com \\ Jensen Beach \\ Stories \\ Hurricanes \\ Hurricane tips

After the storm...Tips for your A/C unit!

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Contributed by: Christopher Rizzo on 5/28/2008

As promised, Ocean Breeze Cooling would like to give you some tips on what to check for after a severe thunderstorm or hurricane. These tips should help you know when you need to call an A/C company, and when you can take care of things yourself.

After the storm, check your outside unit for any debris. If there are alot of leaves or dirt on your outside unit, take your garden hose and spray it off, just be sure to go in the direction that the coil fins (the really skinny lines of metal running up and down all around the outside unit) are running, so an up and down motion would be recommended. If you go side to side, you risk denting these delicate fins, which in turn can lower your air conditioners efficencey

Check to see if your outside unit has shifted its position. If it has, check to see if you can locate any kinks in the copper lines that are attached to it. You can also check to see if you notice any wires that are disconnected visually in about the same area as the copper connections. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TOUCH THEM OR TO REMOVE THE COVER WHERE THEY ARE COMING FROM AS ELECTRICAL SHOCK CAN OCCUR!! If you see any damage to either of these areas, you need to call a professional to repair them.

If your outside unit looks undamaged, you can try to run you unit when power returns. If the unit is not running at that time, you can check the following reasons yourself.

1. Have you checked your electrical panel for a tripped breaker? Many times storms will trip a breaker if the power goes out while your unit is running.
2. Have you checked the batteries in your thermostat recently? If you thermostat takes batteries (most digitals do), it has been running off battery power for the length of time the power has been out, this causes the batteries to die quicker.
3. Is there water in your emergency pan? This can cause the unit to shut down so it won't overflow. This generally means you have a backed up drain and may need a service call to clear it. Sludge builds up when the unit is not running and needs to be cleared. Sometimes a homeowner can clear it themselves. You can call and speak to our tech to see if he may be able to help you over the phone with this.
4. If one room seems warmer than the rest, or if you notice dirt around a register, a piece of duct work may have been damaged during high winds and may need to be reconnected. You can visually inspect the duct in your attic and see if you need to reseal it.
5. Check your air handler coil visually for mold if the unit has been sitting for a few daysno

If you have any doubts about what to do, or if your unit still will not run, give us a call or email us at obcool2@bellsouth.net to ask Paul, the head of Service any question you want, and we will be happy to help you, 24 hours a day. Also, visit our website at www.oceanbreezecooling.com to enter our Monthly Maintenance Inspection Giveaway!!!! Just follow the directions on the main page. There is NO COST or OBLIGATION TO ENTER!

We hope these tips will help you, and remember, we are here to serve you 24/7!
772-398-8011

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