For any property or business owner, making sure everything’s working is the first thing that should be on their checklist following any hurricane or severe rains. One of the biggest items that needs a look at is the commercial HVAC system. It’s crucial to the working environment of the business for notable reasons. Since the system is outside either on ground level or on the rooftop of a building, it's exposed to the full brunt of any hurricane or severe rain.

We don’t recommend turning on and off the commercial HVAC system following severe weather to deduce its working condition. Doing so can cause damage beyond repair to sensitive equipment inside. Therefore, it’s important to know how to spot any faults when it comes to assessing the damage without turning it on. Check out the following steps property or business owners need to take following a severe weather to measure out the full extent of the damage to the commercial HVAC system.

Assessing the Damage to the Commercial HVAC System

No matter if it’s a rooftop or ground-mounted unit, both are susceptible to hurricanes or severe rain damages. Once the floodwaters have receded, check them for the following:

Open the system’s back panel. Floodwater may easily have found its way in and have done damage to the electrical components of the commercial HVAC system. Water lines will outline how exposed the condensing unit was during the storm.

Inspect the compressor, fan motor and condenser coil fins. With floodwaters comes dirt and debris. Make sure to clean all of them of both.

Look at the condensing unit and note whether it’s shifted on its pad. If it has, the copper lineset may have a break in it. A break in the lineset can cause contamination, and cause massive energy inefficiency.

Water may have found its way into the ductwork of the system. Examine any sheet metal ductwork for rust or corrosion.

Investigate the insulation of the blower compartment. Most often is it damaged by floodwater and will need to replacement.

Any water lines along crawlspace equipment will signal damage to the entire HVAC system.

Hopefully, the commercial HVAC system survives a hurricane or severe rains with only the need for a good cleaning and some slight repairs. In the worst case, the solution is a completely new commercial HVAC system. It’s important to have a certified HVAC technician come out and give the system approval before running it again. While there may be no obvious visible damage, there may still be problems with the system. They’ll give it a thorough look over and do what’s needed to have your HVAC system up and running without any issues.