If you have a traditional forced-air HVAC system, it has both indoor and outdoor components: the air handler/evaporator/furnace that’s located inside, and the compressor/condenser unit that’s situated outside. Half of your system is well-protected from the elements, but since the other half sits fully exposed all year long, you might wonder how rain affects your HVAC unit.
Outdoor HVAC Units Are Designed Durably
HVAC manufacturers know that one half of a split system is going to have to withstand foul weather. They also understand that you shouldn’t have to worry about safety issues from running your HVAC system when it’s raining, so they construct these outdoor units to higher durability standards by:
Sealing internal electrical components like the wiring and connections to shield them from the rain.
Building essential parts from corrosion-proof metals like aluminum and copper.
However, if your unit is in a low area and gets under water, make sure to disconnect power and dry the system out completely. Then, have a professional inspect and clean system before using it again.
Also if water gets into the duct system there are several repercussions. If water touches any insulation throughout the duct work or enters inside of the duct work, it will need to be sanitized. If not, the duct work will be acceptable to mildew or mold.
Extreme Weather Situations Can Pose Problems
While your HVAC equipment is designed to function properly in everyday weather conditions such as rainstorms, there are certain extreme weather situations that can harm or even ruin the outdoor unit:
When lightning strikes near your home and causes a power outage, there’s a higher risk of damage to the outdoor compressor. The hazard isn’t due to the outage, per se, but from the power surge that’s likely to occur when the grid comes back on.
High winds or hail. When a rainstorm is accompanied by high winds, or the atmospheric conditions are just right and falling rain turns into hail, the outdoor unit can sustain impact damage that negatively affects its performance and reliability.
About the Author
Randall and Kevin Harbin are the leaders at Harbin heating and air conditioning Inc. Harbin Heating and air conditioning Inc. has been serving clients for 30 years now in the area.
Harbin Heating and Air Conditioning Inc.
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