Here in Wilmington NC, we can experience a fluctuation in weather. From sunny, 75 degree weather to a tumultuous downpour. The coastal weather can get finicky sometimes and keep us on our toes! For those times Mother Nature gets out of hand, we’ve compiled a few tips and tricks to follow to get your home and HVAC system up and running again!
Bad Weather
The number one reason your power may be out is a storm came through. The damaging effects of winds, rain, lightning, and flying debris can cut power to your home. Living in or near a coastal area, bad weather can appear out of nowhere. The storms that come through can be strong enough to cut power to your home.
Other common causes of a power outage are:
- Fallen trees
- Downed utility poles
- Animals
Despite the reason your home loses power, a power outage can last from a few hours, to a few days, and even up to a few weeks depending on what caused the power loss and emergency service response time.
Power Outage Is Over
During a power outage, the temperature in your home will inevitably rise. When the lights come back on, it is a HUGE relief! However, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to monitoring your HVAC unit after a power outage.
When power is restored to your HVAC unit, do not expect your home to cool down right away. Follow this rule of thumb: allow one hour per degree for your home to cool.
For example, during the cooler months, it’s recommended to keep your thermostat set between 68 and 72 degrees. So, if the temperature registers at 82 degrees when your system turns back on, it can take about 10 hours to drop down to 72.
How To Reset Your HVAC System
If your unit seems to have an issue when it comes back on, try the age-old fix of turning it off and then back on. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, please give us a call!
To reset your unit:
- For your safety, turn off your unit(s) (refer to your owner’s manual)
- Turn off ALL circuit breakers to your system
- Wait 60 seconds
- Turn the breakers back on
- Don’t forget to turn your unit on too! (refer to owner’s manual)
- Set your thermostat to cool and set the temperature to at least 5 degrees cooler than the temperature of the room currently
If you notice your home isn’t getting cooling down, or something doesn’t seem right, give us a call!
Air Conditioner Repair
Power loss is a hassle for everyone. If anything goes wrong with your air conditioning system call O’Brien Service Company! We are Wilmington’s local heating and air company.
At O’Brien Heating and Air, YOU and your COMFORT are our number one priority! After reaching out to us, we have several outlets of information on your HVAC system. Please check out the rest of our website, read through our blogs, and check out our Facebook page!
These resources are stock full of information from HVAC maintenance, financing, a list of our products, and more! O’Brien Service Company is here for all your HVAC needs!
Note
*When calling during or after a big storm, we ask you to please leave only one message with your name, contact info, and your reason for calling. During and after power outages or bad weather, we have a higher incoming call rate. Leaving multiple messages can slow down our representative’s response time and in turn, take longer to get you on the schedule.
