Large hail recently fell across parts of North Texas after a severe thunderstorm. Hail is fairly uncommon in the state, which makes it a deadlier weather phenomenon as most homeowners are underprepared for such an event.
Hail is particularly damaging to HVAC units and can severely shorten their service life. Our team of HVAC contractors at Lone Star Comfortaire discuss how hail negatively affects HVAC units, and how you can protect it from this damaging weather phenomenon.
Hail and Your HVAC
The most vulnerable part of your HVAC system is its condenser coils. It’s where the heat is removed from the refrigerant, condensing the refrigerant vapor into liquid. It’s essentially the cooling part of the HVAC. Unfortunately, this is the part of the HVAC that hail will most likely hit.
With varying sizes of hailstones, it’s even easy for a small hailstone to hit the coil. More often than not, the hailstone will bend the fins on the coil, restricting airflow. Your HVAC system, as a result, will work harder to cool the same amount of space. This will take a toll on the system, often leading to compressor burnout – a very costly fix that will ultimately shorten the service life of your HVAC system.
Protecting Your HVAC System
You can prevent further hail damage to your system by installing coil guards which will fit right onto the condenser coil. Most HVAC and air conditioning units actually have their own hardware-specific hail guards which often come during the air conditioning installation. This is the most cost-effective way to protect your HVAC system without having to radically change your roof or the location of the hardware.
HVAC and Insurance Claims
Thankfully, hail is covered by insurance. We recommend you call us so that we can properly assess the damage to your HVAC system. We’ll even help you through the tricky insurance process, working closely with the claim adjuster and even representing you on your behalf.
We guarantee peace of mind when you work with us. We have years of experience solving all kinds of HVAC problems, hail damage included, and our team of highly-trained technicians will provide honest repair and maintenance solutions backed by excellent workmanship.
We offer complete HVAC and air conditioning service. Call us today at (972) 295-9661 to learn more about our services. We are local HVAC contractors serving homeowners throughout Plano, TX.
