Storm Season AC Checklist for Shreveport Homeowners

Shreveport sits far enough inland that we rarely take a direct hurricane hit — but the remnants of Gulf storms park over Northwest Louisiana with depressing regularity, and our spring severe season delivers hail, straight-line winds, and tornadoes of its own. Your outdoor unit faces all of it sitting unprotected in the side yard. Here's the checklist we run through with our own families each season.

Before the Storm

Clear the zone. Anything within ten feet of the condenser that can become a projectile — patio furniture, potted plants, kids' toys, the grill — needs to move. Trim back dead limbs hanging over the unit; a two-inch branch dropping through the fan grille can destroy the fan motor and coil in one shot.

Check the pad. Your unit should sit level on its pad. If it's settled or tilted, heavy rain can undermine it further and kink the refrigerant lines. We can re-level a unit in under an hour — cheap insurance.

Photograph it. Take clear photos of the unit and its data plate before storm season. If you end up filing an insurance claim for storm damage, "before" pictures make the process dramatically smoother.

During the Storm

Turn the system off at the thermostat — and consider the breaker. Lightning strikes and grid fluctuations send surges through compressors and control boards. If a major storm is imminent, shutting the outdoor unit off at the disconnect or breaker is the safest play. Do NOT cover the unit with a tarp and leave the power on — a tarped unit that kicks on can overheat in minutes.

After the Storm

Inspect before you restart. Look for debris against or inside the grille, standing water around the base, bent fins, or a unit that's shifted off its pad. If water rose above the electrical connections at any point, do not restart — call us first. Floodwater corrodes contactors and fan motors even when the unit "seems fine."

Listen on first startup. New rattles, buzzing, or a fan that hesitates before spinning all mean something got knocked loose. Shut it down and get it looked at before a cheap fix becomes a compressor.

If a storm has already done its damage, we handle storm-related AC repairs across the Ark-La-Tex every season — and we document everything your insurance company will ask for.