Who's responsible and what do I do for power surge and heating/air system?

Question

We had power trucks working the line behind our house last night. There was low power all day and since they restored full power the heat and a/c won't even turn on. We've checked the breakers and nothing.

The guy working the line said it was probably a surge and I should call for a damage claim. I called the power company and they are acting like there is no reason for me to call. We have an electrician coming later, but what if it is fried? Will I need a whole new heat and a/c unit?

Answer 1

Hopefully your electrician will know about placing a claim with the power company. Make sure you get something stating that the damage was a direct result of a power surge as you might have to put in a claim with your home owners insurance. They'll want proof as well.

Answer 2

When you get your unit working again ask the technician to install a delay timer for the compressor.  This will stop the compressor from trying to turn on immediately if there is a momentary power outage. These usually can be set to 3 minutes or so.  This will give the pressures a chance to equalize and not put a strain on the compressor.  Also you might want to check into a surge protector to protect you from power surges which can also damage A/C equipment.  Surge protectors can either be placed on the A/C equipment or you can get a whole house unit an protect your A/C, appliances and electronic equipment.

Answer 3

If the power went below standards for the equipment the low volt trans former could be damaged and this would shut down the rest of the system before major damage to other componets, low volt transformers cost around $7.50 might not be worth your time chasing them.