FORT MYERS, Fla. – Your air conditioner unit could be going bad right now, and you don’t even know it. Thousands of AC units are mysteriously dying, costing people hundreds or even thousands of dollars to repair.
It’s so serious that it’s taking many companies weeks to get the parts for these units, which suddenly stopped working without warning after Hurricane Ian hit.
Dana Lorber was one of those without power after Ian swept through Southwest Florida, but after her electricity was restored she realized her air conditioning wasn’t working.
“I called and figured out it got burnt from the surge,” she said.
Stories like hers are happening at an alarming rate.
Gordon Durant owns Freedom Residential and said he’s receiving phone calls daily from people with newer machines failing when they shouldn’t.
Many homeowners like her were left without power for days and even weeks. When the power was restored, AC units took a hit, although the damage may not be seen immediately.
Steve Xikes is a repairman who explained it could be two months, six months, or a year after the damage occurred to the components in the machine.
Durant, however, believes the worst may be yet to come.
“Once things start to sit, that is when things really start to fail,” Durant explained.
He pointed out that as cooler temperatures move in, most people will begin to turn off their AC until spring, and Durant predicts many simply won’t turn it on.
He said it’s not just surges that hurt the units, but Ian’s winds also likely caused damage.
“Air conditioning motors have been spinning in the wrong direction from 155-mile-hour winds, and that will cause the shafts to wear out prematurely,” Durant said.
He also stressed that demand for parts could take weeks to get depending on the unit and its age.
“Every customer has been affected in one way or another through power surge, through flood and salt water damage,” he stated.
Reink Zuidema of Fort Myers was one of those people severely impacted.
Steve Xikes with Freedom Residential explained that water levels from nearby Caloosahatchee River rose six feet during the storm, completely covering his relatively new air conditioning units.
Zuidema’s home was flooded, and he was left without air conditioning for days, leaving black mold covering the interior of his home.
“Everything was destroyed,” Zuidema said. He doesn’t have the money to replace everything, including his air conditioning units.
Gibby Eagle is part of the recently formed charity division for Freedom Residential.
“We just realize how many people who need the help but can’t afford it,” she pointed out.
Durant explained that it’s his hope to be able to help some people recover.
“I do have the power and manpower and the means to help two people per month,” Durant said.
All they have to do is apply, and Durant’s team will show up to interview and assess their needs to ensure they qualify for help.
Whether it’s replacing a new ac unit impacted by Ian or much more, Durant said he plans to give back to the community.
“Anything we can do to help get people at least back to normal,” he said.
Anyone who wants to apply for help can call 833-711-FREE or go to http://Freedomresidential.net to get an application.
Experts say the best advice to prevent a surge the next time you lose power during an electrical storm is to make sure you shut off your breaker. Installing a whole home surge protector is another option however, that must be done by a professional and can cost hundreds of dollars.
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