Hurricane Season Officially Starts Today: Last-Minute HVAC Protection Steps

June 2, 2026

By Coastal Air Plus | Serving Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC Since 1947

Hurricane season officially started yesterday. If you are reading this on June 2 and your HVAC system has not been touched since last fall, you are not behind. You are right on time, because today is the day to get it handled.

We get it. Life on the South Carolina coast is busy, and hurricane prep slides to the bottom of the list until a name shows up on the National Hurricane Center map. The good news is that you can still do the most important protection steps in a single afternoon. No special tools. No expensive purchases. Just smart choices that protect your equipment and your wallet when the next storm comes through Myrtle Beach or Charleston.

Here is what to do today, in plain language, with no fluff. At Coastal Air Plus, creating lasting relationships is what we are all about, and that means giving you the honest game plan, not a sales pitch.

Step 1: Document Your HVAC Equipment Right Now

Before you do anything else, walk outside with your phone. This is the single most valuable five minutes you will spend today.

Take photos of:

  • The outdoor condenser unit from at least three angles
  • The data plate on the side of the unit (model number, serial number, manufacture date)
  • The indoor air handler or furnace, including its data plate
  • Your thermostat reading and current operating status
  • Any visible damage, rust, or wear that already exists

Email these photos to yourself so they live in the cloud, not just on your phone. If a storm damages or destroys your system, your insurance company is going to ask for proof of what you owned and what condition it was in. Homeowners who can produce dated photos with model numbers settle claims faster and get closer to the actual replacement value. Homeowners who cannot end up arguing with adjusters for weeks.

While you are out there, grab your most recent HVAC maintenance invoice or any installation paperwork. Snap a photo of that too. Insurance loves documentation.

Step 2: Secure the Outdoor Unit

Your outdoor condenser is the most vulnerable part of your residential air conditioning system. It sits exposed, and in a hurricane it faces two threats: flying debris and high winds that can tip or shift the unit off its pad.

Today, do this:

  • Clear a ten-foot radius around the unit. Move patio furniture, planters, grills, kids' toys, garden hoses, and anything else that could become a projectile. If wind picks it up, it can hit your condenser at 80 miles per hour.
  • Check that the unit is anchored. Look for the hurricane straps or bolts securing it to the pad. If you see none, or if they look rusted through, call us. This is a quick fix that should be handled before the season gets serious.
  • Do NOT cover the unit yet. Covering it now blocks airflow and traps heat, which can damage the compressor while it is still running. Hold off on covering until a named storm is within 48 hours of landfall.
  • Trim vegetation back at least two feet from all sides of the unit. Pay attention to dead branches overhead. Those are the first things to break loose in high winds.

If your unit sits at ground level on a slab in a low spot, take a hard look at flood risk. Coastal SC properties from Garden City down to Sullivan's Island can take on water fast in a storm surge. If your unit is below the historic flood line for your area, talk to us about elevation options. You won't be oversold. If elevation does not make sense for your property, we will tell you.

Step 3: Check Operation While You Still Have Power

This one is simple. Turn your system on. Run it through a full cooling cycle. Listen.

You are checking for:

  • Unusual sounds (grinding, clicking, rattling, or hissing that was not there last month)
  • Weak airflow at the vents
  • Warm air when the system should be blowing cold
  • Water pooling around the indoor unit
  • A musty smell coming through the registers

Catching a problem today means we can fix it before a storm knocks out power and you lose the chance. Catching it after the storm means waiting in line behind every other neighbor who also has a broken unit, and that line can run weeks long during a busy season.

If something feels off, schedule service now. Today. Not tomorrow. Our team serves homeowners across Myrtle Beach and Charleston, and we move fast at the start of hurricane season because we know what is coming.

Step 4: Know Where Your Circuit Breakers Are

If a storm is bearing down on you and you have not already located your HVAC breaker, do it today. Open the electrical panel. Find the breaker labeled for your air handler, your condenser, and your heat pump if you have one.

Why does this matter? Because when a hurricane is within 12 hours of landfall, you are going to shut your system down at the breaker. Running an HVAC system during a power surge or lightning storm is one of the fastest ways to fry a compressor. A blown compressor can mean a full system replacement, and that is a five-figure mistake you can avoid with a 30-second walk to your electrical panel.

While you have the panel open, label the breakers if they are not already labeled. Use a marker. Write clearly. Your future self, working by flashlight in a thunderstorm, will thank you.

Step 5: Save Your Emergency Contacts Today

After a storm, cell towers get hammered, and internet goes down. If you wait until the lights flicker to look up our number, you may not find it.

Save these in your phone right now:

  • Coastal Air Plus: (843) 238-3838
  • Your power company's outage line
  • Your insurance company's claims line
  • A neighbor or family member outside the storm zone who can relay messages

Folks who saved our number before the last named storm got service days faster than folks who tried to Google us with spotty cell coverage. Simple. Reliable. Coastal Air Plus. That is the number to keep.

Step 6: Understand Post-Storm Restart Procedures

After the storm passes and the power comes back on, do NOT just flip everything back on at once. This is where a lot of avoidable damage happens.

Follow this order:

  1. Wait 15 to 20 minutes after power is fully restored. Surges and brownouts are common as the grid stabilizes.
  2. Walk outside and inspect the condenser. Look for debris in or around the unit, bent fins, displacement from the pad, or standing water inside the cabinet.
  3. If you see water inside the electrical components, do not turn it on. Call us. Energizing a wet system can destroy the compressor and start an electrical fire.
  4. If the unit looks clear, set your thermostat to its highest cooling setting before restoring power at the breaker. This prevents the system from kicking on immediately.
  5. Restore power at the breaker. Wait five minutes. Then gradually lower your thermostat to your normal setting.
  6. Listen for the first 10 minutes of operation. If anything sounds wrong, shut it down and call us.

If your home took on water, do not run the system until a technician has checked your ductwork and the indoor air handler. Wet ducts grow mold within 48 hours, and a system that pushes mold spores through your house creates an indoor air quality problem that is far worse than a few uncomfortable days. Our team can also look at whole-house dehumidification if post-storm humidity is creating issues.

If a Named Storm is Already Approaching

Different rules apply when you have a confirmed track aimed at the Grand Strand or the Lowcountry. Here is the elevated checklist:

48 hours out:

  • Run your AC hard to pre-cool the house several degrees below your normal setting. A pre-cooled house stays comfortable longer after you shut the system down.
  • Fill bathtubs and large containers with water. If power goes out, your well pump or municipal water can fail.
  • Charge every battery and power bank you own.

24 hours out:

  • Cover the outdoor unit with a tarp or hurricane cover, secured tightly with rope or bungee cords.
  • Move anything still loose in the yard into the garage or shed.
  • Top off any prescription medications and refill propane tanks.

Right before landfall:

  • Shut down your HVAC system at the breaker, not just the thermostat.
  • Turn off your water heater at the breaker as well, and consider shutting off the main water line if you are in a flood zone. Our plumbing team can show you where the shutoff is if you have never used it.
  • Take a final round of photos of your home, inside and out, for insurance.

Why This Matters for Coastal SC Homes

Hurricane prep is not just about the storm itself. It is about the weeks that follow. We have been serving Myrtle Beach and Charleston since 1947, and after every major storm we see the same pattern: homeowners who took 30 minutes of prep ahead of time get their systems running again in days. Homeowners who skipped prep wait weeks, sometimes months, for parts and replacements while their families sweat through August heat with no air conditioning.

The math is pretty simple. A little time today saves a lot of misery later.

If you own a rental property, vacation home, or commercial space on the coast, the stakes are even higher. A guest who arrives to a broken AC after a storm is a lost booking and a bad review. Our team handles both residential and commercial properties up and down the Grand Strand, and we keep our priority customers moving first when the post-storm rush hits.

One More Thing: Stop Doing This Solo Next Year

If you are reading this in a rush on June 2 and wishing you had handled all of this in March, here is the honest answer for next season. Our VIP Maintenance Club handles pre-season inspections, tune-ups, and priority service after storms. Members do not scramble in June. They do not wait three weeks for post-storm service. They get a phone call from us, not the other way around.

We are not telling you this to upsell you today. Today is about protecting what you already have. But next March, when hurricane season is still a long way off, give us a call and we will get you on the schedule properly.

Get It Done Today

Hurricane season is here. The first named storm could form next week or next month, and you do not get to pick when. What you do get to pick is whether you spend the next 30 minutes protecting your equipment or rolling the dice.

If anything in this checklist raised a red flag about your system, do not wait. Schedule service or call us at (843) 238-3838. We are the team that thousands of Myrtle Beach and Charleston homeowners trust to get them through hurricane season, and we have been doing it the same way for over 75 years. Rest easy knowing our technicians show up on time, do the job right the first time, and you will not be oversold.

Don't let a hurricane interrupt your day and disrupt your comfort. Contact Coastal Air Plus today at (843) 238-3838 for prompt, professional HVAC and plumbing services.