Homeowners in areas hit the recent string of hurricanes should take care before restarting HVAC equipment and should consider contacting an HVAC construction professional before turning their air conditioning back on.

Those are among the recommendations a group of HVAC organizations has released to the public. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America; the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute; the Heating Air conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International; and Thermostat Recycling Corp. published a joint statement of guidelines for homeowners who found themselves in the path of hurricanes Irma, Harvey and Maria.

Among the organizations’ recommendations:

●Do not restart your HVAC equipment if there has been flooding in the area.

●Elderly homeowners and residents should be moved to buildings with working HVAC systems.

●In many cases, equipment in flooded areas will have to be replaced. Units that have come in contact with water are prone to rusting or electrical problems.

●Equipment that can be cleaned and restored should have such work performed according to recognized industry standards.