Q – We received a lot of rain from hurricane Helene and our basement flooded. Unfortunately, our heating and air system is in the basement.

Once it dries out, will it be good to go?

John in Cherokee County

A - Dear John….

Never wrote a ‘Dear John’ letter before, but you know what comes next - bad news.

If your HVAC unit was submerged in water it needs to be totally replaced. Don’t allow replacement parts, or ‘cleaned’ parts to be installed to the existing unit. All equipment manufacturers recommend a full replacement.

The problem is that there is insulation in the units that is ruined when it gets wet, plus when water gets in your gas valves they begin corroding from the inside – so you are going to need a totally new unit.

If your unit got only partially submerged – buzz – same story. You need an entirely new unit. Once the blower motor and cabinet are soaked, along with the gas valves, it’s time for a new system.

As for your duct work, if it was submerged it’s the same song I’m afraid. Duct work carries a lot of insulation with it that is ruined when wet. If you had minimal flooding in your ducts, it might be possible to dry it out, get the ducts cleaned, and re-insulate, but it probably won’t be worth the effort.

In the event you have flex-ducts forget it. You will never be able to clean out all the gunk making new duct work the only way to go.

In sum, if your system was flooded you need a new system and most likely, new duct work.

Sorry - but it’s best. The last thing you want is the appliance that blows air around your house to be blowing moldy air.

Once you get your hvac back in order, let’s look at what caused the flooding…