Hurricane season officially opens June 1 along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Most Baldwin County homeowners think about generators, plywood, and bottled water, but skip the plumbing and HVAC steps that matter just as much when a major storm comes through Foley, Gulf Shores, or Fairhope. After Ivan in 2004 and Sally in 2020, both Adam Creasy and the Gone Coastal team saw the same pattern repeat. Homeowners who had done five-minute prep steps came through with intact systems. Homeowners who had not faced expensive repairs that good planning could have avoided.
Here is the prep list we walk every customer through this time of year. None of it takes long. All of it matters when the Gulf sends something serious our way.
Before any storm threatens, walk your property with your phone and take clear photos of your outdoor AC condenser unit (all four sides), your water heater (model plate visible), your electrical panel, and any exterior plumbing fixtures. Photograph the data plate on the condenser specifically: make, model, serial number, refrigerant type. Save the photos to cloud backup, not just the phone.
If something is damaged after a storm and you need to file an insurance claim, those pre-storm photos are the single most valuable piece of documentation you can have. We have watched claims approved quickly because a homeowner had a date-stamped photo of a working condenser from May, and we have watched claims contested for weeks because there was no baseline documentation.
Outdoor AC condensers installed at ground level on a concrete pad are vulnerable to two storm threats: floodwater submersion and wind-driven debris impact. Submersion almost always means a full condenser replacement. Even brief immersion in salty floodwater destroys the electrical components and corrodes the coil beyond recovery. Debris impact bends fins and can fracture refrigerant lines.
For properties in known flood-prone areas of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Fort Morgan, or low-elevation Foley, raising the condenser onto a code-compliant elevated platform is a one-time investment that pays for itself the first time a storm comes through. For all properties, clearing the area around the unit of anything that could become wind debris (patio furniture, planters, loose siding pieces) is a fifteen-minute task that prevents thousand-dollar damage.
If a tree comes through your roof and breaks a supply line on the second floor, you have minutes to shut off the water before significant interior damage. Every adult in the household should know where the main water shutoff is and have physically operated it within the past 12 months. Old shutoff valves seize. The first time you try to use one is the worst possible moment to discover it will not turn.
Walk to your shutoff today. Turn it off, then back on. If it is hard to turn, will not turn at all, or shows any leak when you operate it, that is an immediate call to a plumber, not a hurricane season call, just a now call. The cost of replacing a shutoff valve in calm conditions is modest. The cost of needing one to work and finding out it does not is anything but.
When a named storm enters the Gulf and Baldwin County is in the potential cone, run this sequence about 24 hours before expected impact. Set the thermostat to OFF. Never just to a higher number. If power flickers during the storm and the system tries to restart, surge damage to the compressor and capacitor is a real risk. Switching the breaker to OFF at the panel adds another layer of protection.
Fill bathtubs and large containers with water for flushing toilets if water service is interrupted. Run the dishwasher and any laundry loads in progress to completion so dirty water is not sitting in fixtures during what may be days without service. If you have a tankless water heater, know the manufacturer shutdown procedure. Tankless units often need to be flushed and protected differently than tank systems.
Take photos one more time, immediately before the storm, of any exterior systems. Date and time-stamped images of intact equipment immediately before impact close any insurance ambiguity about what damage was caused by the storm versus pre-existing.
Once power is restored and you are clear to assess your property, do not immediately turn the AC back on. Inspect the outdoor condenser visually first. Has it shifted on the pad? Are the refrigerant lines bent or visibly stressed? Is there any visible water line indicating flood submersion? Is there debris in or around the unit?
If anything looks wrong, leave the breaker off and call us before energizing. A condenser that has been submerged or impacted will fail catastrophically the moment it is powered up. A controlled inspection beforehand is the difference between a repair and a replacement.
On the plumbing side, run water at the highest fixture in the home first to clear any air from the lines. Check for any wet spots on ceilings or walls, especially in areas above the home's main supply line. Slow leaks from storm-stressed pipe joints often show up hours or days after water service is restored.
Adam's team is ready before, during, and after every storm that approaches Baldwin County. Call (251) 979-9396 to schedule a pre-season system check for your home or vacation rental, or to add your number to our priority response list for after-storm dispatch. We have been doing this work on the Alabama Gulf Coast for more than 20 years. Through Ivan. Through Sally. Ready for whatever the Gulf sends next.
