The lights came back after the storm, and something in the house is not quite right. The outdoor unit is humming loud, the shower is cold, or the generator is running while half the house is dark, or the refrigerator suddenly quits. Outages and surges leave a trail of small symptoms, and each points to a specific piece of equipment. This post starts with what you notice and works backward to what it means.
The difference between an outage and a surge
The difference between outages and surges matter to your home equipment, and the Midlands is vulnerable to both in a storm. An outage itself does little harm; the damage comes when power flickers during restoration or returns at low voltage, because motors that start and stop repeatedly overheat and a compressor that restarts before releasing its pressure is strained every time. A surge is a brief spike in voltage, from lightning nearby, from the utility switching sections of the grid back on, or from a large motor starting in the house, and it damages electronics. Like many southeastern states, South Carolina ranks among the states with the most lightning, so Columbia homes see surges all summer and not only after outages.
The outdoor unit hums but the fan does not turn
This is the most common post-storm symptom, and it means the capacitor has failed, since surges and repeated restarts wear out the part that gives the compressor and fan their starting push. The compressor strains against the same failed part every time the thermostat calls, so turn the system off at the thermostat and call. It is a small air conditioning repair today but an expensive compressor if the unit keeps trying.
The system runs but never cools, or the thermostat is blank
A system that runs without cooling after a storm often has a control board that took a surge and is no longer telling the outdoor unit to start, or a contactor damaged by repeated restarts. A blank thermostat is usually dead batteries or a tripped breaker on the air handler, and after a storm it can be a failed transformer or board. A repeated click at the outdoor unit with no start is the contactor, and each is a routine repair that grows if the strained compressor keeps running.
No hot water an hour after the power returned
An electric water heater’s high-limit reset trips after a power event on some units, and its elements are vulnerable to surges. A tankless heater has a control board that surges damage, and it will show an error code or fail to fire. Pressure swings during an outage can also turn a slow drip at an old tank’s base into a visible leak, so the floor around the heater deserves a look. Our water heater team handles each, and a heater that took a surge often needs a board or an element rather than replacement.
The generator ran, but the house stayed dark
A standby generator that starts but does not power the house has a transfer switch problem. The switch sits between the utility and the house, which makes it the first component a surge reaches, and damaged contacts may fail to hand the house to the generator, or fail to return it to the utility so the generator keeps running with the grid restored. Either calls for a generator service visit, and so does a controller fault after the storm.
Several electronics died at once
A dead television, a router that will not connect, a garage door opener that ignores the button, and a smart thermostat that lost its schedule, all the morning after a storm, mean a surge reached the panel. The electronics are the visible casualties, and the invisible ones are the control boards in the air conditioner, the refrigerator, the range, and the water heater, which may be damaged and working for now. This symptom should prompt a look at the heating and cooling system even when it seems fine, and it is the moment to talk with a licensed electrician about surge protection.
A burning smell, a warm breaker, or buzzing at the panel
A large surge can damage breakers so they no longer trip when they should, and it can scorch connections inside the panel. Turn off the affected circuit if you can identify it, do not reset a breaker that trips again, and call a licensed electrician, which is what our technicians will tell you if they see it on a visit.
Be aware of hidden damage
The most expensive outcome is the one with no symptom. A refrigerator that runs constantly, a dishwasher that stops mid-cycle, or an air conditioner that fails in the next heat wave are surge casualties nobody connects to the storm. In the week after an outage, walk the house and note anything not working as it did, listen to the cooling system start, check the water heater, and look at the panel for tripped breakers. A tune-up in the weeks after a storm tests the capacitor and contactor under load, which catches surge damage before it takes the compressor. Members of the Cloud 10 Membership pay a $75 diagnostic fee rather than the standard $99 and receive 15 percent off any repair.
Preventing the next round
Nearly all of this is preventable, and our post on protecting your HVAC and electronics from power surges covers how, from surge strips to a whole-home device at the panel to the tune-ups that catch damage early. 2nd Wind Heating & Air Conditioning has served Columbia since 1985. If the storm left one of the symptoms above in your house, schedule online or through the website chat at any hour, and the technician will record what the readings show and review them with you. Same-day emergency service applies to residential properties only.