Florida, Hurricanes & HVAC

“Hurricane Andrew moved very quickly. from the East coast to the West Coast of Florida in two or three hours, cutting a path through the south end of Miami-Dade County, through the Everglades and out to the Gulf of Mexico," DuBose recalls. "The area it hit was largely residential, with some light commercial properties, but it hit south of the high-rise building area of Miami proper."

DuBose said that prior to Hurricane Andrew, each municipality was responsible for building code adoption and enforcement. “Many of them just adopted the Southern Standard Building Code, which was sort of a southeast code, but it had no specificity as to coastal areas and reality of dealing with coastal storms," he said. The USGLASS News Network reported that at the time of Hurricane Andrew's devastation in 1992, there were more than 400 different building codes across Florida. That all changed in 2002, with the adoption of the Florida Building Code. 

Adding to the grab bag of codes were varying levels of quality standards by regional HVAC dealers. 

“You had State of Florida-certified contractors, but each county also had the ability to certify their own local contractors, and the rigor of local certifications varied from county to county," DuBose said. "Unlicensed contractors were sometimes unscrupulous.  It was a hodge-podge of standards and the application of standards by construction contractors in general,” he said, all of whom were operating in what has historically been a virtual non-stop construction boom in South Florida. And during major weather events less rigorous building standards are put to the test.

"If you're building a building a hundred miles inland, the dynamics and forces the building's going to see over the course of its life are nothing like those forces a building mile five miles off the coast will see, with the land falling tropical storm," DuBose said.

Following Hurricane Andrew, building code changes enacted by Miami-Dade County and adopted since by Broward, Palm  Beach and Collier counties included improved  durability and adhesion of Spanish style roof tiles to rooftops, as well as projectile testing on windows and stucco assemblies.

DuBose and Olita described several ways in which Trane proactively improved the stability of commercial rooftop units. One was to improve how rooftop units are attached to roof curbs.

"One of our assessments was to make sure that the panels on the units remain together in the extreme winds," Olita said. "Prior to the codes being as strict as they are, this requirement wasn't in place. Therefore, we had to think about how we design-manufacture our products to make sure that they remain secured to the roofs in intense winds, and that the panels don't fly apart in these extreme winds”  Olita said this was improved through the thickness of the metal and the number and location of screws and rivets that hold rooftop units together.

“The  attachment points were made more frequent, and the methodology of attaching it wasn't simply screwing one piece of equipment into another. It's through bolting, so that it's all one assembly.”

RTU  placement improvements Trane made were to cluster units closer together, with a structural screen-hardening around them, which adds an extra layer of protection from projectiles.  

Residential systems

In coastal hurricane storm surge zones, outdoor units for residential HVAC in new homes must be installed above the historical flood elevation, which is a minimum of 8-ft.or more above ground in certain regions of the Florida Keys.

Some believe Hurricane Ian may have sparked the beginning of a new era of construction in Florida, and how the displaced populations could find their way to inland communities already suffering a housing crunch. This could result in housing developments in previously unused rural areas. 

Dan Jeffs, sales leader for Trane Supply, Florida, manages activity at 21 locations in the state. During hurricane season, his responsibilities

include ensuring all locations are prepared for incoming severe weather and its aftermath. The goal is to protect employees and equipment, advise contractors who may have weather-related questions, and provide needed replacement systems and parts to contractors once the storms have passed.

“Much of the precautions are making sure our stores are prepared, and our stock is either elevated above ground level or is moved out of the area. Then comes the regular blocking and tackling, making sure power and water are turned off at the stores, windows are protected, and generally that [Trane employees] are protecting their buildings. Everybody scrambles a bit in the first couple weeks, when we’re not sure which path the hurricane will follow. But normally, it means distributors and contractors must get out of the way and let the storms do what they have to do, and be ready once the storm passes," Jeffs explained. 

One large mechanical company asked for help dismantling a rooftop unit and storing it in a safe location, to avoid much of the time required to replace it.

"Following the storm we  do have power issues, and network issues because of downed cell towers or what not. If we don't have power, we start up our generators to get things rolling, and hopefully fire up our data network." If networks are down, handwritten receipts are used to record sales. 

Jeffs said Trane Supply will communicate with dealers when they will close and will reopen as soon as possible, and for dealers to do all they can to communicate with customers about evacuating to safer locations. 

Warranties are often not at issue, because as hurricanes are considered "acts of God" and likely to be covered by home insurance policies. 

System damage can vary based on elevation, flood intensity and the amount of salt water that is blown on and through units during a storm. Fresh water will dry out over time, but each system can present a unique repair-or-replace scenario.

To prevent outdoor condensing units from being tossed through the air, Jeffs said, some Florida HVAC installation codes specify a metal tie-down on all four corners, drilled into a concrete pad. Other regions specify the condensing unit be elevated 10 feet. While there is a limit to what can realistically serve to protect an outoor system, Jeffs said codes continue to change to mitigate damage and provide better safety against flying debris.