Severe weather can create havoc from high winds, heavy rain and lightning strikes. Although you can’t do much about the weather, you can take steps to keep yourself and your home safe before, during and after a significant weather event.
Preparing your home
Here are a few tips to prepare your home for a storm:
- Learn how to open your garage door manually. If the power goes out, you may need to get your garage door open so that you can get your car or other items out.
- Mark the circuit breakers that turn off your appliances, including your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) equipment. When the power comes back on, it can surge and create spikes that may damage the electronics inside the appliances. Alternatively, you can have whole-house or individual surge protectors installed in your home. If you’re not at home during a power outage, installing these devices might pay for themselves quickly by preventing damage.
- Consider a standby generator for your home. These systems send power to select circuit breakers in your home, and may provide enough power to run your lights, some appliances or a home-security system.
Ensuring your personal safety
Here are a few tips to ensure your personal safety both during a storm, and after:
- Have enough batteries on hand to power your flashlights. Avoid using candles, because they can be a fire hazard.
- Keep enough nonperishable food on hand for three days, per person in the home. Good choices are granola bars, jerky, dried fruit, and crackers. Additionally, if you utilize a water pump, always keep at least a gallon of water on hand, per person, for drinking and personal comfort. You also can fill a bathtub with water for sanitation purposes.
- Charge your phone batteries frequently. Never talk on the phone using a land line that’s plugged into the wall when lightning is near.
- Stay out of the refrigerator during a power outage. Keeping the door closed as much as possible during a power outage will preserve the cold air inside it. Furthermore, consider investing in an instant-read thermometer, which can help you determine whether the food inside is safe to eat. If temperatures are over 40 degrees, you might want to discard the food because it may be unsafe to eat.
If you would like to learn more about protecting your HVAC equipment during severe weather, contact Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve provided HVAC services for the Terre Haute area since 1922.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Terre Haute, Indiana about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about severe weather and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Jeff Paitson is a third generation business owner who continues to run the business with the same values that have been passed down from previous generations since 1922.
Jeff’s belief is that the business belongs to Jesus Christ; therefore 10 percent of the company’s profits go toward the Maryland Community Church.
Jeff is a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce member and in his spare time, he enjoys 
Ethan Rayburn is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute and a 2005 graduate of Purdue University.
An Eagle Scout, Ethan spent four years as a non-profit executive with the Boy Scouts of America before joining Paitson Bros. as a comfort advisor and later General Manager. In that role, Ethan has brought a renewed enthusiasm for customer care, integrity, value, and service to Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ethan enjoys singing and was a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. He also enjoys playing and coaching soccer, spending time with his family and two young boys, and volunteering his time and resources with his church, Terre Haute First Baptist Church, which he has attended from a very young age.
Paitson Bros
1 (812) 232-2347
Serving the Wabash Valley, IN Area Since 1922