TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With triple digits coming to Southern Arizona this week, Andrew Dobbins, the owner of Intelligent Design Air Condition and Heating Inc., is expecting to see an increase in the need for repairs to HVAC units.
“And they typically break down when we have a lot of really hot days in a row or we have some heavy humidity,” Dobbins said.
He said the heat can be especially hard on HVAC units’ parts. He said some of the main issues he sees are on parts like contacters, capacitors, and some of the motors. He said refrigerant leaks are also common.
With maintenance requests increasing, that also means his company is doing more in sales. Dobbins said he does over half of his yearly sales during and around the summer months.
“Typically a technician will do somewhere between 3 and 8 service calls a day in the summer,” he said.
However, before the summer heat comes, Dobbins said you can do your part by scheduling your maintenance request before the heat comes.
“Have your maintenance done before we get into the peak of summer so you can catch any little problems before they cause breakdowns,” Dobbins said.
In order to prevent those breakdowns, Rite Way Heating, Cooling and Plumbing technician Ramon Salazar said you should get your maintenance done twice a year.
“The number one thing that people call us for is unfortunately when it’s no longer cooling,” Salazar said.
He said if that’s the case, getting repairs done can cost hundreds to even thousands of dollars.
“Depending on the age of the system, a lot of times we would also recommend replacing the system,” he said.
However, if you wait too long, he said the right parts might not be in, saying some can take a few weeks and even up to a few months to come in.
The company said it can also take up to a week before they even get to your unit, saying they’re the busiest during the summer.
That’s why Salazar said you can help your HVAC unit by changing your filter every month.
“It’ll obviously clean the air better but also it’ll keep the system clean and that’s the most important thing,” he said.
