Colorado heat wave puts strain on aging air conditioning units, keeps repair companies busy

The heat wave hitting Colorado can put a strain on aging air conditioning units. This week, the hottest period for Denver will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday with highs near or exceeding 100 degrees. 

Air conditioning technicians told CBS News Colorado's Kati Weis that they're getting more calls this week than they have all year. With temperatures this hot, neglected air conditioning units can't handle the demand and can easily break at a time when people need it the most. 

According to the state health department, having cool air is something that is a critically important medical issue during the heat wave. In Arapahoe County, there have been 35 heat-related illnesses so far which accounts for 10% of all 353 heat-related illnesses statewide. 

That's why air conditioning technician John Inglee is glad to be able to help. 

"We've been really busy. We've been prioritizing a lot of the families with no cool air in their house," said Inglee. 

His company, Brothers Plumbing, Heating and Electric, has conducted a lot of emergency air conditioning unit replacements this week. Sometimes those replacements can cost upwards of $10,000.

"If we wait till a heat wave when these big heat waves happen, that's when these units really start to struggle. We'll start to notice things working harder than not keeping up with the temperature inside the house," said Inglee. "Over time, if we get a lot of gunk built up, cotton leaves, all this stuff. What'll happen is the unit's going to try to work harder to pull air through. All this can put a lot of strain on these motors, and at some point, these motors will go."

Inglee said it's a good idea to get a yearly inspection and cleaning of the unit by a professional, "Just like a car getting oil changes. Air conditioning units need checkups."

Inglee also demonstrated to Weis how homeowners can clean their own air conditioning units with a hose and water. 

"Now this is something that if you're comfortable doing, homeowners can do this. You'll want to pull the power out. Or even better, go to your electrical box, breaker, and just turn it off. Get yourself a hose. It's just a hose and water and then you can clean it off<" he said. "Of course, it's not going to be as thorough as me taking the whole thing apart and doing that (cleaning the unit), but it will at least allow the system to breathe better. It might save you some money, too."

Inglee also advises homeowners not to forget about the air conditioning parts inside the house. 

"Now, during this part of the heat wave, especially when it comes to the inside portion of your conditioning, a couple of things you want to make sure of: You want to make sure you come down and you look at it. You know, when these things are working, they tend to slip our minds so we don't go and check them out. Now, a lot of times I come down to these units and if you don't know, there could be water everywhere. Now, not only that as well, if you don't come down here and check, you've got to make sure that filter's changed. If you don't change out the filter, it's going to cause a whole list of problems," Inglee said. "But the biggest thing: just be observant."

He also advises some steps to take if your air conditioning unit is on the fritz during the heat wave: "If you find that there's an issue with your air conditioner and you're waiting to get a service tech like me out, my recommendations would be first, turn the unit off. If you leave it on while it's struggling, there are other things that can come up and other issues that could be caused. So turn it off then. I would recommend closing the blinds... very limited (door) opening and door closing. That way we keep all the cool air inside and then if it gets really bad, I would just do a sleepover in the basement."