As temps soar, so do calls for AC units on the fritz. Here's how to avoid it.
EDINA, Minn. – It's a seasonal pattern that Jon Simonson of Sedgwick Heating + AC has down to a science.
First, temperatures climb. Then, air conditioning units in homes throughout the nine-county metro start to fall.
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"People's units that are older just can't take this much stress," said Simonson, who serves as Sedgwick's general manager. "It can be anywhere from a couple hundred phone calls (for service) in one day, we've seen it as high as 1,500 calls in one day."
Getting to the calls can sometimes be a challenge. Sedgwick crews stagger scheduling around the hottest days, with technicians sometimes replacing two units a day. While inventory has somewhat rebounded since the pandemic, prices are still close to 30% higher.
In Edina, John Black's company, Blue Yeti Services, is also picking up additional calls for service.
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"We definitely get the guys ready. We try to free up the schedule as much as we can to take the on-demand, emergency no cooling calls," Black said. "It only happens for a few months out of the year here, so we enjoy it."
Both companies say most times, homeowners are running units that are caked with cottonwood tree dust – something that can force an older unit to work harder to achieve the same amount of cooling.
The experts recommend getting your unit serviced at least once a year.