MIAMI VALLEY — The first real significant hot stretch has reached the Miami Valley, causing extra strain on air conditioning units and people’s wallets.
HVAC technicians throughout the region have seen an uptick in calls already. The biggest problems are systems that have sat unused for the last several months, are now working overtime.
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“It’s the same thing every time,” said Josh Elliott. “When the heat first gets here, and these things haven’t ran all spring and all winter, and then they have a huge load on them, things start to break.”
Elliott is an HVAC Training Manager at Thomas and Galbraith. He said one of the main things that technicians see is dirty air filters.
“A dirty filter causes a restriction of airflow, which will cause the system to break down,” said Elliott.
Along with changing the filter, people can do things like keep the shades closed during peak hours and to try not to use appliances like the dryer, dishwasher, or oven during the stretch of heat.
Elliott said turning your thermostat down below 70 degrees can cause long-term damage.
“If we’re in the 90’s and you’re trying to set your thermostat below 70 degrees, you may be asking too much of your system,” he said.
Contacting your local cooling company to set up preventative maintenance care once or twice a year will save you from paying a huge bill down the road.
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