This week’s 90-degree temperatures are putting additional stress on homeowners’ air conditioning units, causing some to break down, according to Brian Drouin, a service technician with Aiello Home Services.
“Over the last few days, with the constant running of the machinery, we’ve had a ton of breakdowns. We’re inundated with no-cool calls to the point where we can’t even accomplish all of them throughout the day,” Drouin said.
Drouin said several of the calls he has responded to involve components breaking down, a need for parts to replaced that could have been caught in preventative maintenance, as well as a lot of water issues.
“Stains on the ceilings when the units are located in the attics, failed condensate pumps so large water around units in the basement, it's causing some decent damage, not to mention people's electricity bills are definitely going through the roof right now,” Drouin said.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
To prevent these breakdowns, Drouin recommends people get their system checked annually. This could include:
- If the unit is in the attic, have a technician flush out the pipe so the water doesn’t back up and cause a leak. If the unit is in the basement, get the pump flushed out.
- Replace old parts showing signs of failure.
- Check refrigerant levels.
- Clean condenser outside.
On a day-to-day basis, Drouin said you shouldn't set the thermostat to have large temperature swings.
Local
“A couple degrees when you're going to work is fine, but I wouldn't put any more of a swing on a thermostat than two to three degrees,” said Drouin. “It takes too long to get back up after it's gotten warm in the house, especially when it's still in the high 80s during the night right now,” Drouin said.
