SAN ANTONIO — Summer is right around the corner, and with it comes the Texas summer heat.
After a year of crises with the pandemic and February's historic winter storms, it’s understandable if people are wondering about whether their equipment is ready for the unexpected. Eyewitness News spoke with some industry professionals about how you can make sure your system is ready to beat the summer heat.
As a technician with Jon Wayne Servicing, HVAC tune-ups are fairly common for Christopher Moore, especially with summer right around the corner.
“Right now, it’s looking like it’s adequately charged for refrigerant,” Moore said, crouched next to a household A/C unit and looking at the readout on his phone.
“During the peak of summer, you’re going to notice if you’re not cooling as well or hiked-up energy costs; something like that is going to be a red flag for not having adequate charge in the system,” he said.
Moore says there are a few things to look out for when deciding whether it’s time to call in a professional ahead of the hot summer months.
- Are you getting cold air?
- Does the large copper pipe look like it’s sweating? (If not, it could be a problem.)
- Does your air conditioner make odd noises when it comes on?
Ken Simonson is the chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. He says many of the materials used in the manufacture of air conditioners are suffering from supply issues.
“In a way, the pandemic has affected just about everything that is produced and delivered,” Simonson said. “Copper, sheet metal, perhaps aluminum, plastic tubing. All of those items are in short supply and have seen dramatically increasing prices over the past several months.”
Jon Wayne Equipment Manager Conrad Perez says they are just starting to see the early warning signs of some of the shortages.
“We’re working with our vendors; they’re working with us. They’re letting us know there’s possibly another delay coming up now.” Perez said. “Even before the shortages started to hit, we get as much equipment as we can in and it kind of just keeps us safe through the summer.”
He says they stocked extra A/C units end equipment during the pandemic because of how busy they got with so many people working from home.
“Instead of just going home after work and being like ‘Oh, I’ll take care of it later,’ they’re there all day," Perez said. “And then they just realize, like, ‘Hey, we need to get this fixed.’”