SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With much of the Central Valley scorching under an excessive heat wave, heating and cooling technicians say they are slammed with air conditioning service calls.
"Always, every year, the hot spells are when you get the most breakdowns," said Darrin Gilmore, President of Gilmore Heating Air Plumbing. "Right now technicians are going on five calls a day, it's 148 degrees in the attic, it's just so much. Half of Sacramento calls in this 72-hour window," he said.
A local retirement community endured an agonizing 12 hours without air conditioning Thursday evening into Friday morning, with many residents unable to sleep.
"It's really critical that we have a livable temperature at a certain age," said Sara Mercado, a retired state worker who lives at Sacramento Manor. "When things aren't comfortable anymore, we can't tolerate a lot."
"It's like being in a car with no air conditioning and the windows rolled up," said Denesia Bobo, who cares for her husband, a disabled veteran. "I had to put ice on him to help calm him down because he was very hot. I thought I'd have to call 911."
Meanwhile, manufacturing and shipping delays stemming from the COVID pandemic have put suppliers and part makers behind.
"It's just a stranglehold on parts, equipment, flex duct," Gilmore said. "It's unprecedented. We're all trying to figure it out at the same time."
To avoid dangerous air conditioning breakdowns during the hottest days of the year homeowners should request maintenance in the spring, Gilmore suggested.
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