Calls to repair air conditioners heating up in Southern Nevada

Bob Shemeligian

Tuesday, July 15, 1997 | 11:04 a.m.

As temperatures rise -- so do the calls for air conditioning repairs from businesses and homeowners.

This week local temperatures are expected to inch up to the 110-degree mark.

"That means we're going to be very busy," said Ed Johnson, technician for Lin-Air. "The hotter it gets, the more calls come in."

This invariably means delays for many customers.

"People don't understand that everyone else is having problems with his air conditioner," said Charlotte Smith, service dispatcher for Fosters Air Conditioning & Heating. "They want it done yesterday."

Privately, air conditioning technicians say that during the hottest weeks of the summer, they are forced to prioritize calls.

In other words, customers with medical problems or those who are elderly get serviced first. The others just have to stay cool as possible until the technician arrives.

But there is a way homeowners and business operators can ensure that their families and their employees will stay cool all summer:

"Regular maintenance is the key," Johnson said. "The unit should be cleaned and checked at least once a year."

Other industry experts recommend maintenance checks twice a year -- once before the summer season, and another before the winter season.

"They need periodic checks, and my advice is not to wait until the busiest time of the season, when everyone needs service," said Chris Roberts, of Commercial Consulting Service, a division of Quality Air Conditioning Service.

"These units are like automobiles," said Grant Farrar, division manager at Southwest Air Conditioning. "They are mechanical pieces of equipment, and they should be maintained."

Farrar explained that units should be regularly checked to make sure that the:

* evaporator coil is clean.

* Freon is properly charged.

* electrical connections are tight.

* motor bearings are not worn.

"You want to make sure everything is running properly," Farrar said. "If it's a marginal piece of equipment, it's going to fail when the weather is hottest."

Johnson explained that even well-maintained air conditioning units are severely taxed by the Southern Nevada heat.

"This area is one of the few places in the nation that really are brutal on air conditioners," Johnson said. "Most equipment is designed to run in temperatures no more than 115 degrees, and there are times during the summer months when the temperature is higher in this area."

During the hottest times, local service technicians advise users to keep the thermostat no lower than 75 degrees, and to never "quick cycle" the unit, which means turning it off and then right back on. This produces stress on the compressor.

"If you turn the unit off, leave it off for at least five minutes," Johnson said.

Another piece of advice from area technicians: change filters monthly.

This helps to keep dust out of the units.