As a summer heat wave sweeps through the region, air conditioning systems are being pushed to their limits, and some are failing.
At Bloomfield Dental in Drexel Hill, owner David Yarmark had to shut down his office for three days earlier this month when the air conditioning gave out.
“It got really hot in here and at the dental office, that’s not fun,” Yarmark said.
Yarmark hired Doug Stiefel, owner of PJ Mac HVAC Service & Repair, who diagnosed the problem as a broken compressor and got the system running again.
Stiefel said he’s seen a 400% spike in service calls since this spring.
“What happens many times is they don’t do the maintenance and think A/C works fine in 80 degrees,” Stiefel said. “But when it’s 90 and above, it doesn’t work as well.”
Stiefel recommends homeowners and business owners replace their air filters every one to three months, schedule professional tune-ups that include cleaning the condenser and make sure the condensate drain is clear to avoid leaks.
On Monday, Stiefel visited the Bon Air Fire Company in Havertown for a routine maintenance check. He replaced a faulty capacitor to ensure the station’s cooling system keeps running during the extreme heat.
“Just sitting in the A/C, it makes a huge difference,” Bob Cassano, safety officer at Bon Fair Fire Company, said. “We replenish our bodies and ready for the next alarm.”
Yarmark said he’s grateful to be back in business and credited Stiefel for the quick fix.
“He really saved our butts because it got really hot and humid and patients were complaining,” Yarmark said. “Being able to get up and running again was wonderful.”
With more 90-degree days in the forecast, HVAC technicians say the best time to service your system is before it breaks down.
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