HVAC technicians see rise in calls

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Arctic conditions and freezing temperatures are leading to trouble with ‘heating systems’ in central Kentucky.

As a result, HVAC technicians have been in high demand.

“It’s flooding in and people need their heat for sure right now,” said Joey Hernandez, a service technician with Southern Comfort Heating and Cooling.

During the cold months like these it is not unusual for technicians to go on multiple calls. He responded to around eight calls on Wednesday.

“I already reset everything, opened it up, took a look at it and put my eyes on it. Now I’m letting it run and I’m going to check to see what I can do for the client. There’s a multitude of tests I’m going to run as well.”

Typically, when responding Hernandez says one of the main problems is freezing pipes.

“I know we just hit a low of like two to three degrees these last couple of days and even people in my neighborhood, pipes are freezing. Just getting us out there, being able to get people’s heat back on and up and running to try to thaw those pipes is imperative right now.”

Some HVAC systems may be more prone to freezing. Hernandez says it is not just the location.

“Kind of the older outdated systems struggling to keep up over time. When they were first put in, say in 1992, I bet it was very adequate. But as time and time progresses things get weaker, little components start to go bad and wither away, so you want to stay on top of that with maintenances for sure.”

Hernandez says if you do have an outside unit and you see it steaming after turning it on, that’s a good sign the ice is thawing.

He adds it is best to get maintenance done on your system twice a year, before the summer season and before the cold snap in winter.