SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — While San Diegans are cranking up their air conditioners to beat the heat, repair companies are warning about potential issues that could arise from inconsistent AC use.
The best way to beat the heat is to grab some ice, crack open a cold drink, or blast the air conditioning in your car or home. But experts say turning on your AC after months of non-use could lead to problems.
"Often people don't use their system except when it's really hot or really cold, so when it gets hot, they turn their system on and it hasn't been on for months," said Allen Johnson, operations manager for the HVAC department at Bill Howe.
While turning on the AC once in a while feels like a simple fix, issues could pop up immediately.
"It's like a car: It's meant to be used on a regular basis. If you don't use your system or you don't use your car and you turn it off for six months, the battery dies," Johnson said.
Johnson tells me that when systems haven't been used consistently, it can cause a surge when people decide to turn them on.
"Let's say you have a blackout and the power shuts off. It's not good for when it gets turned back on, now you have a surge going to your unit, which can cause damage to the unit, the motherboard, which can be very, very expensive," Johnson said.
Johnson says if your AC goes out, it could be more expensive to repair due to tariffs. He says prices for parts have gone up by 30%.
"We are giving products that are taking three weeks to get, so we have a customer in particular that wanted the all-new systems, and three weeks is the soonest we can get them," Johnson said.
The best advice Johnson can offer is to have a surge protector and keep your HVAC running as often as you can.
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