It has been so hot air conditioners can hardly keep up. Repair technicians say they have been busy fielding calls since March.
Box fans are the only source of cool air at Ora Cole’s house in Van Buren. “I wake up in the night and just be so hot I can't sleep anymore,” she said.
Cole’s air conditioner quit working last week. The temperature inside her house Thursday hit 98 degrees. “At night I put the fan as close to the bed as possible and we get a beach towel, get it wet and lay it on us,” said Cole.
Technicians with Blaylock Heating and Air in Fort Smith answer up to 100 service calls a day. “Most people you know their units won't cool when it gets this hot,” said Heath Lowder, a service technician. “They’re calling too cause it’s staying 80-85 inside a house,” he said.
Lowder says most air conditioners can handle temperatures up to 105 degrees, but above that it is difficult. He said, “I think it's worse this year than what it was last year. It didn't seem like it got as hot as quick.”
Heating and air technicians recommend people get their units serviced twice a year. “Have it serviced. Have it cleaned out, filters changed, you know check Freon,” said Lowder.
For right now Cole and her family must live without air conditioning. She said, “They said that it's gonna cost probably about $1200 to fix it.”
Repair technicians say most air conditioners have safety features on them, so the unit should not blow up or catch fire if it gets overheated.