Hampton Roads air conditioning techs work overtime during hot summer temperatures

By the time technician Nes Mayor arrived at a Virginia Beach home around 3:30 p.m., the steamy Wednesday had reached 91 degrees.

Sweat was already dripping from his brow just 30 minutes into the air conditioning service call. He said he expected to be there for about four hours.

“But if I could knock this bad boy out in three and a half, I would be very happy with myself,” Mayor said. “We’ve been getting put through the gauntlet lately.”

With sweltering temperatures climbing to the upper 90s across Hampton Roads, air conditioning units — and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians who repair them — are working overtime to beat the heat.

Repair companies in the area reported upward of 150 back-to-back service calls per week and 10-hour shifts repairing and replacing as many HVAC units as they can. The summer workload is a stark contrast to fall, winter and spring when calls dwindle due to the cooler temperatures.

“There are a lot of ways to warm up when your system is down, but not a lot of ways to cool off,” said Neil Philbrick Jr., president of Portsmouth-based HVAC repair company Philbrick Inc.

One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning is juggling about 75 service calls per day, spokesperson Alisha Lawrence said. One Hour services Hampton Roads’ seven cities as well as Williamsburg, York County and Poquoson.

“When the weather hits extreme temperatures, it adds extra stress on the equipment and we see many more breakdowns,” Lawrence said. “It would be like going out for a run and seeing how far you can sprint versus jog. The extra stress creates extra challenges.”

The National Weather Service in Wakefield recorded temperatures across Hampton Roads ranging from 91 to 97 degrees over the past 10 days, with the heat index climbing to 110 degrees.

The repair companies reported a 24- to 48-hour wait before a technician can be dispatched due to the influx of service calls. Once a technician diagnoses the issue, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to four hours to make the repair.

Often, making repairs requires the technician to work in dark attics and crawl spaces where temperatures can climb to 170 degrees, the companies reported. In his experience, Mayor said technicians frequently encounter wildlife when crawling into those hot spaces.

“I recently ran into a rat snake at a house near the water. She slithered away with a full belly. Anytime you go into a crawl space, you know there is a likelihood there is something else in there with you,” Mayor said.

Supply chain issues also burden repair companies trying to accommodate uncomfortable customers as quickly as possible.

“Equipment manufacturers are taking longer to produce the products due to staffing shortages and material and part shortages. There are also logistical issues with getting products from manufacturing to distribution to the end user,” Philbrick said.

Overcoming supply chain issues, both companies said, requires resourcefulness in finding universal parts and cooperation with vendors.

Air conditioning outages have also hit a city building in Portsmouth, forcing it to close twice this month. Portsmouth City Hall closed for about four days, once on July 7 for a day and a half and again on July 18 for three days, for persistent issues with the cooling motor and circulating fan.

Wakefield forecasters expect the dangerously high heat to persist through today with a heat index of 108 degrees before cooling down to the mid-80s for the weekend.

While you can keep your curtains closed and air filters clean, one tip to preventing air conditioning breakdowns during extreme weather is to tackle maintenance during the milder fall and spring temperatures.

“A 20th of an inch of dirt on this thing will reduce its efficiency by like 14 or 15%. Keeping it clean is super important so that the system is running efficiently,” Mayor said.

Mayor, mainly a maintenance tech for One Hour, said cleaning and making small repairs to units can help the system survive extreme temperatures. Units should be serviced twice a year, much like going to the dentist.

“I’m a dental hygienist is the best way to put it. I’ll go in there, I’ll check it out, clean out the gums, tell him if there is a cavity or not,” Mayor said. “I believe in being more proactive than reactive, especially in this heat. You want to make repairs on your time, not on the machine’s time.”

Caitlyn Burchett, 727-267-6059, caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com