In Business Las Vegas, July 6th, 2007
Your hands are sweaty. Your feet are sweaty. You are getting nothing done, sitting in front of your desk fan in the sweltering afternoon heat waiting for the clock to strike 5.
If only someone had checked out your air-conditioning unit before the mercury hit 103.
Air-conditioning maintenance and repair personnel across the valley are scurrying from building to building, home to home, making adjustments, repairs and replacements of disabled air-conditioning units. This time of year most are working long days trying to rescue businesses and residents across the valley from the desert heat.
They might be able to spend more time with their families in early summer if only people would do the proper maintenance on their air conditioning in the off-season. And the affected businesses would not lose precious hours of work.
"If occupants are comfortable, if customers are comfortable, they're much more likely to be productive or purchase things from the stores," said
Wes
Davis
of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. "Routine maintenance is imperative for the health and safety of the occupants. It identifies problems before they become big problems. If you don't check anything you won't find it."
It is something commercial property managers around the valley are thoroughly familiar with. Throughout the year, they replace filters and clean air conditioning units on thousands of buildings.
Air conditioning and heating unit maintenance and repair is one of the highest operating costs for property managers, said
Barbara
Barron, managing partner
of The Equity Group. Her company manages 70 properties around the valley, and she estimates it spends at least $20,000 a year on spring and summer air conditioning repairs. Maintenance is not included in that figure, but if maintenance was not performed the cost of repairs would be significantly higher, she said.
"This time of year is when you find out what compressors have gone down and what's going on with the system so it's an expensive time of the year,"
Barron
said. "Those checkups are vital. It saves the landlords money, it saves the tenants from escalating costs and it saves us a lot of calls."
Now that it is summer, you probably know if your air conditioning unit is having serious problems, but it is a good idea to have a specialist check it out anyway. Small problems can escalate over time into major headaches.
Units that are not maintained properly can become less efficient and prone to breakdowns. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America publish a maintenance standard book outlining what needs to be done to the units throughout the year to keep them in prime shape. It can be purchased from their Web site.
They also advise that you hire your maintenance personnel carefully. The best-trained technicians have North American Technician Excellence certification (NATE). It is also a good idea to check the company's business license with the city and county as well as the Better Business Bureau.
"The thing that's going on right now is that copper has become a hot commodity and there is some copper easily accessible in the AC units,"
Davis
said. "There have been companies that perform shoddy work or lie, cheat and steal. So check out the contractor."
For more information on air conditioning maintenance, lot on to http://www.acca.org/consumer.
Hire the Best
Tips on choosing a quality contractor (from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America):
- Make sure the contractor is in compliance with state and local codes and regulations and carries the proper business and workers' compensation insurance.
- A good contractor is prompt, courteous and provides fast, reliable service while attempting to perform service at your convenience.
- Make sure the contractor has the skill and knowledge to not only service your equipment, but if necessary, to design and install the right system for you. Check their certifications.
- The contractor should be up to date on the newest developments in equipment, technology and design procedures in order to choose and install a system which will be the most efficient and most reliable system for you.
