MINNEAPOLIS — When you work in heating and air conditioning, summers are spent watching the weather.
When the heat comes, so do the calls for service.
"When people realize the house is heating up and they look at their thermostat and it isn’t keeping up and then the phone starts ringing you know,” said Ed Pelto of Ed’s Heating and Air.
Pelto and one of his employees spent Friday morning replacing an old AC unit from the 70s.
He says this unit is one of the oldest he has ever seen, but in 90-degree weather he says even newer units may struggle to keep up.
"Fan motors will start going out when we have consecutive days and people don't shut it off,” Pelto said.
At Dean's Home Services they're also getting ready for a busy weekend.
HVAC sales and service manager David Husnik says homeowners should check their air filters now, because if they're dirty, the AC units will have to work harder than they need to.
"Check out your mechanical room. Look and see, do I have any water dripping? Is it operating as normal? How is the humidity in my house?" Husnik said.
And check your AC unit outside.
Manager Chris Uttke also recommends cleaning out your unit now before the heat comes this weekend.
“There is a lot that can get stuck in the unit and cause it to work harder than it needs to. Cottonwood seeds, grass clippings, dust and dirt,” Uttke explained.
"What we would recommend doing is a low pressure hose, rinse the unit from top to bottom, to clean it off so it doesn't have any issues."
AC companies also recommend putting in a call for service as soon as possible, because they are expecting to be busy this weekend and the earlier you call the sooner a technician will be able to come and inspect your unit.