TULSA, Okla. — The hot weather always means HVAC technicians will be busy, but this year the pandemic has added new challenges.
While juggling endless calls, some techs also navigate equipment and employee shortages.
“Sometimes, getting parts can be tricky,” said Chris Williams, a service tech for Logic Heating & Cooling.
The COVID-19 pandemic began disrupting orders last year. Now, certain equipment and supplies are still hard to get, like refrigerant.
“They’ve had a lot of heat waves up north, so a lot of the refrigerant is going up there,” Tipton Evans said. “The pandemic has slowed production down a bunch.”
Evans runs his own heating and air business. Because of the production slowdown, he kicked up service costs for clients.
“When we get charged three times for the equipment and material, then their prices go up too,” said Evans.
A lack of tools is not the only shortage he is dealing with. Evans also does not have enough hands to keep up with calls.
“Finding somebody to go to work is hard-hard,” he said.
There are three positions Evans needs to fill.
To help ease the workload on technicians, they advise capable individuals to clean their own outdoor AC units. Washing from the inside out is important. The first step should be cutting the power to the unit. Then, taking the top off where the fan is mounted, and hosing down the inside walls with water.
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