Heat wave boosts AC repair business

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) - With the summer heat settling in, many are turning on air conditioners for the first time, only to find they no longer work.

Calls for help are pouring in to heating and cooling companies.

WAVY.com followed service technician Timothy Foster from R.S. Andrews on his busy route Saturday. The company says the number of calls has increased by 60 percent because of the heat.

The HVAC business has struggled recently because the spring and the winter were so mild.

Foster says he knows how his customers feel, considering he spends very little time enjoying the cool air he brings to their homes. He says the last few minutes before the thermostat kicks in always seem the longest.

"It's hot and you've got to wait for the signal to come down from upstairs to here to turn it on," said Foster, as he helped a Chesapeake family.

Six-year-old Dunye Pringle lives in that house. He spent most of Saturday sitting in a dark living room, trying to keep cool. He went outside to play once but decided to come back in.

"When I was playing with my balls on the steps, I was starting to sweat," said Pringle.

You would too if you didn't have air conditioning. When Dunye's mom went to turn it on, she discovered it was broken.

Foster did a wire repair on the family's AC unit. It's a temporary fix for a busy day.

"It's cool!" cheered Pringle.