Families try to stay cool while A/C workers busy during heatwave

The scorching heat that has blanketed Saskatchewan has people in this province searching for a variety of different ways to stay cool.

Andrew Berg is the store manager at Zak’s Home Hardware Building Centre in Warman and said any piece of equipment to keep people cool is being grabbed from their shelves.

“We have seen people come in to get the little kiddie pools — those little kiddie pools are pretty popular because they’re inexpensive and get some water in the backyard,” Berg said. “Things like sprinklers and hoses are obviously going up as they try to cool off kids in the backyard and then fans as well.”

Berg said right now they still have a lot of air conditioning units they’re trying to move out the door, but he thinks those can go quickly if the heat persists.

“We have sold a lot of fans — that’s a quick fix for now — but I think as the heat goes on a little longer then the air conditioners start to move because people are like that’s too many days in the heat and they look to solve that for a longer period of time,” Berg explained.

Brent Badrock is the owner of Gibbon Heating & Air Conditioning in Saskatoon and said they’ve been extremely busy getting called out to fix and install air conditioning units.

“It’s been super busy. The phone has been ringing off the hook left, right and centre with that 30-plus degree weather and then the temperatures overnight which continue to be high,” Badrock said.

“We’ve (been called out to) a lot of repairs. A lot of older units with the old R22 (refrigerant) have had to be upgraded,” he added. “We’re seeing a lot of old units, tired and ready to go.”

Badrock said there are some common issues he’s noticed when it comes to air conditioning units not working.

“I would say the electrical components on capacitors get overheated — we find a lot of capacitor replacements and really outdoor units that are dirty,” said Badrock.

Badrock mentioned he’s noticed a lot of air conditioners with dirty filters which can cause problems.

“The filter is a big one. A lot of people when you are using your air conditioner it’s just a high-speed fan in the furnace,” Badrock said. “A lot of people think it’s not heating season, so we don’t need to check that filter, but the filter is very important.”

He adds to check the outdoor unit and make sure it is clean and free from dirt and fluff.

Temperatures in Saskatchewan are anticipated to dip below highs of 30 heading into the weekend.