As temperatures rise, local HVAC companies in northern San Luis Obispo County told KSBY News they are seeing an increase in calls for maintenance and repairs.
“We get our increase of calls starting in May and then really through all until October,” said Skyler Lipinsky, owner of On Point Plumbing Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. “It really goes pretty high.”
Lipinsky says most of the callers requesting HVAC maintenance are from North County.
He says the high call volumes are due to required changes to the refrigerant that is used.
“With the transition in California, we're moving to what's called an A2L refrigerant, mandatory effective 2025,” Lipinsky explained. “So what that is happening is new refrigerant means new requirements. The new refrigerant A2L classification means that it's slightly flammable, so there's a lot of modifications needed for new systems.”
We also caught up with the owner of Straight Line Heating & Cooling Enterprises, Sydney Goldis, who says it’s important to be up to date with maintenance, as it could save you money down the road.
“Typically, what people don't follow is the maintenance on the system, keeping the coils clean on the outdoor and indoor section, which causes the system to run a lot longer, cause the motors to overheat, and will cause premature failure of the system,” Goldis said.
He says homeowners should get their HVAC systems checked at least once a year.
“We like to do it prior to summer, and we actually check the heater at the same time, do a carbon monoxide test to make sure the people have carbon monoxide testers in the home, which is one of the state prerequisites for operating a safe system in your home,” Goldis said.
Lipinsky recommends homeowners change out their HVAC filters every three months.
“Make sure that filter is changed,” Lipinsky said. “We recommend every three months, you inspect your filter, you hold it up to the light. If it's hard to see through, make sure you change it. As a homeowner, that is the easiest, most preventable maintenance year-round.”
