Dangerous heat during a pandemic: Technicians adapting during COVID-19 outbreak

With the dangerous heat in North Carolina, air conditioning repair companies say they are receiving nearly 1,000 calls a day.  

Now is the time you want your air conditioning units running smoothly.

These hot summer months are keeping AC repair companies busy.

"You have a lot more calls and a lot more people to deal with," explained Donald Distel, a HVAC sales manager with Progressive Service Company.

Distel said air conditioning service calls soar this time of yea.  

Monday, the company received nearly 900 calls. It received the same amount of calls July 6. For perspective, back on July 11th – the company received only around 200 calls.

Distel said house calls for repairs are different during a pandemic.

"Everybody has to be separate. You have to wear your proper PPE," he explained.

Staying cool during a pandemic is complicated.

Lou Rizkallah from Michael and Son Services hoped to ease concerns by limiting interactions between technicians and customers.

"We can get on the call with a customer, they can be in another room. They can be out of the house if we're in the house," said Rizkallah.

And employees disinfect everything they touch.

"All sorts of cleaners, all sorts of disinfectants that we keep in our trucks," explained Rizkallah.

Technicians said they may have to enter your home to check the thermostat and filters, and they may ask you about any symptoms or if anyone is in quarantine.

With the demand, they try to do same say service but you can expect to wait a day or two for service.