PHOENIX — If you need to fix your air conditioner this summer, you may run across some issues due to an AC shortage. People and businesses are reporting waiting weeks or even months for necessary parts.
David Veatch, the operation manager for Forrest Anderson plumbing & A/C, says options are very limited right now. The company fixes ACs but is having issues getting parts for the repairs.
Veatch says AC manufacturers “can't get the materials to assemble the finished product,” due to supply issues. On top of that, shipping costs have increased, and there is a lack of labor.
He says, as a result, residential customers may wait 3 to 5 days for an AC replacement. Commercial customers may have to wait months.
Snakes and Lattes, a board game bar in Tempe, will be waiting months to get a back-ordered AC unit.
“We're about to head into a heatwave over the weekend too. So it's really bad timing,” said Susan Lawver, the operation manager.
Recently, two of their five AC units went out. They were told they would have to wait until November for the necessary parts to fix it.
They didn’t want to wait that long, so decided to replace the units for an extra $27,000 instead. But still, they will be waiting two months.
“That's a lot of cash that we weren't planning on spending this time of the year,” said Lawver.
In the meantime they’ve had to close part of the restaurant and hire more cooks so that they can rotate them, to keep them out of the heat.
Veatch says if you have a working AC right now scheduled maintenance could ensure it doesn’t break during the shortage.
“A minor repair now can save you thousands of dollars later,” said Veatch.
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