SAN ANTONIO – A shortage in air conditioning parts is impacting Texans as the summer heats up and the AC units crank up.
Chase Anderson, president and CEO of Shafer Services, says calls started to pick up as the temperatures did last week. But the increase in demand for services coincides with a shortage in the parts and supplies available to service those air conditioning units.
“We are dealing with some serious supply issues in terms of getting our hands on new AC equipment,” he said.
Anderson’s company isn’t the only one dealing with these issues. It’s a national industry-wide problem.
Anderson says it started when the COVID-19 pandemic forced manufacturing companies to shut down, setting back the supply. Then, there were shipping issues and the fact that many people held back on big purchases until the economy picked up again, causing a chain reaction of events contributing to the shortage of parts.
Suppliers KSAT reached out to echoed the same story. Some said their prices on items are increasing weekly.
Anderson says his company had stocked up on supplies to ensure customers feel a minimal impact. But he warns people whose AC system is on the fritz to be proactive.
“Get your service provider out to make sure that everything is clean. Repair some of the pieces that are worn out, so you don’t have a major catastrophic failure of the system,” he said.
If you have an old unit that needs to be replaced, plan on it now before it gives out and you have to wait days or weeks to get a new one.
“If you need a new AC system, it will be harder this year to get your hands on one,” Anderson said.
He predicts it will take about three to six months to get back to a regular supply. He asks that customers have patience.
Some appliance repair companies also said their parts for washers, dryers, refrigerators are also on backorder, and it’s been difficult getting their parts.
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