What if your air conditioner breaks down during the summer months?

SALT LAKE CITY — During the hot summer months, an air conditioner is about as an important possession as anyone could have.

But what happens it if breaks down? According to Chad Smuin, operations manager at Mountain Air Conditioning and Heating, you may be out of luck, at least temporarily. 

The national supply chain shortage has been no stranger to the cooling and heating industry.

“We are seeing shortages,” he said. “It’s actually ongoing for three consecutive years now. It’s mainly component shortages that we are dealing with. And then logistically getting equipment here has been slower. If a contractor doesn’t have a piece of equipment on hand, we have seen wait times of up to eight weeks.”

Smuin says ultimately the shortages will create higher prices, which will be passed down the line.

“The shortages will create higher demand on those products,” he said. “So, the manufactures, the raw materials are going to charge more. Therefore, the manufacture and finished goods are going to charge more, and they pass that all the way to the end user. We have probably seen a 30-plus percent increase in the last 16 to 18 months.”

In order to keep an air conditioner running properly, Smuin recommends that it be checked out by an expert.

“First of all is have a qualified heating and air technician give your equipment some good, quality attention,” he said.

Smuin says the life expectancy of a cooling system is 15 to 18 years. 

“If you are on the backside of that, just remember the decision is yours until it’s not,” he said. “If it’s time to replace it, waiting until it’s all the way dead will put you likely on a two- to four-week wait list to have it replaced.”

Mark Jones contributed to this article.

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