High temperatures keep AC techs busy

Isidro Medina cant slow down, even when the temperature inside the kitchen reaches more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He works for one of many Saint Joseph businesses having to bear the heat without any air conditioning. At La Mesa Restaurant the AC unit has been broken for almost four days, according to server Beth Bromley. "We had problems with our electric before, last summer and the electrician came out, but they are so swamped that they havent been able to come out to us," she said. Bromley says business has suffered because of this. "We had a couple of people leave today, because they said it was too hot, we served a lot of water and ice tea today. People dont even want soda," Bromley said. Rick Johnson with Action Electric is the man businesses like La Mesa call when things go wrong. "One of the things that we see most often, the most on a commercial business, is that air filters arent changed adequately enough. We go sometimes where the air filter is sucked right into the unit," he said. In the summer Johnson gets a lot of calls from heated customers and has to go from one job to another. His job is not easy; he has to bear unbelievable temperatures while working on a roof top. "I dont like it, after doing it for 25 years its starting to wear out of me a lot," Johnson said. And because Saint Joseph will not be cooling down any time soon, Johnson does have a few recommendations to make sure you dont get left without the cold. "When its 100 degrees out, its going to take the AC a little longer to catch up," he said. So be patient and remain calm and cool. "A lot of people have the misconception, that turning the thermostat lower will make it cooler, in a lot of case when they do that, it will actually freeze the unit up. I recommend never setting a thermostat below 70 degrees," he said.