Omaha AC technicians working overtime through extreme heat

OMAHA, Neb. —

A styrofoam cooler David Stiles kept laying around turned out to come in handy.

“I hated to throw it away because I felt like it was at least a nice cooler,” he said. “But now, I sacrificed it to cool the house.”

He transformed the cooler that brought pizzas from Chicago to his doorstep into an air conditioner. He cut a hole for a fan to blow air in, added holes for air to come out, and filled it with ice.

“I was desperate for ideas to cool off,” Stiles said.

Extreme heat in Omaha strained air conditioners, kept technicians busy with repairs, and left residents searching for ways to stay cool.

For Stiles, the makeshift air conditioner and fans around his home provided only temporary relief. His home air conditioner failed Sunday morning. It reached nearly 90 degrees inside.

“It was a long night for all of us,” he said.

An hour after a repair on Monday, the temperature in Stiles’ home dropped to 86 degrees. He has since purchased a new air conditioning unit, which will replace his old one later this week.

Graeme Hampton, a service technician with A1 United, recommended that a professional give regular maintenance at least every other year. Plus, people need to care for their own units.

“Even though they (air conditioners) last 12 to 15 years with the maintenance, you can try to scratch that out a little longer,” Hampton said.

He said homeowners should replace their filters regularly.

“It’s supposed to be every 30 days, but on the label it says up to 90 days,” Hampton said.

He also suggested keeping the bottom of the outdoor condenser clear and cleaning it by removing the panels and using a garden hose. Often, people with issues simply haven’t cleaned the outdoor unit.

Hampton advises keeping air conditioning at a comfortable setting during the day, even if no one is home. It takes more energy to cool down a house later.

Even with some relief in the forecast, Hampton expects A1 United service techs will remain busy for the next few days responding to reports. He said they work two to three hours of overtime on days like Monday.