HVAC parts shortages could leave homeowners sweating this summer

Summer is heating up, but not everything is cool in the air conditioning industry.

Most industries faced supply chain shortages during COVID, but as the pandemic eased, HVAC manufacturers were also required to change the refrigerant they used, part of a U.S. and global phaseout of hydrofluorocarbons.

As a result, “all the factories stopped making repair parts because they had to push out replacement equipment for new refrigerant,鈥澛爏aid Patrick Garner, operations manager for Cardinal Plumbing Heating and Air in Northern Virginia.

Garner said that is causing shortages of replacement parts for air conditioning systems.

鈥淲hat used to take you and I overnight ordering off of Amazon or getting from a supply house, on average, now three to four weeks is what we鈥檙e seeing constantly,鈥� he said.

In fact, he said, “some people are literally just buying a new system and just biting the bullet because they don鈥檛 want to wait a month and a half during the summer.”

Homeowners can鈥檛 control the parts supply line, but he said they can take basic steps to prevent their air conditioners from failing prematurely.

Preventive maintenance, knowing the signs of a struggling system and getting help before a failure can help keep you cool this summer.

鈥淐lean out your filter, replace your filter,鈥� Garner said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 tell you how often I have found a system that was older 鈥� but not dying 鈥� have its life shortened by a good amount.鈥�

Additionally, he said the coils outside the home should be cleaned, but he warned homeowners to rinse it gently with a garden hose, not a power washer.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to get fancy with it,鈥� Garner said. 鈥淗ere鈥檚 the one thing I would warn any entry- to mid-level DIYer about: The coils outside, or the system outside, all have very thin aluminum fins, and when those things get bent, it won鈥檛 allow the system to work properly.鈥�

Homeowners should also listen for unusual sounds coming from their HVAC system.

鈥淚f you hear any loud noises, like banging noises, rumbling noises, anything that sounds squeaky these are just like in your car, usually means a component is failing. The sooner you address it, the better. Inducer motors, blower wheels, these are things that you should never really hear, and if you start hearing a loud clunk all of a sudden, like an old car, it鈥檚 time to get checked out,鈥� Garner said.

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