Kevin and Janelle Johnson, owners of Johnson Heating & Air Conditioning, recommend that homeowners get their appliances checked twice a year to make sure their heating and air conditioning units are functioning efficiently.
Photo by Samie Hartley
Photo by Samie Hartley
By 10 a.m. on Monday, he’s already received more than a dozen calls. The Brentwood office doesn’t have a radio, but the theme of “Pink Panther,” Kevin’s ring tone, appears to be on repeat.
“We normally don’t start getting calls like this until May,” Kevin said. “We don’t see hot weather like this in April usually.”
Kevin and his wife Janelle normally schedule seasonal maintenance appointments in April, but after the heat wave, prospective customers are flooding the phone with calls.
“It was the first hot weekend of the year, and people are now calling about problems they noticed in October,” Janelle said. “They figure they won’t be running their air conditioner during the winter, so they don’t need to call in until it gets hot again. But once it heats up, we’re slammed.”
To avoid malfunctioning machinery, the Johnsons recommend that homeowners schedule routine maintenance check-ups. For $149, Kevin will inspect both appliances twice a year. Customers who sign up for the seasonal maintenance program, known as the Energy Squeezer, also get priority should problems occur between maintenance visits. As loyal customers, they receive a 10-percent discount on parts.
“Your heating and air condition systems need to be checked out on a regular basis just like your car,” Janelle said. “It’s important to keep the units tuned, so that they run efficiently. People don’t want to replace their units because it can be expensive, so it’s important to have them checked out.”
Kevin said the most important thing is to replace the filters. Filters become clogged with dirt, hair and other contaminants that prevent the filter from efficiently releasing air into the home. If buildup continues, filters can be sucked into the unit, resulting in hundreds of dollars worth of repairs.
As part of a seasonal maintenance visit, Kevin replaces the filters and shows customers how to change the filters on their own, recommending that the filters be replaced at least once between seasonal visits.
A maintenance visit takes a little more than an hour. Summer maintenance is best scheduled for April and May; winter maintenance for October and November. After that, Kevin said seasonal maintenance requests are pushed to the end of the list because people with more urgent needs come first.
While the average workday at Johnson Heating & Air Conditioning is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Kevin has been known to be out until after 10 p.m. on house calls. “We do emergency calls around the clock if it’s a genuine emergency,” Kevin said. “Being hot isn’t an emergency for most people, but if it’s a health issue, then we take care of it right way. Heat kills people, so for the elderly or people with medical conditions or disabilities, we make that a priority.”
Johnson Heating & Air Conditioning also installs new heating and air units as well as maintains and repairs them. The Brentwood office features a showroom for residential and commercial customers interested in new appliances. A full list of their services can be found at the Web site, www.johnsonhvac.com/services.aspx.
Johnson Heating & Air Conditioning is located at 4501 O’Hara Ave. in Brentwood. For more information, call 925-516-7120.
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