Missourians urged to check AC units as heat wave continues
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services stated in a Monday press release that it is urging Missourians to take safety precautions as temperatures continue to climb to dangerous levels. As temperatures hit triple digits, it is more important than ever to have a proper air conditioning unit.
A study released in 2023 by the U.S Energy Information Administration shows that 95% of households in Missouri use air conditioning equipment, which was tied for the fifth-highest percentage of all 50 states. However, according to the DHSS, 34 people died in Missouri last year from heat-related illnesses from ages ranging from younger than a year old to 96 years old.
ServPro and Comfort Doc repair companies advise homeowners to check their air filters and clean air ducts to help keep their HVAC systems working properly and to prevent fires.
A spokesman for Comfort Doc said that they were unavailable for an interview because their “call volume is through the roof”. However, they advised people to check the condenser coils of their AC units as well as air filters. ServPro offered similar advice.
“The main thing is making sure you're changing your filter often enough. I think most HVAC manufacturers recommend every three months to 90s days. You want to make sure you’re filter isn’t getting too much dust and flowing properly,” Clayton Gause, an estimator for ServPro told ABC 17.
Gause said that the filter is usually located at the bottom of the air handler and that you can find which slot the filter is located by looking up what model you have on YouTube.
“If you're not checking your filter often there’s going to be a lot of debris and dust and stuff like that, that’s going to get caked into that filter and that’s going to make it harder for that air handler to suck that air through so it’s going to work a little harder and you may see your bill be a little higher than usual,” Gause explained.
The DHSS warns that heat-related illness has a higher chance of occurring when a home is not properly prepared. Cooling centers are available around the state to stay cool in extreme heat, including Columbia locations such as:
- Activity & Recreation Center, 1701 West Ash Street
Monday – Friday: 5:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Open July 4 from 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. - City Hall, 701 East Broadway; Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, 1005 W. Worley St.; Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Columbia Public Library, 100 West Broadway
Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m. - Salvation Army, 1108 West Ash Street; Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – noon, 1 – 4 p.m.
- Salvation Army Harbor House, 602 N. Ann St.; Daily: 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
According to the release from the DHHS, to report a senior citizen or an adult with disabilities who is in need of assistance due to the heat, call the abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-392-0210, or make a report online.
