Some St. Michael-Albertville Businesses Bask in Heat Wave

After four straight days of high temperatures, even higher heat indexes and even the honor of being the hottest location in the entire world for a portion of this Minnesota heat wave, the weather has taken its toll–for better and for worse–on residents and businesses in St. Michael-Albertville.

Just ask D.J. Savitski of . These days he has four, sometimes five guys constantly out on calls of blown out air conditioners.

The problem, Savitski said, starts when the air conditioner isn’t regularly cleaned or maintained. They get full of dirt and debris, and the unit can’t get rid of the heat because of the blockage. Pressure builds inside the equipment when the heat can’t get blown away and eventually something has to give. Usually it’s the compressor, which all but requires a completely new unit since that’s a very expensive repair, Savitski said. Of course, the high heat exacerbates this problem since air conditioners are working so hard to cool homes.

Savitski said DJ’s has a program where an inspector will come out annually to inspect and clean both the air conditioning unit and furnace in one visit. For those who need repair and replacement services, he said St. Michael and Albertville residents get the business’ top priority, usually giving same-day service.

Savitski said a situation can quickly become dangerous with air conditioning out with such high temperatures, especially when children or elderly persons are involved. Although the store makes the most money from installing new units versus servicing, he’s quick to quick to recommend the maintenance so people don’t find themselves in a bad situation.

“Houses are so well insulated now that once they get hot, there’s no cooling them off without air conditioning,” he said.  “A little preventative maintenance will go a long way.”

Not only your home, but the vehicle that transports you to and from that house can also suffer during heat waves like this. Rob Rich and Jim Nielson of Precision Auto Repair in Albertville said that it’s the heat, not the cold that is hardest on vehicles.

“We see a definite increase in business when it gets hot like this,” Nielson said, saying that fuel injection technology did a lot to help engines perform better in cold environments. “If it gets 20 [degrees] below, 20 years ago this shop would be booked up for a week or two, but they just start so much better now. The heat is really extreme you need to worry about.”

Nielson said that anything with an electric motor-not just the air conditioning unit or overheated vehicles-is susceptible to malfunction in high temperatures, such as alternators, fuel pumps or starters. Batteries also are stressed in this type of weather.

With one vehicle currently in the shop that Rich said was 30 seconds from starting on fire due to being overheated, Precision Auto Repair’s owners recommend getting your vehicle’s battery, air conditioning and coolant levels checked-before Minnesota’s jungle-like heat waves begin, preferably.

Take note: Warm temperatures are expected back Friday and Saturday. Yes, Friday's heat index could, potentially, hit triple digits again. 

There’s one more piece of machinery local residents are struggling to keep cool during this hot spell-their own bodies. Fitness facilities across the nation take a general dive in their attendance numbers during warmer months, when fitness buffs take on outdoor challenges like biking, hiking, outdoor running or inline skating. This weather, however, steers people off the trails and right back into air-conditioned fitness centers and gyms.

instructors Heather Erichsrud and Amy Peterson both have noted larger classes in the past couple weeks.

“Usually we take a hit in the summer, but not now,” Peterson said. “My classes have been packed.”

As it turns out, the high heat has been a boon to many businesses, and that’s not even considering what ice cream and frozen custard sales have been like at the towns’ Dairy Queen and Culvers.

When it comes to your machinery, though, business owners say they would prefer that local residents to stay safe and practice preventative maintenance so you don’t find yourself living in an oven or standing by the side of the road with a vehicle problem.

As for the ice cream consumption, that’s a different story. Keep going back for more to add a little shiver to your hot summer day-but as with your car and AC unit, don’t forget the maintenance on your own personal machinery after your cool-down indulgence.