Power outages, failing AC likely during heat wave

The high pressure system causing this heat wave isn’t expected to let up until Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The hottest day is projected for today at 112 degrees, going down to 106 on Friday.

“It’s certainly above normal but it’s not the first time ever. It has happened before,” said Idamis Del Valle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “By Monday, it should be around the mid-90s.”

PG&E spokeswoman Brandi Merlo said high heat and high demand can lead to power outages because electrical equipment is unable to cool down at night.

“During a heat wave, it’s not uncommon to see heat-related outages increase,” Merlo said. “We’ve been preparing for heat events much like we prepare for winter storms for many months."

She said PG&E uses forecasting to predict likely areas for power outages, allowing the company to send additional staff to the area for a quick response. She said 91 percent of customers have power restored within six hours, with the percentage rising to 98 percent after 12 hours.

“We can’t predict everything and because of that we make sure we are prepared to respond to outages,” Merlo said.

She said only eight customers lost power in Marysville on Wednesday.

The heat doesn’t just affect power company equipment, such as transformers, said Clinton Ormosen, owner of Clinton’s Air Conditioning in Marysville. The high temperatures also wreak havoc with the electrical components in an AC unit, Ormosen said.

“A lot of problems that have always been small problems will definitely show up in this kind of heat,” he said. “The heat is really hard on electrical parts.”

He said he usually performs 25 to 50 AC unit repairs per week during the summer, but due to this sudden and long-lasting heat spell he’s performing more than 100. He services AC units in Olivehurst, Linda, Marysville and Yuba City, he said.

“The phone rings more than you can actually answer it,” he said. “We scheduled a week’s worth of calls in one day.”

He said a majority of people call for sameday service, which under normal circumstances he could accommodate. He said he recommends people have their air conditioning units checked between April and May in preparation for high-temperature weather.

But, he said, even with routine maintenance, prolonged heat and usage can burn out parts.

“Observance wouldn’t have helped because that’s just plain old hot weather being hard on parts,” Ormosen said.

He said he predicts his call volume to die off when temperatures return to the mid- and lower-90s.