KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — High temperatures are expected to persist in East Tennessee through the week. They are expected to stay over 90 degrees Fahrenheit until at least the end of the week when some rain is expected to move into the area.
Until then, people in Knoxville and beyond will keep their home's air conditioning running. HVAC technicians said they usually receive a higher number of calls during hot streaks from people who say their units aren't cooling as much as they need to.
Those technicians said most standard units can usually only bring the inside of a home down around 20 degrees Fahrenheit compared to the temperature outside.
"A lot of times, people call us when it gets this hot and we have customers call and says their units aren't keeping up. Like I said, when it's this hot in the 90s, if your house is 75 degrees, it's just doing all it can do," said Tim Jeffries, a service manager from Cantrell's Heat and Air.
He said people can take some extra steps to keep their homes cool, even if it feels like their HVAC units aren't keeping up with the heat. They can close their blinds, keeping sunlight out and preventing the light from bringing additional heat in.
He also said people should make sure to complete routine maintenance on their HVAC systems, such as changing filters around the house and hosing the unit down to keep it clean.
They also recommended people have their units inspected by a professional at least once in the spring and once in the fall, monitoring for possible issues before they become a serious problem.