Inland Temperatures Rise Into 90s As Bay Area Heats Up

BAY AREA (KPIX 5) – Some inland parts of the San Francisco Bay Area had temperatures hitting the 90 degree mark as the first bit of heat to visit the region this spring warmed things up for local residents.

The Bay Area enjoyed blue skies and warm temperatures with some records getting broken with more heat expected on Wednesday.

The high temperature was closing in on 90 degrees in the Livermore area Tuesday. That is just warm enough to bring the first big spurt of business for one sector of the local economy.

"Yeah, that's really bad," said air conditioning repairman Richard Westwood as he examined a failed unit.

This was the day that the calls started picking up for Westwood, of Richard's Heating & Air Repair.

"Yeah, people turning on their air conditioners, finding out whether they at work or they don't work," said Westwood.

As for the casualty he found while talking to KPIX 5, the unit was manufactured in the 29th week of 1996. It actually aged beyond its expected life span. One common problem Westwood sees is failed capacitors.

"This time of year you get this or the condensing fan motors," Westwood explains.

There is a small device that can re-charge feeling parts and extend the life of a unit, but only for one to three years.

As busy as Westwood was Tuesday, he says the real wave of panicked phone calls doesn't come in till temperatures hit 95 degrees.