Toronto’s days‑long stretch of extreme heat and poor air quality has pushed the city’s cooling systems — and the companies that fix them — to their breaking point.With temperatures soaring into the mid‑30s on Tuesday and an orange air quality warning lingering over the GTA, air‑conditioning repair crews are facing one of their busiest weeks in recent memory.Brendon Aldridge, owner of Dr. HVAC, says the heatwave created a “perfect storm” for breakdowns, with record‑setting temperatures hitting at the same time the industry typically sees its seasonal rush. His team has been inundated.“We’re swamped,” Aldridge said. “We do our best to help as many people as we can, but we just can’t staff for these two weeks of the year. There are times we’re getting like 400 calls a day.”Even days later, crews are still scrambling to catch up.“We’re still dealing with the aftermath,” he said. “All those calls we couldn’t get to that day — we were running yesterday, we were running today — we’re still playing catch‑up from that one day.”Simple maintenance could make a world of differenceAs temperatures push into the high 30s and low 40s with humidity, older or less efficient AC units begin to fail under the strain. Systems that seem fine on a typical summer day can quickly fall behind.“Sometimes these units get less efficient over time,” Aldridge explained. “They can keep up on an average day, but when you get to 40 degrees, it really shows that they can’t keep up. They’re running 24 hours a day and not maintaining temperature.”For homeowners, the fear of a costly repair — or worse, a full replacement — looms large. But Aldridge says simple maintenance can prevent many of the failures his team sees during heatwaves.He recommends annual professional servicing, keeping units clear of debris, and regularly changing filters.“That’s one of the key items. Sometimes we’ll get to units, and they’re just covered in grass and bushes, and the air can’t flow through them,” said Aldridge. “And then changing the filter, that’s one of the critical things.”With repair wait times lengthening and outdoor conditions remaining hazardous, Toronto residents seeking relief have few options. The city has opened cooling centres, but outdoor pools remain closed as the air quality warning continues.Toronto and the surrounding GTA are expected to see some improvement as winds shift and temperatures ease, but for now, repair crews remain overwhelmed — and homeowners are doing whatever they can to stay cool.