AC Installation in Fond du Lac, WI
A new air conditioner in Fond du Lac will run from June through August every year. Tell us about the house, and a licensed contractor who covers Fond du Lac County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of real work, and hail to survive the rest
Summer here only averages 79°F, and cooling season runs June through August, about three months a year. That is a short window, but a real one, and the unit you install has to be sized right for it rather than for some hotter climate's expectations.
The outdoor unit sits outside all year, through every season, not just summer. Fond du Lac County has logged 29 hail events and 59 damaging wind events since 2015, with hail up to 3 inches. That coil and cabinet take that weather whether the system is running or not. Any new central air conditioner installed today also has to meet the federal minimum of 13.4 SEER2, so that baseline is already covered.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 29 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 13.4 SEER2
- the federal minimum any new unit must meet
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Going above the federal minimum saves little here, about $10 a year.
Estimates for a typical Fond du Lac County home, from EIA household energy data, Wisconsin fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Wisconsin requires contractors to register with the state.
Registration puts a contractor's business on file with the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Nobody tested their work to get on that list, and the state does not track whether the job was done right. Wisconsin also keeps counties and cities from layering their own HVAC license on top, so that state record is the only one that exists anywhere in Fond du Lac County.
For an air conditioner installation, the protection comes from elsewhere. In most cities and counties, this job needs a permit from the local building office along with an inspection once the work is finished, and that inspection is what actually gets someone checking the job against a standard.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- What size air conditioner does my house need?
- There's no single number that fits every house, it depends on your square footage, how much shade your house gets, how well it's insulated, and how many windows you have facing the sun. A unit that's too big cools the air fast but shuts off before it pulls the moisture out, so the house feels clammy. A unit that's too small runs constantly and never quite catches up on the hottest afternoons. A contractor will measure your house and figure the load before recommending a size, and that's worth doing right rather than guessing based on your old unit or your neighbor's house.
- Should I replace the whole system or just the outdoor unit?
- If your indoor coil and outdoor unit are more than a few years apart in age, replacing just the outdoor unit usually isn't a good idea. The two are matched to work together, and pairing an old coil with a new condenser can mean the system never hits the efficiency it's rated for, and sometimes voids the warranty on the new part. If both parts are old, replacing them together as a matched set makes more sense. A contractor can look at what you have now and tell you whether the coil is worth keeping.
- Do HVAC contractors in Fond du Lac need a state license to work on my home?
- Wisconsin requires HVAC contractors to register with the state through the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Ask to see this before work starts. It's a fair question and any legitimate contractor will have an answer ready.