AC Repair in Hudson, WI
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers St. Croix County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of work, then a storm to survive
Your air conditioner sits idle most of the year in Hudson, then has to run through June through August with afternoons averaging 79°F. After sitting all that time, a capacitor that weakened over the winter can fail the first hot day it's asked to work, and the unit won't start at all.
Hudson has also logged 60 hail events and 28 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hailstones as large as 3 inches. Hail that size bends the fins on your outdoor coil and can knock the fan blade off balance. A unit that took a hit and still runs may be moving less air than it should, and you notice it as a house that won't cool down like it used to.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 60 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 28 wind events
- in ten years, and wind drives debris into outdoor units
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new air conditioner would save little on running costs in St. Croix County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical St. Croix County home, compared with an older unit built to the previous federal minimum, from EIA household energy data, Wisconsin fuel prices and NOAA climate normals. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when a part like a capacitor or contactor has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the compressor has failed or the system uses R-22 refrigerant, which is no longer made.
Wisconsin requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts a contractor's business on file with the state. Nobody tested the contractor's work to get it, and the state does not stand behind the repair because of it. Wisconsin also does not let counties or cities layer on their own HVAC license, so this is the whole picture wherever you are in St. Croix County, not just part of it.
For a repair on your air conditioner, the credential that actually matters is federal. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of your system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, and that rule holds in every state regardless of what Wisconsin does or doesn't require on top of it.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- Most often the filter is clogged and starving the system of airflow, or the refrigerant level is low from a leak somewhere in the coil or lines. A dirty outdoor unit can cause the same thing, since it needs open airflow around it to shed heat. If the air coming out is just room temperature or warm, shut the system off and have a contractor check the refrigerant charge and the coil before running it more, since a low charge can damage the compressor over time.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- The drain line that carries condensation away from your indoor unit is probably clogged or disconnected. That line collects the water pulled out of the air as your AC cools it, and when it backs up, the water finds another way out, usually down the side of the unit or through the ceiling below it if the unit is upstairs. A frozen evaporator coil will also drip water once it thaws, so if the air has been weak or warm before you noticed the leak, that is likely the cause. Either way, turn the system off until a contractor looks at it, since running it with a blocked drain or a frozen coil can make the damage worse.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting knocked out of cooling mode will stop the system before it ever starts. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker, since AC units trip breakers more than most other appliances in the house. If the breaker is fine and it still won't start, the capacitor that gets the compressor and fan motor running may have failed, which is common after storm-related power surges. That's a repair for a licensed contractor, not something to test yourself.