AC Repair in Madison, WI
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Dane County will get in touch.
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Three months of hard summer use
Your air conditioner in Dane County only gets three months a year to do its job, June through August, and it has to work through afternoons that average 81°F. That kind of stretch, running hard for weeks at a time, is what wears down a compressor and a capacitor before their time.
Dane County also sees its share of rough weather. Ten years of records show 140 hail events and 128 damaging wind events in the area, with hail up to 2.5 inches. That kind of storm can bend the fins on your outdoor unit or damage the fan blade, and you may not notice until the next hot day when the air coming out isn't as cold as it should be.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 81°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 140 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 128 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 Dane County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Dane 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 the business on file with the state and nothing more. There is no trade exam behind it and no license number tied to tested skill. Wisconsin also keeps counties and cities from layering their own HVAC license on top, so this is the only state record that exists anywhere in Wisconsin.
For a repair like this, the protection that matters comes from somewhere else. Any technician who opens the refrigerant side of your air conditioner, anywhere in the country, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That's a federal credential earned by testing on refrigerant handling, not a state license, but it is real and it is required for exactly this job.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter choking off airflow across the coil, so start there before anything else. A refrigerant leak will also cause this, and it shows up as the system running a long time without the air getting cold. If the filter looks fine and the air is still warm, the coil may be frozen over or the compressor may not be running at all, and either one needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the drain line has clogged with algae or dirt and the water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the coil has frozen and is now thawing faster than the drain pan can handle. A dirty filter is a common cause of that freeze up, since it cuts off the airflow the coil needs to stay above freezing.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting bumped off cool will stop the system before it ever starts. If the thermostat looks right, check the breaker, since outdoor units trip breakers more than people expect. If the breaker keeps tripping or the unit still won't start, that points to something a contractor needs to look at rather than something to keep testing yourself.