AC Repair in West Bend, WI
Air conditioners here run from June through August. If yours quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Three months of hard running, then storms on top of it
Your air conditioner in West Bend only gets three months to do its job, June through August, and it spends those months working against summer afternoons that average 79°F. That kind of steady demand puts real hours on the compressor and the fan motor in a short stretch of the year.
Washington County has also logged 53 hail events and 54 damaging wind events over the past ten years, with hail up to 2.5 inches. Hail that size can bend or dent the thin aluminum fins on the outdoor coil, and high winds can rock the unit on its pad or throw debris into the fan. You might notice the air isn't as cold as it should be, or the outdoor unit is louder than usual, or it's running but not keeping up.
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner is on duty
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
- 53 hail events
- in ten years, and hail bends the fins on outdoor coils
- 54 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 Washington County, so the repair decision comes down to the unit's condition.
Estimates for a typical Washington 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.
Registration puts the business on file with the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Nobody tested the contractor's skill to get there, and the state does not check the work. Because Washington County can't layer its own HVAC license on top, this registration is the only state-level record that exists for whoever comes to your house.
An air conditioner repair almost always means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that part isn't left to the state at all. Any technician touching refrigerant has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, no matter what state they work in. That federal certification, not the Wisconsin registration, is what says this person was actually tested on handling refrigerant safely.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my AC not blowing cold air?
- The most common cause is a dirty air filter choking off airflow, so check that first since it's the easiest fix. If the filter is clean, the problem could be low refrigerant from a leak, a failing compressor, or ice built up on the coil. A contractor can check refrigerant levels and pressures to find out which one you're dealing with.
- Why is my AC leaking water?
- Most often the condensate drain line is clogged, and water is backing up instead of draining outside. It can also mean the drain pan has rusted through, or the coil has frozen and is now melting and overflowing the pan. Shut the unit off until it's looked at, since water can damage the surrounding floor or ceiling.
- Why won't my AC turn on?
- Check the thermostat first, since a dead battery or a setting bumped to the wrong mode will stop the whole system cold. If the thermostat looks fine, check the breaker, since a tripped breaker will cut power to the outdoor unit. West Bend sees a fair number of storms with damaging wind, and a power blip during one can trip a breaker without anyone noticing until the house warms up.