HVAC Repair in Eau Claire, WI
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Eau Claire County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, three of cooling, and almost no season off
Your furnace in Eau Claire County works nine months of the year, September through May, and on the coldest nights it is fighting to hold the house against lows near 9°F. That means long burner cycles, night after night, and the igniter and burner assembly take the wear from every one of them. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace will not light at all.
Summer is short here, just June through August, with afternoons around 79°F. That is not extreme heat, but the air conditioner still has to answer for it, and a unit that sat idle for nine months is exactly the kind that struggles on the first hot day. Add in the storms this area sees, 27 winter storms and 35 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and the power loss that can come with them, and a system already worn from a long heating season has that much less room for error.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 9°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 79°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $130 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Eau Claire County home.
Estimates for a typical Eau Claire 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 one part has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the furnace's heat exchanger is cracked, the air conditioner's compressor has failed, or repairs keep coming.
Wisconsin requires contractors to register with the state.
Contractors register with the Department of Safety and Professional Services.
Look up a contractor's registration on the Department of Safety and Professional Services' website.Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat and set a few degrees above room temperature, and check that it has power if it runs on batteries. If that is fine, check the breaker for the furnace and, on a gas furnace, make sure the switch on the unit and the gas valve are both on. A furnace that starts and then shuts off within a minute or two often has a dirty flame sensor or a clogged filter, and either one is worth ruling out before you call anyone. Winter nights here average 9 degrees, so this is not something to leave until morning.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The filter is the first thing to check. A filter clogged with dust blocks airflow across the coil, and when that happens the coil can ice over so the system runs but blows warm air. Check the outdoor unit too. If the coils outside are packed with grass clippings or leaves, the system cannot get rid of the heat it is pulling out of the house. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear and you are still getting warm air, the system likely needs a contractor to check the refrigerant charge.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat first, both the setting and the batteries. Then check the breaker box, since a tripped breaker will stop a furnace or air conditioner cold and looks like a bigger problem than it is. Check the filter next and replace it if it is gray or clogged, since a blocked filter causes both heating and cooling problems. If it is a gas furnace, make sure the switch on the unit itself is on, it looks like a light switch and sits on or near the furnace and gets bumped off more often than people expect.