HVAC Repair in Fond du Lac, 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 Fond du Lac County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine months of heat, three of cooling, and not much rest between
Your furnace is the machine that matters most here. It runs from September through May, and on nights that average 13°F it cycles on and off for hours to keep up. Most homes in the county heat with gas, and every one of those cycles depends on the igniter lighting the burner clean. A worn igniter is the usual reason a furnace stops firing on the coldest nights, right when you need it most.
Summer asks less of the system, just June through August, with afternoons around 79°F. That is still enough heat for a struggling compressor or a low refrigerant charge to show itself. And with winter storms and damaging wind a regular part of the weather here, the power goes out. Most furnaces and air conditioners won't restart on their own if a storm trips the breaker, so if your heat or air stays off after the lights come back on, that is the first thing to check.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 13°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 Fond du Lac County home.
Estimates for a typical Fond du Lac 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.
Registering with the Department of Safety and Professional Services puts the business on file with the state. Nobody tests the contractor's trade knowledge to get that registration, and Wisconsin does not issue a trade license behind it. Counties and cities in Wisconsin cannot require their own HVAC license either, so this registration is the only state-level record that exists here.
For a repair on a heating and cooling system, that record tells you the business is on file, not who checked the work or how well it was done. The gas connections in that kind of repair are the part where a bad joint turns into a real hazard, and Wisconsin's registration rule does not name anyone who inspects that connection. The registration is a business record, not a judgment on the work.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat and the power to the furnace. If the thermostat screen is blank, check the breaker and any switch that looks like a light switch near the furnace, since that's the furnace's power cutoff. If the furnace runs but no warm air comes out, or it tries to start and shuts off again, that points to the igniter or a flame sensor that needs cleaning. With winter nights here averaging 13°F, a furnace that won't hold heat needs attention the same day, not next week.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- Check the filter first. A clogged filter chokes off airflow, and the coil behind it can ice up, which means the air coming out feels weak or barely cool even though the unit is running. Next check the outdoor unit for anything blocking it, leaves, grass clippings, a fence too close. If the filter is clean and the outdoor unit is clear, the system may be low on refrigerant, and that's a repair for a licensed contractor since it means there's a leak somewhere in the line.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat is set to the right mode and the batteries aren't dead. Check the breaker for the furnace or air conditioner hasn't tripped. Replace the filter if it's dirty, since a clogged filter causes problems that look like bigger issues than they are. If the outdoor unit is covered in debris or the vents inside are blocked by furniture, clear them. If none of that fixes it, a contractor registered with the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services can diagnose what's actually wrong.