HVAC Repair in Madison, WI
Homes here need heat from October through May and cooling from June through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Dane County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of work, most of it in the cold
Your furnace is the one carrying the load here. Heat runs October through May, eight months, and on the coldest nights it's cycling on and off against a low near 14°F. Every one of those starts puts wear on the igniter and the burner. When the igniter finally gives out, the furnace won't light at all, and you find out on one of those 14°F nights.
Summer asks less of the system, just June through August, with afternoons around 81°F. That's a short season, but it still means the AC sits unused for months at a time before it has to start right back up in the heat. Add in the storms, 22 winter storms and 128 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and the power blinks or drops. Most systems come back on their own once it's restored. If yours doesn't, that's worth a call.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 14°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 81°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 Dane County home.
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 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.
That registration puts the business on file with the state. It does not mean anyone tested the contractor's HVAC knowledge, and there is no license behind the name. Wisconsin also keeps this the same everywhere. Counties and cities cannot layer their own HVAC license on top, so the rule for a contractor in Dane County is the same rule as anywhere else in the state.
For a repair like this, that record in Madison is what exists. There is no license to check on this job, only the registration, so the business being on file is the extent of the state's part in it.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my heat not working?
- Start with the thermostat. Check that it's set to heat and the temperature is set above the room temperature, and check the batteries if it has any. If the thermostat looks right, check your breaker panel, since a tripped breaker will shut the furnace down completely. Gas furnaces also need the pilot light or igniter to work, so if you hear the blower running but get no heat, that's often where the problem is. With winter nights here averaging 14°F, a furnace that won't fire needs attention fast.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- The most common reason is a dirty air filter blocking airflow, so check that first. A clogged filter starves the system of air and can ice up the coil inside, which then blows warm air until the ice melts. If the filter is clean, check that the outdoor unit isn't blocked by leaves, grass clippings, or anything else pressed against it. If the air coming from the vents is barely moving at all, the problem is more likely the blower or the ductwork than the cooling itself.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Check the thermostat settings first, since a wrong setting or dead batteries account for a lot of no-heat and no-cool calls. Then check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker and the filter for dirt and blockage. For a gas furnace, see if the pilot light is lit or listen for the igniter clicking when it starts up. If you've checked these and still have no heat or cooling, a licensed contractor can diagnose the rest.