HVAC Repair in Wausau, WI
Homes here need heat from September through May and cooling from July through August. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Marathon County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Nine below zero for months, then back on for two more
Your furnace is the machine that matters most here. Winter nights average 9°F from December through February, and the burner has to cycle on and off all night to hold the house steady against that cold. That kind of run time wears on the igniter and the flame sensor before anything else, and when one of those fails, the furnace won't light at all.
Heat is needed from September through May, nine months of the year, so there's almost no season where the system gets to rest. Summer only asks for two months of cooling, with afternoons around 78°F, but that short, hard-working stretch still puts real strain on the compressor after months of sitting idle. On top of the wear from daily use, Marathon County has logged 33 winter storms and 82 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outages that follow can shut a furnace down in the coldest part of the night.
- 9 months
- September through May, your system heats
- 2 months
- July through August, it cools
- 9°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 78°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new furnace and air conditioner would cut about $140 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Marathon County home.
Estimates for a typical Marathon 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.
Registration means the business is on file with the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Nobody tested the contractor's HVAC knowledge to put them on that list, and the state does not issue a license for the trade. Because the rule is set at the state level, no county or city in Wisconsin can layer its own HVAC licensing requirement on top of it, so the registration is the same wherever in Marathon County the work happens.
For a repair like this, the registration confirms the business exists on paper, nothing more. It is not a record of anyone's training, and it does not speak to whether the person working on your furnace or air conditioner knows the trade. What it gives you is a name on file with the state, and that is what a Wisconsin homeowner has to go on.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it comes down to power, gas, or airflow. Check that the thermostat is set to heat and the batteries are good, then check the breaker for the furnace. If you smell gas or the pilot won't stay lit, don't keep trying to relight it, that's a job for a contractor. With winter nights here averaging 9°F, a furnace that's cutting out even for a few hours is worth getting looked at right away.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air isn't cold, check the air filter first. A clogged filter chokes off airflow across the coil, and the coil can ice up as a result. Also check that nothing is blocking the outdoor unit, leaves, grass clippings, anything sitting against it. If the filter's clean and the outdoor unit is clear but the house still isn't cooling, the system likely needs a contractor to check refrigerant levels and the coil itself.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Make sure it's set correctly, the batteries are fresh, and it's actually calling for heat or cooling. Next check the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and check that any furnace switch nearby (it looks like a regular light switch) hasn't been bumped off. Replace the air filter if it's dirty, since a clogged filter can cause all kinds of problems that look like bigger issues than they are. If the system still isn't working after that, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually going on.