HVAC Repair in West Bend, 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 Washington County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eight months of heat, three of cooling, and not much rest between
Your furnace in Washington County runs from October through May. On the coldest nights, when it drops to 14°F, it cycles on and off for hours to hold the temperature. That kind of workload wears on the igniter and the heat exchanger, and a furnace that struggled all winter often shows it during the last cold snap of the season.
Come June, that same system switches over and has to cool the house through summer afternoons near 79°F. Three months isn't long, but going from a furnace running hard to an air conditioner starting cold puts real strain on both sides of the system. Winter storms are part of this too. Washington County has seen 12 of them over the last ten years, along with 54 damaging wind events, and when the power goes out, most furnaces need it back before they'll fire again.
- 8 months
- October through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- June through August, it cools
- 14°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 $120 a year off heating and cooling for a typical Washington County home.
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 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 Department of Safety and Professional Services. It does not mean anyone tested the contractor's HVAC knowledge, because Wisconsin does not run a trade exam for this work. Counties and cities in Wisconsin cannot layer their own HVAC license on top of that, so the state record is the only one that exists here.
For a heating and cooling repair, that record is a business filing, not a check on the work itself. It tells you the contractor is on file with the state. It does not tell you who checked the gas connections or the refrigerant work behind that repair.
Sources: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services
- Why is my heat not working?
- Most of the time it's the igniter, a clogged filter, or a thermostat that lost its setting. Gas furnaces won't fire if the igniter is cracked or the flame sensor is coated with residue, and a filter packed with dust can choke off airflow until the system shuts itself down to protect the heat exchanger. Check the thermostat batteries and the breaker first, since those take two minutes to rule out. With winter nights here dropping to 14°F, a furnace that's been struggling for weeks can fail outright on the coldest night, so it's worth having it looked at before you're stuck without heat.
- Why is my system running but not cooling the house?
- If the blower is running but the air isn't cold, the most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak, a frozen evaporator coil, or a dirty outdoor unit that can't shed heat. A coil iced over from restricted airflow will blow warm air even though the system sounds like it's working fine. Check that the outdoor unit isn't blocked by leaves or debris and that the filter isn't clogged. If the air is warm after that, a contractor will need to check refrigerant levels and look for a leak, since that's not something to top off on your own.
- What can I check before calling for HVAC repair?
- Start with the thermostat. Confirm it's set to heat or cool as needed, the batteries are fresh, and the display is on. Next check the filter, since a clogged one can cause both heating and cooling problems and is easy to replace yourself. Look at the breaker panel for a tripped breaker, and if you have a gas furnace, check that the switch on the unit itself and any nearby power switch haven't been bumped off. If the system still isn't working after that, a licensed contractor can diagnose what's actually wrong.