What an AC Repair Costs and What Moves the Price

Why nobody honest quotes an AC repair over the phone

An AC that is running but not cooling can be a dirty filter, a failed capacitor, a frozen coil, a refrigerant leak or a dead compressor. The first two are small. The last two are not. They look the same from the thermostat, so there is no number until someone puts gauges on the system.

What you can get before anyone is sent is the diagnostic fee. We tell you that when you book, so there is no surprise at the door, and it is the only number you commit to until you have seen the repair price.

The part is most of the price

Small parts: capacitors, contactors, relays, fuses, thermostats, condensate pumps, float switches and blower motors. These are ordinary repairs at ordinary rates, usually done in one visit from stock on the truck, and worth doing on almost any system whatever its age.

Big parts: compressors, evaporator coils, condenser coils and fan motors on older units. These cost enough that the age of the system starts to matter. On a system past about twelve years, a big part repair is the point where we price the replacement beside it so you can compare.

Refrigerant work costs more than electrical work

A fault on the electrical side is usually found and fixed in one visit. A fault on the refrigerant side means finding the leak, repairing it, pulling a vacuum and recharging to specification. That is more time and more material, and the material itself has a price.

If the label on your outdoor unit says R-22, the recharge costs the most of all, because that refrigerant is no longer manufactured. On a leaking R-22 system, we give you the repair and replacement prices side by side without being asked.

Access and age

• An air handler in a tight attic or above a drop ceiling takes longer to work on than one in a basement
• A part that is no longer made takes longer to find and costs more when found
• A system that has already been repaired several times often has a second fault waiting behind the first
• A condenser on a flat roof or behind a locked fence takes a second person or a second trip

Each of these is named on the written price when it applies. If a line on the quote is not explained, ask. It should be.

What stays the same on every job

• The diagnostic fee is quoted when you book, not at the door
• The cause of the AC failure is explained to you before the cost is
• The repair price is in writing before work starts, and nothing starts until you approve it
• If the repair only buys a season, we say so and show you the replacement number beside it
• Our work carries a 60 to 90 day warranty, depending on the job

When the repair stops being worth it

Rough rule: past twelve to fifteen years with a compressor or coil repair, replace. Under ten with one failure, repair. In between, the refrigerant, the failure history and the ducts decide. The guide on AC repair or replace walks through it.