Cost to Repair an Air Conditioner in Florida

Well, it all depends on exactly what’s wrong with your air conditioner. But we can say that the average price range for an AC repair in Florida is $185 to over $400, with the average price being $258.

Some factors that might affect the cost of your AC repair include:

• The type of warranty you have
• The contractor’s service call charge
• Whether the contractor charges hourly or a flat fee
• Age of the air conditioner
• What’s wrong with the AC

Let’s take a closer look at these factors.

Factors that affect the cost of an AC repair

2 types of HVAC warranties can help lower the cost of your AC repairs:

1. Labor warranty. Your labor warranty covers the cost of labor to repair your AC. If the part needing repair was installed less than a year ago, there’s a good chance that the installer will repair or replace the part at no charge. Of course, the length of your labor warranty depends on the contractor you chose. Not sure if your labor warranty is still valid? Just call and ask the contractor who installed the system/part.
2. Parts warranty. Depending on the manufacturer, the cost of some parts of your AC system may be covered under warranty for anywhere from 1 to 15 years. Most manufacturer websites include a warranty “lookup” system that make it easy for you to check on the status of your parts warranty. For example, if you have a Goodman AC, you can look up your warranty here.

A service call charge, sometimes called a “trip fee”, is the price you’ll pay just to have a professional come to your home and inspect your system. Service charges can range anywhere from $50 to over $100.

Depending on the contractor, that service charge may get dropped if you choose to have them repair your system.

Depending on the contractor you choose, you may end up paying a flat fee for your repair or you may pay an hourly rate. Here’s a closer look at flat fee vs hourly pricing:

Flat fee

Let’s say you agree to a $250 flat rate fee and the job takes 2 hours; you’re paying $125 an hour. But if that same job ends up taking 4 hours due to unforeseen circumstances, you only paid $62.50 an hour.

Hourly

Now let’s say that you agreed to paying $100/hour for the same job and it takes 2 hours. That means you end up paying $200 when all is said and done, which means you fared better paying per hour. But if that same job ends up taking 4 hours, you pay $400 instead of the flat fee of $250.

So, it really depends on the complexity of the job what you end up paying overall. Whatever payment your contractor chooses, be sure that they offer a written contract before they begin any work.

If your AC system is older, you may end up paying more if the parts needed for the repair are hard to find. On the other hand, if your AC is newer, the parts needed for the repair are likely to be more energy-efficient and therefore more expensive.

Ultimately, the largest price factor is what’s wrong with your system. To help you get a better understanding of what you’ll end up paying, we’ve included the price ranges of some of the more common AC repairs below.

Refrigerant leak

Price range: $200 to over $1,600

The steps in an AC refrigerant leak repair include:

1. Detecting and locating leak
2. Repairing the leak
3. Recharging refrigerant

The extent of the leak determines how much you’ll pay. Small, easy-to-locate leaks will cost less while larger leaks that require evaporator coil replacement will cost a lot more.

But the type of refrigerant also plays a huge role in how much you’ll pay to repair your leak. If your system uses the older refrigerant, R-22, expect to pay a lot of money to recharge your system. Since R-22 was phased out by the EPA back in 2010, you can expect to pay up to $24/pound for R-22 refrigerant (or more).

Compressor replacement

Price: $1,500 to over $2,400

Replacing a bad compressor can get pricey really fast. That’s because the compressor is the “heart” of your entire AC system. Without it, your system would never be able to produce cool air.

Because of the high price tag, many homeowners opt to just replace the entire outdoor system when they’re faced with a compressor replacement. If you need to replace your AC compressor but aren’t sure if you should replace just the compressor or the entire AC, just check out our blog, “What Does It Cost to Replace a Heat Pump Compressor?”.

Condenser fan motor

Price: $300 to over $500

If your outdoor unit’s fan goes out or runs too slow, you’ll want to repair that as soon as possible. If left unrepaired, a bad condenser fan can quickly lead to more costly compressor problems.

Condensate pump replacement

Price: $115 to $200+

Your air conditioner not only cools your home’s air, it also dehumidifies it. And your condensate pump is responsible for draining away the moisture from the dehumidification process. So, when this part goes bad, you could end up with costly water damage if you wait too long to repair a condensate pump.

Need specific pricing for your AC repair?

If you are in our Florida service area and need specific pricing on your repair, just contact us.

We’ll send a professional AC technician over to inspect your system and give you an estimate for the repair.

Posted in: Buyer's Guide