Here in Arizona, air conditioner breakdowns happen all too often, especially when they can be prevented with an annual check-up. There are many things to consider when looking at how much it cost to fix an air conditioner. As you can imagine this can range from something small like a capacitor all the way to something major like a coil replacement and there may be a labor charge to top things off.

On the low end your looking at a price range of $0-$200, mid range $200-$1,000, and on the high end $1,000 -$4,000.

Need to learn more about HVAC –> Learn how HVAC works.

Price Range $0-$200

On the cheapest end of the repair it could be free! That’s right there could have been something like a tripped breaker, bad thermostat batteries, or dirty filters and maybe even a repair done under warranty.

See –> 3 things to check before calling for repair. Please make sure to read that post before calling anybody out.

Actual repairs done in this range cost are smaller components and services like capacitors, blower wheels, fan blades, fuses, relay switches, hard start kits, surge protectors, thermostats, float switches, leak searches, light refrigerant charge, coil cleans, drain line flushes, and the hourly rate of labor. A repair requiring a combination of these parts and services will probably add up to be more than $200.

Price Range $200-$1,000

In the middle range of repair cost your mostly looking at repairs for motors for the condenser and evaporator, it’s a wide range depending on the type of motor you have. There are PSC, ECM, and variable speed motors, variable speed being on the high end of the cost.

See –> types of motors.

Charging the system with refrigerant (depending on how much you need) can be anywhere in this price range. It’s hard to say for refrigerant because how much each system needs varies greatly and it depends on what kind of refrigerant you have (the two types are R-22 and R-410a).

Also, some hard start kits, and control boards are on the lower end of this cost range.

Price Range $1,000 -$4,000

Spending any money in this price range you mightiest well just get a new unit. That is not possible for everyone though, so in this cost range your looking at major repairs including, compressors, coils for the evaporator or condenser, the whole condenser or air handler, reversing valves, and the TXV (thermal expansion valve). Air handlers and condensers are on the higher end of this cost range. Typically, any of these major repairs can take up a large chunk of the day, maybe around 4-6 hours depending on the scope of the project.