This is a great question and I get asked this alot. Obviously repairs cost different prices so there is no normal price for any group of repairs. There are just too many variables to what happens in a repair. Having said that I can give you a few ballpark prices on the most common repairs that happen in a residential service call. So lets get into the 5 most common repairs and what to expect price wise.
1) The Capacitor Repair: The most common call is the Capacitor call. Especially in the most hot climates because the Capacitor will burst under extreme heat. This blog focuses on the Dallas & Fort Worth markets so we will specifically deal with that. Dont get the name Capacitor mixed up with the words Compressor and Condenser. Sometimes a repair technician will tell somebody that they have a bad compressor and they will email me and say "I was told I have a bad Capacitor". These two items cost vastly different sums so make sure you write it down, have the tech put it down or something. The job of the Capacitor is to give a boost to the condenser fan motor so it starts and to be a run start for the compressor. If you are told you need to have this item replaced you can expect to pay from $145-$225. One of the mistakes people will make is in assuming that because the item costs $40 that it should only cost $60 to put it in. The reason this cant ever be true is because no business can survive on such a small mark up. Especially one that has such wild swings in business due to weather and that has to drive to your home, pay for vehicle insurance, pay for advertising, pay for uniforms, pay for tools, etc. So a reasonable price is $145-$225 for that repair. Just call an honest company
2) The Condenser Fan Repair: The condenser fan is the fan motor that sits outside on your condenser. Again remember the terms because this sounds a lot like Capacitor and compressor. The Condenser fan motors job is basically to exhaust heat from the condenser. The condenser will be throwing the heat out that has been removed from the house. This condenser also will have alot of heat from the compressor itself. If this fan motor ever stops it can cause catastrophic damage to the equipment. You want to get this item fixed right away. This should cost between $420-$650 depending on the motor type etc. Very common repair for a very common failure
3) The Freon Fill: This isn't so much a repair per say. You aren't repairing anything. You have a leak in your system and you are just getting the refridgerant filled back to the proper level. Residential systems only run on two types of refridgerant right now: R-22 which is called by the name Freon & 410a which is called by the name Puron. If your system was installed after 2014 then you have 410a Puron. If you have a system older than that then you probably have R-22 Freon. Why is this so important? The R-22 Freon has been banned in that it is no longer allowed to be used for new systems. Anyone who has an existing system that uses it can still have it serviced but this Freon is very very very expensive now that there is very little of it left. So dont be surprised when the tech says "Yes sir or ma'am this is going to cost $500 a lb." In some places this is the going rate for this refridgerant and remember that doesnt even fix the problem of the leak, that just fills it up. So I would say ask if there is some type of discount for having it done with a Leak Stop injection or some sort of attempt to stop the leak. The other Refridgerant is still relatively inexpensive and can be filled for about $49lb. Some companies will charge a flat fee to fill regardless of the lbs it takes. And before you ask, no, you cant just take out the banned stuff and put in the newer stuff. They are not sympathetic and work at different operating pressures and use a different oil type.
4) The blower motor repair: The blower motor is a very important piece in the equipment. Wether you are using the AC or using the Heat you will need to have a functioning blower motor in order to spread the air throughout the ductwork. If this ever stops working then you can seriously damage the AC as well as the heater. With the advent of newer computer controlled motors the repair cost has risen dramatically. If you have a newer ECM type motor then the repair can be from $900-$2200. Some of these motor cost the repair company $1400. It can be a nightmare expense. If you have a more standard blower motor then expect to pay from $575-$750.
5) The igniter & flame sensor repair: The flame sensor and igniter are two very important items in a repair for a furnace. If one breaks you should replace both at the same time. They are relatively in expensive and should be done in sequence. The job of the flame sensor is to always sense flame so that the heater will continue to let gas be burned. The job of the igniter is to make sure that gas gets ignited. This repair combo should cost you from $290-$390.
Whenever having a repair done make sure you contact a licensed company and one with a good reputation. WWW.TexasDiscountAir.comwww.TexasDiscountAir.com
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