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Living in South Florida without an AC can negatively affect your well-being. Florida is among the hottest states in the U.S. all year round. Living in a hot climate without air conditioning can affect your productivity, sleep quality, mood, creativity, health, etc.
It is essential to repair your AC as soon as it breaks down. If you live in Milton, FL, go now and call in a professional HVAC firm right away to solve your air conditioning issues. The longer you wait, the more dreadful hot days you will have to endure, and maybe even higher repair costs.
To understand how much it costs to repair an AC in South Florida, you need to understand that several issues dictate the price. AC repairs in Florida can range from $160 to $1,800. However, the average homeowner will pay around $550 for a repair.
AC Repair in Florida – Pricing Factors
The price when it comes to AC repair in Florida vary so much since there are four main factors to consider:
- The issue with the AC
- AC warranties
- Air conditioner age
- Hired contractor
AC Problems and Repair Costs
Let’s talk about the first factor. Depending on your air conditioning problems, some components might be fixed, while others replaced entirely, greatly affecting repairing costs. Here is a list of common AC problems and repair costs:
- Compressor replacement: $1,350 to $1,800+ (price varies depending on AC size)
- Evaporator coil replacement: $900 to $1,800+ (price varies depending on AC size)
- Refrigerant leak detection and repairing: $225 to $1,600+
- Refrigerant recharging: $160 to $400+ (price varies for amount of refrigerant needed)
- Circuit board replacement: $160 to $600+
- Compressor hard start kit installation: $100 to $250+
- Capacitor or contactor replacement: $90 to $250+
- Fan motor replacement for condensing unit: $100 to $300+
- Condensate pump replacement: $90 to $250+
To understand exactly what can be repaired and what needs to be replaced, you will need to call in a professional HVAC firm.
AC Warranty
The second aspect that determines the price of your AC repair is the warranty. There are two types of warranties that you may have received when you purchased your AC:
- Parts warranty
- Labor warranty
The parts warranty or manufacturer warranty lasts between 5 to 10 years. It covers the replacement parts in this timeframe. Read the warranty and see which parts are covered, and know that if you didn’t have an annual professional maintenance or didn’t register the AC with the manufacturer, the warranty may become void.
A labor warranty is a warranty received when you repaired your AC recently. If you face the same issue despite earlier repairments, the contractor responsible for the repair must waive the labor cost when they come in to fix the issue.
Air Conditioner Age
Another AC repair pricing factor is your air conditioner’s age. Older AC units are more expensive to repair as they require parts that are harder to find. ACs usually last between 8 to 10 years, and if your old AC requires repairs, it might be less expensive to install a new one.
Contractor
The last AC repair pricing factor is the contractor you hire. You should consider two things when hiring an AC repair contractor: quality and whether the contractor charges hourly or fixed-rate prices for the repair.
Quality and experienced AC repair contractors will charge more than low-quality inexperienced contractors. Though it might be tempting to go with the cheaper version, there is always the risk of investing more with a low-quality contractor since they might not do a good job or use poor off-brand AC repair parts that will cause later issues.
A cheap AC repair contractor might also make you replace AC parts that don’t require repairing, so going with an experienced and professional AC repair contractor might be the more affordable option. To find a high-quality AC repair contractor, check for good customer reviews, proof of insurance, and contractor license, and look if the contractor provides concrete guarantees.
If you decide to hire an AC repair contractor that works on hourly billing, you should expect a clear hourly rate, but some repairs might take longer, and thus the final cost is unpredictable.
With a flat-rate AC repair contractor, you can find out the exact cost of your AC repair, regardless of how long it takes. The contractor will diagnose the problems and tell you up-front what it is, what caused it, and how much it will cost.
