The repairs behind a warm house run from a median $310 to $3,000, and the first four causes cost nothing to check.
Prices: HVACPro analysis of 62 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29. Licenses: FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05.
Reported price, U.S. dollars
Source for every price on this page: HVACPro analysis of homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29. Repair figures are U.S.-wide; only rows marked Florida are Florida. The posts do not always say what a price included, and people who post are not a random sample. N is the number of quotes behind each figure.
| Job | Median | Middle half | Reports (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic or service-call fee | $190 | $100 to $290 | 62 |
| Capacitor | $310 | $220 to $400 | 26 |
| Refrigerant recharge | $690 | $460 to $1,200 | 48 |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $1,320 | $800 to $3,000 | 32 |
| Compressor | $3,000 | $1,900 to $4,000 | 43 |
| Evaporator coil | $3,000 | $2,000 to $4,500 | 57 |
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by ready made via Pexels.
There are two different problems under this one complaint, and telling them apart saves money. If the fan blows but the air is only lukewarm, the cooling side has an issue: airflow, refrigerant, a coil or a compressor. If nothing runs at all, it is a power or control issue and our page on an AC that will not turn on applies instead.
The cheap causes come first because they are common and free to rule out: a clogged filter, a thermostat set to the wrong mode or with dead batteries, an outdoor unit choked by debris and a tripped breaker. Our troubleshooter walks through each. Only when all four check out does a pro visit make sense, and that is where the diagnostic fee of $190 (62 reports) begins.
After the free checks, the cost ladder is steep. A capacitor is a median $310. Low refrigerant means a recharge at $690 or a leak repair at $1,320.
A compressor or evaporator coil each sit near $3,000. ENERGY STAR lists cleaning both coils and checking the refrigerant level as yearly technician tasks (ENERGY STAR checklist).
Simplified drawing, not to scale. Real systems vary: the indoor unit can sit in an attic or closet, the ducts can run in the attic or under the floor. Original illustration, not a photo.
Do the four free checks before paying anyone. If a pro is needed, ask for the failed part by name.
A quote for a recharge with no leak search is a bandage, because refrigerant does not get used up: a system low on it has a leak. A median recharge of $690 against a median leak repair of $1,320 shows what is being skipped.
Our page for this symptom ranks six causes, gives safe steps for the first four and marks the refrigerant and capacitor causes as hard-line, with no repair steps.
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by Anh-Bao Tran-Le via Pexels.
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Need a licensed HVAC pro in the Tampa Bay outer ring? Call and we'll connect you with a licensed local contractor.
HVACPro is a free referral service for homeowners, not an HVAC company. We don't do the work, and we may be paid by the contractor. Check any contractor's license on the state's lookup before you hire.
Every city below has an A-to-Z list of the businesses with an active Florida HVAC license there. The number on each chip is that count.
Counts: businesses with an active license and a city address in the Tampa Bay outer ring, from FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05. A license says the state permits the work, not that the work is good.
A business with offices in two cities counts in each city's list. The city chips above open each A-to-Z list.
Source: FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05. A license says the state permits the work; it says nothing about quality. Check any license on the state's live lookup before you hire. No ratings, rankings or reviews.
No rebate pays for a diagnosis or a repair. If the answer is an old system past repair, the AC replacement page lists the Tampa Electric, Duke Energy Florida and Lakeland Electric programs on file.
Need a licensed HVAC pro in the Tampa Bay outer ring? Call and we'll connect you with a licensed local contractor.
HVACPro is a free referral service for homeowners, not an HVAC company. We don't do the work, and we may be paid by the contractor. Check any contractor's license on the state's lookup before you hire.
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by Bingqian Li via Pexels.
No. Section 608 of the Clean Air Act bars venting refrigerant while servicing AC equipment (EPA Section 608), and technicians who service refrigerant equipment must be certified (EPA 608 certification). A system that needs refrigerant also has a leak.
Most often airflow or power to a component: a dirty filter, a blocked outdoor unit, a wrong thermostat mode, or a failed capacitor. Low refrigerant from a leak is the other big one. Check the first four yourself, then call a pro for the rest.
It depends on the cause. Reported medians: diagnostic fee $190, capacitor $310, recharge $690, leak repair $1,320, compressor $3,000, evaporator coil $3,000.
A coil freezes when too little warm air crosses it or too little refrigerant is in it. A dirty filter or blocked vents is the free cause to rule out. If ice returns after that, the refrigerant or blower is the suspect, and both need a technician.
These questions come from the topic clusters below in our research on 2,095 mined questions (Refrigerant, capacitor, compressor, parts (DIY repair): 55; AC not cooling / blowing warm air: 54; Repair / service cost and quotes: 23; AC freezing up / iced coil: 31). The wording and answers are ours; we do not republish anyone's post.
$190
Diagnostic or service-call fee: median reported price, from 62 homeowner reports
HVACPro analysis of 62 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29.