A home AC recharge is when an HVAC technician changes or refills the refrigerant that is responsible for cooling warm air as it passes through your HVAC system. Only a trained and licensed HVAC professional should do this job. It’s not the same as buying a kit at the local auto parts store and recharging your car’s AC.
By Anne Fonda
Maybe, but it’s not part of regular maintenance. Your air conditioner or heat pump has a sealed refrigerant system. It reuses the refrigerant again and again in a continuous refrigeration cycle. Your air conditioner does this only during the warmer months while your heat pump operates year-round. Your HVAC system could last its entire lifespan without needing an AC recharge. You only need to recharge your AC if there is a problem with your system such as a refrigerant leak.
Years of wear and tear, improper maintenance, and installation issues can all lead to a refrigerant leak. A refrigerant leak causes low refrigerant levels. That can cause all sorts of problems with your HVAC system, as it struggles to try and reach the set temperature. Several signs could indicate a refrigerant leak and the need for a home AC refill.
Some of these problems can have multiple causes. Contact an HVAC company to diagnose the problem and make the necessary heat pump or AC repairs.
The cost of a home A/C recharge will vary based on the type of refrigerant your system uses and how much you need. Older air conditioning systems that use R-22 (Freon®) will cost more to recharge. R-22 is harder to find because it is no longer being manufactured or imported to the United States. Decreased supply means higher prices.
In general, an HVAC Freon refill for a home air conditioner or heat pump can reach $250 per pound for the R-22, and prices will continue to increase. You may pay $300 +/- for the labor required to find the leak, recover the refrigerant, fix the leak, and recharge your home AC unit. What you pay for labor costs may depend on where you live and how competitive the market is.
For a newer unit that uses R-410A, you’ll pay less for the refrigerant - more like $90 per pound. You’ll still have the labor costs and associated fees to recharge an air conditioner.
If you have a newer unit and the technician can find the leak and fix it, it could get you several more years of use out of your AC unit or heat pump.
However, if your system uses Freon, it has some age on it. If you have an R-22 unit, it was manufactured in 2009 or earlier, making it at least 15 years old. That’s the average life expectancy of the unit.
If you’re on a first-name basis with the HVAC tech because you’ve had so many repairs, it may be time to stop dumping money into the money pit and put your money into a new HVAC system. This is especially true if the evaporator coil needs to be replaced. Evaporator coil replacement can range from $550-$2,500. Your price can depend on where you live, the age, the make and model of your unit, and more.
If you’re facing a $2,500+ repair bill, replacing the system might be more cost-effective. Today’s AC units and heat pumps are much more efficient, and if you opt for a qualified heat pump system, you can save a lot of money through stacking tax credits and heat pump rebates.
Our Repair or Replace Guide has some tips to help you make an informed decision.
Changing your air filters regularly can help prevent a frozen evaporator coil and help your system run more efficiently. In addition, schedule professional HVAC maintenance in the spring before the cooling season begins and in the fall before the heating season begins.
Regular maintenance visits allow an HVAC technician to spot and fix small problems before they become big and expensive ones.
If you need air conditioning repair or heat pump repair, contact your local American Standard HVAC dealer for help. They can diagnose the issue and help you decide if repairing an older unit or replacing an older system makes more sense for you.
A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.
She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.
Expert review by Kimberly Sexton, Senior Systems Engineer
Refrigerant is the lifeblood of an air conditioner or heat pump, responsible for absorbing, carrying, and releasing heat to achieve and maintain your desired temperature.
HVAC refrigerant lines are lengths of copper piping that carry refrigerant from your outdoor air conditioner or heat pump inside to the furnace or air handler during the refrigerant cycle that cools or heats your home.
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