The average price for recharging an AC is $300. On average, homeowners pay roughly $200 to $500, although this will depend on the specific type, size and age of their unit and its refrigerant, as well as whether they maintain a service contract.

If your air conditioner isn’t working, you may just need an AC recharge. Our guide will help you understand an average AC recharge cost.

AC Recharge Cost Factors

When you have an AC freon leak in your unit, you’ll need an AC recharge. Freon is the name of a standard refrigerant chemical that runs through both heat pumps and air conditioners and leaves your home filled with nice cool air.

But when there’s a freon leak, you’ll have to recruit a pro to diagnose the leak and refill the refrigerant. The answer will depend on the type and size of your unit, the materials and labor involved, the prep work, where you live, the age of your home, and the after-construction cleanup.

Size

The size of your air con unit will be in tons — and men, the bigger the unit, the more pounds of freon it will probably require. Your AC unit will require 2 to 4 pounds of refrigerant for each ton.

Materials

Also, the price you pay for your AC recharge will depend on the type of freon your unit takes and whether or not the need is generalized or if the entire unit needs to be refilled — you could pay anywhere from $12 to $80 or more per pound of freon.

Labor

The cost for labor will range from $50 to $150 per hour for an AC technician. While you can expect to spend between $100 and $300 for a pro to come out and track down a leak, it varies depending on how widespread and complicated the leak is.

A pro may be able to trace a leak back to your ceiling or walls if you have refrigerant lines running through your house, for instance. If so, you’ll also have to account for additional expenses to open up the wall and put up drywall, which will cost between $1.50 and $3 or so per square foot.

Prep

In some cases, the freon leak is caused by other problems with your air conditioning unit. So, before you can have a pro do your AC recharge, you may need to fix whatever is leaking the refrigerant in the first place.

• New evaporator coil: $700–$2,100
• Compressor: $ 700 – $2, 500
• Replacing the condenser coil: $500 to $2,700
• Installation of a New AC Unit · $3,902–$7,899

Location

In general, the AC prices homeowner in rural area are less compared to the owners who live in the city. But more, the fact that freon has to be transported, and if you’re a rural tech, you’re likely to pay through the nose—shipping and delivery charges that the technician is going to charge (you) for.

Post-Construction Cleanup

Homeowners are not allowed to legally release freon into the environment because it is an ozone-depleting substance. Instead, you should ask your AC technician to either recover the refrigerant and dispose of the materials properly or drain the refrigerant lines to remove the freon from your property.

DIY AC Recharge or Let a Pro Do It?

Although an AC re-charge seems like a simple DIY job, it’s actually more complex than that.

With our strict EPA and local environmental laws, you need to hire the nearest ac repair to you. Actually, the EPA won’t let homeowners buy refrigerants. You are required to be certified with a Section 608 tech certification to buy freon.

This is because licensed and skilled ac technicians can work with refrigerant, refrigerant lines AND freon leaks legally. Plus, pros are accustomed to dealing with the refrigerant directly, and know how to manage the spread and properly and safely dispose of freon.

Ways You Can Save Money during an AC Recharge

While the price of AC freon is outside of your control, there are several ways to lower the costs of an AC recharge, including:

• Check to see whether AC recharge is covered by your insurance or manufacturer’s warranty.
• Look for AC rebates or tax credits.
• Fix leaks as soon as you realize that your AC system is not working the way it should.
• Have an annual AC tune-up.
• Obtain at least three quotes from air conditioning companies you trust.
• Change the filter in your AC unit to keep it in top shape.
• Avoid clogging vents by keeping all open and operational.

An AC recharge cost summer seem like a small expense that is not worth the time or energy to deal with, but it is not considered basic maintenance for nothing.

AC Recharge is technical skilled job so unless you have that knowledge and know how to do the job please leave it to the professional.