We’re only halfway through the summer and we’ve already received dozens and dozens of calls from people wanting to know how much it costs to replace the compressor in their central air conditioning unit. The straightforward answer is that it costs a lot more than you should spend repairing an old ac unit. Unless your air conditioner is new enough that the cost of both the parts and the labor to install the new compressor is covered under warranty - it’s almost always a bad idea to spend the money replacing the compressor. To have a well-known, reputable heating and air company in Denver replace your compressor is typically going to cost between $2,200 - $2,800. A handful of the biggest companies in Denver can charge more than $2,800. Keep in mind… the size of the company and the level of service they are structured to provide affects the price for any type of air conditioning repair. Spending $2,200 - $2,800 for a new compressor into an ac unit is pretty close to just lighting money on fire in my opinion.

That’s 1/2 the cost of replacing your entire air conditioning system (a new condenser and evaporative coil) and you still have an old air conditioner, it just has a new compressor in it. central air conditioning units efficiencyA good analogy would be putting a new transmission in a car that already has 200,000 miles on the engine. 16 ton ac unitYou can be pretty sure something else is going to go wrong with it before long.sizing ac units tons Most of the top air conditioner manufacturers back their units with a 10-Year Parts Warranty and a 1-Year Labor Warranty. However, some manufacturers only provide a 5-Year Parts Warranty. If the compressor in your air conditioner goes bad within the first 12 months, it’s a no-brainer - just call the company that installed it and you shouldn’t have to pay anything to have the compressor replaced.

If your compressor goes bad sometime between the 2nd and 10th year after installation of your central air conditioner, the cost of the compressor itself can still be covered under warranty, but you will have to cover the cost of the labor to replace the compressor. You can expect to pay a well-known, reputable Denver air conditioning contractor between $1,500 - $2,000 just for the labor. If your air conditioner if not more than 7-8 years old - and all the other components are in good shape, it may not be the worst financial decision in the world to replace your compressor if you only have to pay for the labor. Obviously individual financial circumstances have to be taken into consideration, and sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils. If you’re air conditioner is 10 years old then you would absolutely want to replace the entire air conditioning system instead of installing a new compressor. Air conditioning manufacturers typically do not honor warranty claims on equipment that has not been properly maintained or neglected.

This is why it’s so important to have annual maintain performed on both your furnace and your air conditioner. Shameless Plug Alert: American Standard provides a 12-Year Warranty on the compressors inside their air conditioning units. Full Disclosure: Altitude Comfort is an authorized American Standard dealer, and it’s our most popular brand by far. People often are confused by the technical names for the components of their air conditioning system, and they’ll refer to their outside unit (the condenser) as their compressor. Just so we’re all on the same page... Condenser: This is the outside unit that everyone typically refers to as their air conditioner. Compressor: The compressor is a big component that sits inside your condenser (the outside unit). What does the compressor do? In simple terms, an ac compressor circulates the refrigerant in your air conditioning system. Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick!

Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads. 1,263 posts, read 1,785,300 times 4,600 posts, read 17,582,644 times 8,293 posts, read 19,165,217 times Originally Posted by lamontnow I had a new Payne (made by Carrier) central AC installed on a 3-bedroom rental house this spring. 2.5 ton unit, with a 10-year warranty. It replaced an older unit, so this was not an all new installation. It cost me approximately $2,300 (tax included). 27,825 posts, read 28,080,635 times 5,286 posts, read 15,274,119 times 697 posts, read 2,420,276 times 605 posts, read 3,884,357 times 1,501 posts, read 9,430,638 times 2 posts, read 414,668 times 7,386 posts, read 9,716,788 times Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum.

Additional giveaways are planned.The air conditioner compressor is the heart of your cooling system. It is the most commonly misdiagnosed component in the system. At least one third of the time that the unit is said to have a "bad compressor", the compressor is in fact not the problem. The typical air conditioning service call would cost over $100. We will show you how to correctly troubleshoot your unit and avoid unnecessary replacement. This procedure will help you to check out the typical single speed units.**HOT TIP** If the unit is no longer under warranty and the estimated cost of replacing the compressor is over half the price of a new unit, it would be a good idea to replace the system. **NOTE** Before replacing the air conditioner compressor you should identify and correct the cause of the failure. An acid test should be performed in the case of an electrical failure. There are basically four types of compressors that are used in air conditioning systems. A rotary compressor is commonly used in window units and some central ac units.

They have been around for many years and are inexpensive and durable. A reciprocating compressor is the most common in lower efficiency split air conditioners. They are relatively inexpensive but not as durable. A scroll compressor is the most common type in higher efficiency equipment. They are very durable and efficient but are typically more expensive. The latest innovation is variable speed compressors which are commonly referred to as inverter drives. These are in the top of the line high efficiency units but they are normally the most expensive. First, we will check to ensure that the compressor does not have an electrical problem. You will need a basic multimeter to measure resistance. Shut off the power to the unit and verify with the meter that no power is present. Next, you need to remove the terminal cover. Check to make sure that the wires and the terminals are not damaged. The typical unit will have three terminals labeled C, R, and S. You should check for continuity (less than 30 ohms resistance) between C & R, C & S, and R & S.

If the resistance is significantly higher, then check to see if the compressor is hot. If the unit is hot, the internal overload is open. You will need to wait until it cools off to continue troubleshooting.If the resistance reading is high and the unit is cool to the touch, the compressor motor is bad.Next, you should take resistance readings from each of the terminals to the body of the compressor. A low resistance reading, means the motor is grounded and the compressor will need replaced. You should also check the capacitors. If your tests do not indicate a bad compressor motor but the unit trips the breaker or fuse, the problem may be mechanical.In some cases, as the unit gets older it may require a boost to get started. Special capacitors called hard start capacitors are made for these situations. They are a combination of a capacitor and a built in relay. They give the compressor extra starting torque and the relay disconnects the capacitor after the unit starts. They are very inexpensive and can often extend the life of the compressor for several years.

If you install a hard start capacitor and the unit will still not start, you will need to proceed with air conditioner compressor replacement.In other cases, the air conditioner compressor may run but not provide cooling. This can happen when a failure allows liquid refrigerant instead of vapor at the compressor inlet. The result is usually broken valves in the compressor. In that case, the air conditioner compressor or the whole condensing unit will require replacement. The basic process of air conditioner compressor replacement begins with shutting off the power to the unit and recovering the refrigerant from the system. This is required in the United States for compliance with EPA regulations. A recovery unit is connected to the system and the refrigerant is pumped into a storage cylinder. Mark the leads and disconnect them from the terminals.Then, the copper lines connected to the inlet and outlet of the old compressor are cut loose. The mounting bolts are removed from the base of the unit and it is removed.

The new compressor is then mounted in the unit with the mounting bolts. The copper lines are then brazed to the inlet and outlet as dry nitrogen is purged through the system. A liquid line filter/drier should be installed anytime the refrigerant system is opened to the atmosphere. A suction line filter should be installed on the unit if acid was detected.After the system is sealed, it should be pressurized with dry nitrogen and checked for leaks. Then, a vacuum pump should be connected and the system should be evacuated. It is a good idea to leave the vacuum pump running for several hours.The electrical wires should be reconnected to the terminals.Then, the vacuum pump should be removed and refrigerant introduced to the system. The power to the unit should then be turned on and the system ran to get the proper amount of refrigerant in the system. You can use our air conditioner charging guide to check the total system charge. Now, you can get live support or leave a message for the HVACrepairguy through Facebook Messenger.