Written October 2026, with our current repair prices and Trane’s, Goodman’s and EPA’s own pages read the same week.
Most AC repairs we run in Northern Virginia cost $240 to $1,500. The cause is usually one of a short list of parts, and the most common one, a run capacitor, sits at the bottom of that range. Before you pay anyone to find out, spend five minutes on the checks below, because some no-cool calls end at the thermostat or the breaker panel. If they don’t fix it, book it on our AC repair page or call (703) 997-9757.
Skip the checks and call right away if water is coming through a ceiling, something smells like it’s burning, or a breaker trips again after one reset. We run 24/7 emergency service, and our emergency page is the way in after hours.
AC repair starts with five checks you can do yourself
None of these need a tool or a ladder, and none of them mean opening up the outdoor unit. Do them in this order.
1. The thermostat. A blank screen usually means dead batteries, and the system won’t run without them. Then the settings: Cool, the fan on Auto, and the temperature set below what the room is now. Trane’s troubleshooting page lists those three, and adds the one that catches people out: somebody got cold and changed it.
2. The breakers, and the switch by the furnace. An AC has two breakers in the panel, one for the indoor unit and one for the outdoor unit, and they aren’t always labeled well. A tripped one sits between On and Off. There may also be a shutoff beside the furnace that looks like a light switch, and it gets flipped by whoever was down there looking for something else. Outside, the gray box on the wall by the outdoor unit is the disconnect. It gets pulled during yard work and painting, so make sure it’s seated.
About resetting a tripped breaker: Trane’s advice is not to flip it at all, and to call. Ours is one reset, once. If it trips again, leave it off and call, because a breaker that keeps tripping is protecting you from something.
3. The filter. Pull it and hold it up to a light. If you can’t see light through it, put in a new one. A choked filter starves the indoor coil of air, and Trane says that can lead to a frozen coil. How often to change one, and which kind to buy: our filter guide.
4. The drain and its float switch. An AC pulls water out of the air all summer, and all of it leaves through one small drain line at the indoor unit. Many systems have a float switch in the pan or on that line, and when the drain backs up, the switch shuts the system off before the water reaches your ceiling. In Trane’s words, it can “automatically shut down the indoor unit if the water level inside the drain pan begins to rise.” So a system that quit with water standing in the pan isn’t broken. It’s protecting the house. Some people clear the line with a wet-vac on its outside end. If that doesn’t do it, it’s a routine call: clearing it, with a trap and an overflow switch added, runs $175 to $420.
5. Ice. Look at the copper line where it goes into the outdoor unit, and at the indoor coil if you can see it. Frost or a block of ice means the coil froze. Switch the thermostat from Cool to Off. That’s what Trane tells owners, because running a frozen system “can cause major damage to your air conditioning system,” and the compressor is the part that pays for it. Don’t chip at the ice; that damages the coil. Set the fan to On so room air melts it faster, change the filter while you wait, and leave it until every bit of ice is gone, which can take hours.
Then try it again. If it cools, the filter was probably the problem: Trane says restricted airflow is the biggest reason a coil freezes. If it ices up again inside the same week, it needs a technician. The other common cause is low refrigerant, and an AC doesn’t use refrigerant up, so low means a leak.
Still dead after all five? Then it’s a repair. If it’s late, the house is hot and someone in it is very young, elderly or unwell, here’s the first hour, step by step.
What’s usually broken, and what each repair costs
Here are the failures behind most summer AC repair calls, matched to what you’d notice standing next to the system. The prices are our own in Northern Virginia, for the repair itself on a standard home system, and the exact price for yours comes in writing before anyone starts.
| What you notice | What it usually is | Our price |
|---|---|---|
| Water in the pan or on the floor, and the system shut itself off | A clogged condensate drain: cleared, with a trap and an overflow switch added | $175 to $420 |
| A hum from the outdoor unit and nothing turning, or a click and then nothing | A failed run capacitor, the most common AC repair there is | $240 to $370 |
| Thermostat calling, indoor fan running, outdoor unit silent | A burnt or stuck contactor, the switch that powers the outdoor unit | $290 to $425 |
| The compressor runs but the fan on top has stopped, or it screeches on start-up | A condenser fan motor | $1,100 to $1,500 |
| Everything runs, the air isn’t cold, and there’s ice on the line or it needed refrigerant last summer | A refrigerant leak: found, repaired and recharged | $1,850 to $2,700 or $31/mo at 0% APR for 60 months |
| The breaker trips at start-up, or a hard clank from the outdoor unit, and the smaller parts test fine | The compressor, with the part still under the manufacturer’s warranty (you pay labor and refrigerant) | $1,900 to $2,500 or $32/mo at 0% APR for 60 months |
| The same, on a unit whose compressor warranty has run out | The compressor, out of warranty | $2,200 to $5,100 or $37/mo at 0% APR for 60 months |
Monthly figures: 60mo @ 0% APR on each starting price, the whole price financed, on approved credit. Longer plans lower the payment and cost more in total. The lender sets the final terms.
The capacitor is the one we replace most. It’s the small can that gives the compressor and the fan motor their kick to start, and heat is what kills it. Trane says the biggest reason one fails is overheating, and that it can “give up during an extended run time such as during a heat wave,” which is why so many quit on the hottest afternoon of the year. Trane also says not to replace one yourself, and we agree: it can hold a charge after the power is off. Capacitors, contactors and most motors ride on the van, so those are usually fixed on the first visit.
The fan motor is the one to act on fast. If the fan on top stops and the compressor keeps running, the compressor is running hot with nothing carrying the heat away, and every minute makes the repair bigger. Shut it off at the thermostat and call.
Every repair in our price book, part by part, with what moves each one up or down, is in what AC repairs cost in Northern Virginia. A fan that won’t spin has its own walk-through, and so does the longer list of signs your air conditioning needs repair.
Refrigerant leaks, and what R-22 or R-410A means for yours
An air conditioner doesn’t burn through refrigerant the way a car burns gas. It runs in a sealed loop, so if it’s low, it leaked. Trane puts it plainly: the only way to be low is a leak, or a system that was charged wrong when it went in. Topping it up runs $190 to $740 with us, and on an old system in August that can be a sensible way to get to fall. Paying for it every summer is not. Finding the leak, repairing it and recharging the system runs $1,850 to $2,700. From about $31 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit.
EPA tells homeowners the same thing we do: ask the technician to “locate and repair leaks instead of ‘topping off’ leaking systems.” And don’t keep running it while you wait. Trane’s answer to whether you can still run an AC with a leak is one word: no.
If the nameplate says R-22. Look at the nameplate on the outdoor unit. If it says R-22, or HCFC-22, the rules changed under that system. No new R-22 has been made or imported in the US since January 1, 2020, and there’s no drop-in replacement for it, both per EPA. You’re allowed to keep running it, and cleaned-up used R-22 is still sold. But every pound that goes back in comes from reclaimed or old stock, so a real leak on an R-22 system is usually where we put a new system’s price beside the repair.
If it says R-410A. Most systems put in from about 2010 through 2024 run on it, and it isn’t obsolete. EPA says homeowners “can maintain and repair their systems throughout the useful life of the equipment,” including swapping a failed outdoor unit or indoor coil for a similar R-410A one. New equipment had to move off the higher-impact refrigerants starting in 2025, and R-410A parts built since then carry a label saying they’re “for servicing existing equipment only.” So an R-410A leak is a repair question, not a deadline.
What the diagnostic visit is, and what it costs
The diagnostic visit is $99, flat. A technician looks at the whole system, not just the part making the noise: refrigerant pressures, the temperature drop across the indoor coil, the amp draw on the motors and the electrical side. Then you get the repair price in writing before anything is opened up or ordered. Approve it or decline it. If you decline, you still own the diagnosis, and nobody will make that awkward.
The temperature drop is a good example of what you’re paying for. Somewhere around 16 to 22 degrees between the air going into the return and the air coming out of a supply is healthy. Much less than that, and the job is finding out why, which is a very different conversation from selling you refrigerant.
When can someone come? Often same-day, and we will tell you honestly when we can get there. We run 24/7 emergency service. If the house is hot now, call rather than booking online, so you’re on the dispatch board instead of in the next open slot. For anything that can wait, book online and pick the time.
Comfort+ members get the diagnostic visit included and take 15% off any service. The Comfort+ membership is $20 a month, month to month, or $199 a year, and its spring cooling maintenance visit is the one that looks at the capacitor and the drain before summer.
Repair or replace: where we draw the line
Most calls end in a repair, and if an AC can be repaired, that’s what we recommend. The line where that changes is Goodman’s, and it’s a fair one: “If a major piece of AC equipment fails or the repair cost is close to 1/2 the price a new air conditioner, it may be better to replace the system.” From us, a new air conditioner on its own runs $5,942 to $14,450 installed, keeping your furnace. From about $99 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit.
Put real numbers next to that. A capacitor on a 14-year-old system is a repair, every time. Compressors are different. They don’t fail often (Trane says one “will generally last the life of the system with proper maintenance”), and out of warranty it runs $2,200 to $5,100. On that same 14-year-old system, it gets a new system’s price beside it, because the coil, the fan motor and everything else bolted to it is 14 too. Before anyone quotes you a compressor, check the manufacturer’s warranty: if the part is still covered, the job is labor and refrigerant, $1,900 to $2,500. From about $32 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit.
Comfort+ members bank half of each repair bill toward replacing that system, up to $1,500, so a repair now isn’t money lost if the system gets replaced later. Holding someone else’s quote for a new system? Take our free second opinion first. And if it is time: AC replacement prices, what a proper AC installation includes, ten ways to know it’s time to replace your AC, and how long an AC lasts here, with our call on each repair by the age of the unit.
October note: if it’s a heat pump, this is also your heat
A lot of Northern Virginia houses don’t have an air conditioner outside. They have a heat pump, and from the yard you can’t tell: Trane says split-system heat pumps and central ACs “look virtually the same.” The quick way to know is the thermostat. If it has an Em Heat or Aux Heat setting, it’s a heat pump.
In summer a heat pump is an air conditioner, running the same cycle the same way. In winter, a reversing valve flips the flow of refrigerant so the indoor coil gets hot instead of cold. So everything above, the capacitor, the contactor, the fan motor, a leak, applies to your heat in January too, at the same prices. A heat pump adds a couple of parts an AC doesn’t have: the reversing valve, and the defrost board that melts the frost off the outdoor coil, which runs $450 to $1,150 to replace.
Two winter things look broken and aren’t: cold air blowing off the outdoor unit, and a cloud of steam during defrost. Here’s why both are normal. A heat pump that sits on aux heat all day is a different story, and aux heat vs. emergency heat explains the difference. When it is broken, it’s heat pump repair, priced the same way, and the heat pump repair cost guide has the rest. Before it gets cold, the $67 Heating Check covers a heat pump or a furnace, through December 31: see the offer.
AC repair questions, answered straight
How much does AC repair cost?
Most AC repairs we run in Northern Virginia cost $240 to $1,500, and the diagnostic visit is $99. A run capacitor, the most common repair, is $240 to $370. A compressor out of warranty, the most expensive one, is $2,200 to $5,100. From about $37 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. You get the exact price in writing before any work starts. Every repair, part by part, is here.
Is it worth repairing a 15 year old AC?
For a small part, yes. A capacitor or a contactor on a 15-year-old system is worth fixing. For a compressor or a big leak, put the repair next to a new system’s price first: Goodman’s line is a repair close to half the price of a new air conditioner. On R-22, a real leak usually ends it. We’ll price both and tell you which we’d pick.
Why is my AC running but not cooling?
Check the filter and look for ice first. If the indoor fan runs and the outdoor unit is silent, it’s usually the capacitor or the contactor, or a breaker or the disconnect outside. If both run and the air still isn’t cold, it’s usually low refrigerant from a leak, a frozen or dirty coil, or the compressor, and that needs gauges, not a guess.
Should I turn off my AC if it’s frozen?
Yes. Switch the thermostat from Cool to Off, set the fan to On, and let the ice melt completely before you try it again. Don’t chip at it. Running a frozen system is hard on the compressor, and if it freezes again inside the week, it needs a technician.
Can I just add refrigerant to my AC?
Not yourself: EPA requires Section 608 certification to recharge a system, and refrigerant for home systems is only sold to certified technicians. And a top-up on its own doesn’t fix anything, because an AC doesn’t use refrigerant up. If it’s low, it leaked, and EPA asks homeowners to have leaks found and repaired instead of topped off.
Can an R-22 air conditioner still be repaired?
Yes. EPA doesn’t require you to replace it, and cleaned-up used R-22 is still sold. Electrical parts like a capacitor or a contactor are ordinary repairs on an R-22 system. A refrigerant leak is the hard one: no new R-22 has been made or imported since 2020 and nothing drops in to replace it, so that’s usually where we’d price a new system beside the repair.
Do I pay for the diagnostic if I don’t do the repair?
Yes. The $99 covers the visit: finding the fault and pricing the fix in writing. You can say no to the repair, and the diagnosis is yours either way. Comfort+ members get the diagnostic visit included.
Do you do emergency AC repair?
Yes. We run 24/7 emergency service across Northern Virginia. Often same-day, and we will tell you honestly when we can get there. If the house is hot now, call (703) 997-9757 rather than booking online. Here’s the first hour, step by step.
Is heat pump repair the same as AC repair?
Mostly, yes. In summer a heat pump is an air conditioner, with the same capacitor, contactor, fan motor and refrigerant loop, at the same prices. It adds a reversing valve and a defrost board for winter. We repair both, every brand. More on heat pump repair.
Book the AC repair, or call us now
Book it on our AC repair page, where the prices are, or call (703) 997-9757. Rather pick the day yourself? Book online. Whatever we’re running this month is on our offers page, and here’s how financing works.
SwiftPro Heating, Cooling & Plumbing repairs air conditioners and heat pumps of every brand across Northern Virginia, from offices in Chantilly and Ashburn. We’re a Trane Comfort Specialist, Carrier experts, a Rheem Pro Partner and a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor. Family owned, BBB Accredited with an A rating, 24/7 emergency service, Virginia Class A contractor license 2705192276, and rated 5.0 stars across 1,131 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook. Read the reviews.
