Refrigerant Recharge / Recovery Cost — AC, Heat Pump & More (U.S., 2026)
Estimated $100–$3,000 for a refrigerant recharge / recovery in the U.S., depending on the HVAC system and the exact fault. Built from 16 sourced repair jobs across 4 HVAC types — each row keeps its own sources. Reviewed July 2026.
What a refrigerant recharge / recovery costs, by HVAC and fault Estimated
Each row is a real sourced repair job whose description matched this part. Parts and total are that job's own national range — follow the problem link to localize it to your area.
| HVAC | Problem | Repair | Parts | Total | DIY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Air Conditioning | Not cooling / blowing warm air | Refrigerant leak repair + recharge (R-410A) | $100–$500 | $300–$900 | Pro recommended |
| Central Air Conditioning | Refrigerant leak repair / recharge | Refrigerant recharge only (R-410A top-off, leak already sealed or minor) | $100–$500 | $300–$900 | Pro recommended |
| Central Air Conditioning | Frozen evaporator coil | Refrigerant recharge (low charge causing the freeze) | $100–$500 | $300–$900 | Pro recommended |
| Central Air Conditioning | Short cycling (turns on and off) | Refrigerant recharge (low charge triggers low-pressure cutoff cycling) | $100–$500 | $300–$900 | Pro recommended |
| Heat Pump | Not heating | Refrigerant charge check + recharge (R-410A) | $150–$600 | $350–$1,000 | Pro recommended |
| Heat Pump | Not cooling | Refrigerant recharge (R-410A) | $150–$600 | $350–$1,000 | Pro recommended |
| Heat Pump | Refrigerant leak repair / recharge | Minor leak repair + partial recharge | $80–$300 | $200–$500 | Pro recommended |
| Heat Pump | Refrigerant leak repair / recharge | Severe leak repair (coil-area leak, full evacuation + recharge) | $300–$800 | $1,000–$1,500 | Pro recommended |
| Heat Pump | Short cycling (turns on and off) | Refrigerant leak search and recharge where low charge is tripping the safety control | $80–$520 | $300–$1,400 | Pro recommended |
| Ductless Mini-Split | Not cooling | Refrigerant leak search + repair + recharge | $100–$300 | $300–$1,000 | Pro recommended |
| Ductless Mini-Split | Not heating | Refrigerant leak search + repair + recharge | $100–$300 | $300–$1,000 | Pro recommended |
| Ductless Mini-Split | Refrigerant leak repair / recharge | Refrigerant recharge only (top-off, no repairable leak point found) | $50–$150 | $100–$350 | Pro recommended |
| Ductless Mini-Split | Refrigerant leak repair / recharge | Leak search + flare/line-set repair + recharge | $150–$400 | $300–$1,000 | Pro recommended |
| Air Handler | Frozen evaporator coil | Refrigerant leak locate-and-repair + recharge | $50–$150 | $200–$500 | Pro recommended |
| Air Handler | Evaporator coil replacement | Evaporator coil replacement with refrigerant recovery, braze-in and recharge | $550–$1,550 | $900–$3,000 | Pro recommended |
| Air Handler | Evaporator coil replacement | Warranty coil replacement — manufacturer covers the part, homeowner is billed labour and refrigerant | $0–$320 | $350–$1,100 | Pro recommended |
Base: 4 published national repair-cost guides (full source registry on the methodology page), published rates from 31 local repair companies · National base ranges — localize any figure on its linked problem page · Reviewed July 2026 · Estimated
Related HVAC cost guides
The full cost guide for each HVAC system a refrigerant recharge / recovery shows up in:
Estimated national ranges aggregated from the linked problem pages — no per-page localization is applied here. See the methodology for the localization method and named sources.
Reviewed by a Red Seal–certified appliance technician who also holds a Technical Safety BC gas ticket (Gas-C) and an ODS/halocarbon refrigerant ticket (CFC/HCFC/HFC).