Homeowner: A new evaporator coil replacement costs $630 to $1,700 if it is still under warranty.
Homeowner: An indoor AC coil replacement costs $1,230 to $3,700 if it is no longer under warranty.
Commercial: HVAC evaporator coil replacement costs the average business $2,000 plus.
Evap Coil Installation Breakout
It’s a beautiful hot summer day outside, but your air conditioner isn’t blowing cold air for some reason. So you call up an HVAC company, and they diagnose the problem as a leaking evaporator coil that needs to be replaced. You say, “that’s good to know; how much will that cost?” He tells you it will cost thousands of dollars to get the evaporator coil replaced. Now you are asking yourself, “how is this possible?”
Many people get caught off guard by the cost of an evaporator coil replacement. Some HVAC contractors will also try to pull a fast one on many homeowners by charging outrageous prices. An honest HVAC company designed this page to help homeowners understand industry rates, replacement options, and work involved in an evaporator coil installation. The average evaporator coil replacement will run between $630 to $3,700 depending on the warranty status, system size, and type.
What's Included In Evap Coil Replacement Cost?
- Pump down and dispose of freon refrigerant
- Acid flush the system
- Disassemble the air handler if needed
- Removal of current evaporator coil
- Install new evaporator coil
- Reassemble the air handler
- Reconnect and seal plenum
- Add new freon
- Calibrate AC system
- 1-year labor warranty
Evap Coil Pricing Break Out
| Item | Replacement Part Cost | Labor Cost At $120 Per Hr. | Total Install Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evap Coil Replacement | $600 - $2,000 | $300 - $420 | $900 - $2,420 |
| Disassemble & Reassemble the Air Handler | $25 | $0 - $240 | $25 - 265 |
| Acid flush the system | $25 | $40 | $60 |
| Add new freon | $150 - $860 | - | $150 - 860 |
| Calibrate AC system | - | $90 | $90 |
| 1-year labor warranty | - | - | - |
| Total | $800 - $2,910 | $430 - 790 | $1,230 - $3,700 |
Evap Coil Price Table Details
Please note: The above pricing is set for a basic 14 SEER HVAC system less than 20 years old. A higher SEER rated system will cost more for the evaporator change out. If you have an HVAC system higher than 14 SEER, we have created another chart below that breaks out the SEER ratings. If your HVAC system is over 20 years old, the cost might be higher due to parts no longer being manufactured and not being readily available.
There can be quite a bit of difference in pricing depending on if your current evaporator coil is still under warranty. There could be a two thousand dollar difference in cost between a warrantied and non warrantied evaporator replacement. To give you an idea if your system is still under warranty, they typically expire after 10-years if the equipment was registered at the time of installation of the indoor unit.
Evaporator Replacement Cost By Furnace Type
The type of furnace you have will determine how much you pay for a new evap coil. A gas furnace evaporator coil costs around $630 to $2,310 for a replacement. While a heat pump or straight electric furnace requires far more work for a proper evap coil changeout, running the prices up to $870 to $3,700.
| Type | Warranty | No Warranty |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | $630 - $1,460 | $1,230 - $2,310 |
| Heat Pump | $870 - $1,700 | $1,470 - $3,700 |
Gas Vs Heat Pump/Electric Evaporator Coil
Why does the furnace type make such a big difference in evap coil pricing? The answer has to do with the design of the furnace types.
- Gas: The evaporator coil on a gas system attaches as a separate module to the rest of the furnace, making for an easy bolt-off bolt-on solution and helping to keep the evaporator coil cost as low as possible. This design’s material and labor costs are lower than the other systems.
- Heat Pump/Electric: An evap coil in these system types is built inside the furnace in such a way that they are hard to access. It’s almost as if these evap coils were not designed to be removed from the furnace. Due to this design, parts and labor cost more than a gas system.
Evaporator Replacement Cost By Tonnage
You might have guessed that the bigger the HVAC system, the higher the evaporator replacement cost. A 2-ton evap coil is going to cost far less than a 5-ton. A 2-ton evaporator coil replacement costs the average homeowner between $600 to $1,400 while a 5-ton evaporator coil replacement costs from $1,600 to $2,400.
| Evap Coil Tonnage | Under Warranty Evap Coil Replacement | Replacement Evap Coil |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $630 - $870 | $1,230 - $1,470 |
| 2.5 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $800 - $1,035 | $1,450 - $1,920 |
| 3 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $1,000 - $1,200 | $1,670 - $2,370 |
| 3.5 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $1,150 - $1,370 | $1,900 - $2,820 |
| 4 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $1,300 - $1,530 | $2,110 - $3,270 |
| 5 Ton Evap Coil Cost | $1,460 - $1,700 | $2,310 - $3,700 |
Evaporator Coil Tonnage
As you can see, the tonnage has a pretty significant impact on how much you will pay for an evap coil. Keep this in mind when you are setting budgets. Not sure of the size of the system you have? Find the data tag on your outside AC unit and get the model number. A quick Google search of the model number will pull up the unit, giving you the size of the system.
Evaporator Replacement Cost By Brand
When asking “how much to replace an evaporator coil,” I recommend taking into consideration the brand of your system. There are a lot of different HVAC brands, and each manufacturer makes their coils a little different, which impacts the cost of the evaporator coil. For example, a Lennox evaporator coil replacement costs $740 to $4,350, while a Goodman evaporator coil replacement cost is around $575 to $3,360.
| Evap Coil Brand | Under Warranty Evap Coil Replacement | Evap Coil Replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Lennox Evaporator Coil Price | $740 - 2,000 | $1,450 - $4,350 |
| American Standard Evaporator Coil Price | $660 - $1,790 | $1,300 - $3,900 |
| Trane Evaporator Coil Price | $660 - $1,790 | $1,300 - $3,900 |
| Carrier Evaporator Coil Price | $630 - $1,700 | $1,230 - $3,700 |
| Payne Evaporator Coil Price | $630 - $1,700 | $1,230 - $3,700 |
| York Evaporator Coil Price | $600 - $1,600 | $1,200 - $3,500 |
| Coleman Evaporator Coil Price | $600 - $1,600 | $1,200 - $3,500 |
| Rheem Evaporator Coil Price | $700 - $1,900 | $1,370 - $4,100 |
| Ruud Evaporator Coil Price | $700 - $1,900 | $1,370 - $4,100 |
| Amana Evaporator Coil Price | $575 - $1,550 | $1,100 - $3,360 |
| Goodman Evaporator Coil Price | $575 - $1,550 | $1,100 - $3,360 |
Residential Evaporator By Brand
As you can see, there can be as much as a thousand dollar difference in evaporator coil replacement pricing based on the brand you have now. There’s not a huge difference in the labor required from one system brand to another. The extra cost primarily comes from what the manufacturer or distributor charges for the evap coil. The most popular brands like Carrier and Trane usually come out to around $630 to $3,900 for the evaporator coil price. Pricing will vary based on where you live, but this chart should give you a good rule of thumb for budgeting.
Best And Worst Evaporator Brands
- Best: There’s not really a way to quantify the best coil on the market because manufacturers are constantly changing their design or metal types; this could lead to a better product or a new failure point. A few brands have a good reputation that you can count on, like Trane and Carrier. The best thing you can do is talk with your local AC company to see which brands they are working on the most in your area; this will help give you an idea of which brands are performing the best in your area.
- Worst: We are located in Texas. The answer might be different in your area. Here in the San Antonio and Austin area, we replace more Lennox evaporator coils than all other brands combined. Many of the Lennox coils that we replace are on a system less than five years old, meaning they have a significant design error in their coils. The best way to get clarity for your area is to call a few local air conditioning contractors, and they will tell you what they see in the field.
Evaporator Replacement Cost By SEER
The SEER rating and the number of stages your HVAC system has will change how much it costs to replace an evaporator. There can be a $2,500 swing in pricing based on the SEER and the number of stages your system has.
| 3 Ton Evap Seer Rating | Under Warranty Replacement Evaporator | Replacement Evaporator |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Seer Single Stage | $1,000 - $1,200 | $1,670 - $2,370 |
| 16 Seer Single Stage | $1,100 - $1,330 | $1,850 - $2,630 |
| 16 Seer Two Stage | $1,300 - $1,570 | $2,180 - $3,100 |
| 18 Seer Single Stage | $1,240 - $1,500 | $2,060 - $2,900 |
| 18 Seer Two Stage | $1,540 - $1,850 | $2,670 - $3,650 |
| 21 Seer Variable Speed | $1,800 - $2,170 | $3,000 - $4,280 |
| 23 Seer Variable Speed | $2,130 - $2,550 | $3,550 - $5,050 |
Residential Compressor By Brand
Why is there such a big difference in the pricing because of the SEER rating? Evaporator coils with a higher SEER rating are made differently. They have to be made significantly larger to increase the system’s efficiency and gain a higher SEER rating. This increases the equipment and labor cost for a replacement. If you recently purchased a home, check out the SEER rating before setting a budget for an evaporator coil replacement.
Evaporator Replacement Vs. New Indoor Unit
When an evaporator coil needs to be replaced, many homeowners are faced with the dilemma of replacing the entire indoor unit or the evaporator coil itself. A new indoor unit is not much more than an evap coil replacement, so homeowners replace the indoor unit when the system starts to get older. A new indoor unit can cost around $3,200 to $5,300 depending on the size and the type of system you have now. Replacing the evaporator coil costs less on its own, but sometimes its beneficial to replace the indoor unit all together so you don’t run into compatibility issues and add additional expenses such as a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or needing a different, more expensive refrigerant to operate the coil.
| System Size | Replacement Evap Coil | Replace Indoor Unit |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ton | $1,230 - $1,470 | $3,069 - $4,170 |
| 2.5 Ton | $1,450 - $1,920 | $3,142 - $4,517 |
| 3 Ton | $1,670 - $2,370 | $3,184 - $4,719 |
| 3.5 Ton | $1,900 - $2,820 | $3,385 - $4,894 |
| 4 Ton Evap | $2,110 - $3,270 | $3,539 - $4,912 |
| 5 Ton Evap | $2,310 - $3,700 | $3,681 - $5,316 |
How Do Decide What Is Right
If you are trying to figure out whether you should deal with just the evap coil or if you should replace the indoor unit, here are a few pointers.
- Is it under warranty? If it is, I would recommend replacing the evaporator coil under warranty. Evaporator coil warranties are generally good for ten years. If your system is under ten years old, it still has a lot of life left in it. In this scenario, it usually doesn’t make economic sense to replace the indoor unit.
- Is your system more than 15 years old? If it is, I would strongly consider replacing the indoor unit and perhaps the outdoor unit too. With a system this old, it’s hard to justify spending lots of money on major repairs when you can put that money into a new system. However, there are a few instances, like if you are about to sell the home or if it’s being rented out when it makes more sense to replace the evaporator.
Does Your Evaporator Coil Really Have A Leak?
In many cases where an evaporator coil has been diagnosed with a leak, the technician was jumping to conclusions. When the technician shows up and finds that the system is low on freon and the evap coil is in poor condition, they will often assume the leak is coming from the evaporator coil when it could be from something else. In the technician’s defense, it could have been a long day at the end of the week; they are tired, ready to be home, and going off the fact that 90% of the time leaks do come from the evap coil. If you’re asking yourself, “how much does an evaporator coil cost” keep in mind that you might not have to replace it. If you want to 100% this is not the case for you, ask for a pressure test. It’s inexpensive and does not take much time.
Step 1
The first step is to pump down the system and remove the freon. After removing the freon, the technician will add high-pressure nitrogen into the HVAC system, making it easy to quickly discover leaks in the evap coil by listening for the nitrogen escaping.
Step 2
If the freon leak ends up being extremely small, then the technician might not be able to hear a leak. To confirm the presence of a leak, the technician will add pressure gauges to the system to verify the pressure is dropping. Over 10 minutes, the tech should be able to determine if there is a leak.
Step 3
The last step is to locate the exact place of the leak because the leak may not be coming from the evaporator coil. The HVAC tech will brush soap and water over please the leak might be coming from to identify the exact location of the leak. Bubbles will be noticeable in the area that is leaking.
If you happen to be interested in learning more about an AC compressor cost or the cost to install a central air conditioner, take a look at these articles. You can also learn more about new AC unit costs, new furnace costs, or the best air conditioner brands on the market by checking out these posts. If you need an AC repair, give us a call, and we can help.
