If your AC just quit on a 100° day, skip the long article. Call us. We get to most calls the same day, and you can decide once you know what failed. If your system is running but limping, or you're looking at a $2,500 repair quote and wondering whether it's worth it, read on.
We've installed and serviced thousands of AC systems in the Pearland-Houston corridor since 1990, and our techs make this call with three numbers. Age comes first. The Department of Energy puts residential AC lifespan at 10 to 15 years in hot, humid climates like the Texas Gulf Coast (DOE Energy Saver, 2024), and since Houston systems run 7 to 8 months a year, ours land toward the low end. Next is repair cost against age. The trade rule says replace when repair dollars times age in years clears $5,000, so a $400 fix on a 14-year-old unit comes to $5,600, and the homeowner usually loses that bet. Last is refrigerant. The EPA banned new R-22 production on January 1, 2020. Reclaimed R-22 now runs $100 to $200+ per pound and keeps climbing, several times the price of R-410A, so a major repair on an R-22 system is a strong reason to replace.
The one-third check
Alongside the $5,000 rule there's a second rule of thumb. On a system over 10 years old, if the repair costs more than about a third of a new system, replacement usually wins. That's a starting point. Three other factors can swing it.
1. How old is the system?
Pearland AC systems run 7-8 months a year, much harder than systems up north. Here is roughly how we look at age:
- 0-8 years: Almost always repair. There's plenty of life left.
- 8-12 years: Repair if the price is reasonable, and start planning for replacement.
- 12-15 years: The decision point. A small fix, repair. A major one, replace.
- 15+ years: Almost always replace. You'd be throwing good money after bad.
Heat pumps run year-round here, so they wear faster than straight ACs. If you have one, knock a couple of years off each bracket.
2. What broke?
Some failures are minor and some are catastrophic. The ones that matter:
- Compressor failure: Replace. A compressor runs $1,800 to $3,500, and putting one in an old system is almost never the right call.
- Refrigerant leak in the evaporator coil: Often replace. A coil is expensive, and the rest of the system isn't far behind it.
- Capacitor, contactor, fan motor: Repair. These wear out routinely, even on old systems.
- A refrigerant leak you can find: Repair. A clean leak fix on a healthy system is worth doing.
3. What refrigerant does it use?
Most homeowners never think about this one. If your system runs on R-22 (Freon), know that the EPA banned new R-22 production in 2020. Topping off an existing system is still legal, but the price has climbed a long way, and recharging an R-22 system can cost a lot more than the same job on an R-410A or R-454B unit. Facing any refrigerant repair on R-22? Replacement is almost always the smarter move.
"Our job is the diagnosis and the math. Plenty of customers come in leaning replacement and the numbers point to a repair. Plenty come in leaning repair and the numbers point to a new system. The rest are close calls. We lay out both options and the customer picks."
4. What about efficiency?
A new system uses a good deal less electricity than one from 15 years ago. If your bills have crept up every year while you keep a 15-year-old AC alive, the savings on a new system can pay back a meaningful piece of the install over its life. We'll put your current bills next to a modeled estimate for the new system so you can compare them yourself.
What we do on the call
After a diagnosis, you get it in writing three ways:
- The cost to repair the immediate problem.
- The cost to replace the full system, in three brand and efficiency tiers.
- The math: how long the repair likely buys you, what utility rebates apply to a replacement, and the difference in energy cost.
You decide. We've put in new systems for customers who called expecting a repair, and repaired systems for people who called expecting to replace. It depends on your house and your plans.
Repair or replace shouldn't be a coin flip. Call 281-992-7866 or book online. You'll get the repair price before we touch anything, and the replacement quote in writing, texted within one business hour.