By Anne Fonda with expert review by a Trane Residential HVAC Training Manager

In this guide, you’ll learn the signs that you may need HVAC repair, when to call for emergency HVAC repair, what you can expect to pay for repairs, and the top reasons to work with a Trane dealer if your HVAC system isn’t running right. 

Contact your local Trane dealer for a full range of residential HVAC repair services. 

Some signs that you need HVAC repairs are more obvious than others, but there are more subtle signs you can be on the lookout for.  

• AC not turning on 
• AC leaking water 
• AC not blowing cold air 
• Loud noises or strange smells 
• Evaporator coil is frozen 

Visit these troubleshooting pages to see if changing the air filter, adjusting the thermostat, or unblocking registers and air vents solves the problem with your central air conditioning system. Otherwise, call a professional. 

• Heat pump not turning on 
• Heat pump not heating 
• Heat pump not cooling 

Visit these troubleshooting pages to see if changing the air filter, adjusting the thermostat, or unblocking registers and air vents solves the problem with the outdoor unit. Otherwise, call a professional. 

• Furnace not turning on 
• Furnace not blowing hot air 
• Furnace hard lockout 
• Furnace short cycling 
• Furnace blower not working 
• Loud noises or unusual smells 
• Furnace won’t shut off 
• Furnace keeps tripping breaker 
• Furnace not igniting 
• Furnace main burner shuts off after ignition 
• Your CO detector goes off, which could be a sign of a cracked heat exchanger 

Visit these troubleshooting pages to see if changing the air filter, adjusting the thermostat, or unblocking registers and air vents solves the problem. Otherwise, call a professional. 

While you can perform some HVAC troubleshooting, such as changing the filter, clearing the registers and return air vents, and checking the thermostat, repairing an HVAC unit should be left to an HVAC professional.  

Most HVAC companies keep standard weekday hours, but they have one or more people on call for 24-hour HVAC repair. This is because they know your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system can break down at any time of the day or night, and you need heating and cooling on the weekends and holidays. 

If it’s not too hot or cold in your home and you can make do by using fans or bundling up, you can consider waiting until Monday to call for HVAC repair. But if you have elderly family members or infants in your household, it’s important to get your HVAC system running normally again, to protect their health. 

Find emergency HVAC repair near you.  

Answering the question “how much is HVAC repair?” isn’t as simple as it sounds. It depends on what the problem is, which unit needs repairs, how old the unit is, if parts are readily available, local labor costs, and much more. That’s why repair costs can range all the way from $75 to nearly $3,000. 

With that caveat, we’ve compiled some tables showing the HVAC repair average cost for individual units and common HVAC repairs, many of which involve replacement parts. 

Few HVAC repair companies will give you an estimate over the phone. They need to send an HVAC repair expert to your home to examine your system and get to the root cause of the problem.  

Once an HVAC technician has identified the root cause, they can tell you how much the repair costs will be. At that point, you either tell them to go ahead and fix your system, or you say, “Wait, that’s a lot of money, I want to get a second (or third) estimate.” 

This is a reasonable thing to do if the repair is going to cost more than $500 and you can wait for a fix and have the time to put into calling other HVAC companies. However, if you’re in the middle of a heat wave or deep freeze, you may not want to wait. The choice is up to you. You will still need to pay for the service call if you send the first HVAC technician away. 

Trane dealers are carefully selected. They have experience and a good reputation in the industry. They’re NATE-certified, and while they can repair any HVAC brand, Trane Comfort Specialists are experts in servicing and maintaining Trane HVAC systems. 

Trane dealers use authentic Trane parts in all repairs when a Trane unit is under warranty to help ensure the quality of the repair, as well as the efficiency and durability of your HVAC system. We may use aftermarket parts for repairs out of warranty. 

If you have a Trane smart thermostat and you have enabled Trane Diagnostics, your local Trane dealer can remotely monitor your system for signs of trouble. If they spot an issue, you can grant one-time dealer remote access, which allows them to troubleshoot the problem remotely. 

It also enables them to fix some problems without stepping foot in your house. If an on-site visit is required, the HVAC technician arrives with the right parts and troubleshooting knowledge. This can save both you and the dealer time and money.  

Trane dealers offer warranty and registration support on all Trane systems and may offer extended warranties on parts and labor.  

With their experience and expertise, Trane dealers are well-qualified to make HVAC repairs to any residential HVAC system, whether that’s a traditional split system, packaged HVAC system, or mini-split system. 

Many Trane dealers offer HVAC maintenance plans to help you keep your system running at optimal performance. Regular maintenance can save you money on your energy bills, reduce the need for repairs, and prolong the life of your system. 

If the cost of repairs is sky-high and you have an older HVAC system, you may want to weigh the pros and cons of HVAC repair vs HVAC replacement. Please visit our Repair or Replace Guide for some tips on making the decision. 

Anne Fonda, Content Writer

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A Content Writer with Trane Technologies, Anne Fonda researches topics and writes for Trane® and associated residential HVAC brands. She works in collaboration with Trane Technologies subject matter experts, offering easy-to-understand, informative content on complex topics. Her goal is to help consumers make informed decisions on the products and services they need.

She has written for HVAC and other service provider websites for over 16 years. Before transitioning to web content writing, Anne had a 14-year stint as an award-winning journalist. She graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.

When she’s not working, Anne enjoys playing word games, reading, gardening, spending time with family, and visiting gardens and museums.