The $30 part that fails in Julycosts $300 in July.
A capacitor going soft is the single most common reason an air conditioner quits on the first properly hot day. It's cheap to catch on a meter in spring and expensive to fix in August when every shop in the county is booked.
- Tune-up $79
- Includes 1 lb refrigerant
- Backed by No Breakdown Guarantee
on site
What you're actually buying
Most cheap tune-ups are a thirty-minute look around
Plenty of shops around here advertise under $80. The number is real; what happens in the driveway usually isn't. Here's the difference, line by line.
| What you get | Rescue — $79 | A typical cheap tune-up |
|---|---|---|
| System inspection | 23 points, measured | Visual only |
| Refrigerant top-off | 1 lb included | $80+ extra |
| Capacitor and contactor | Tested on a meter | Looked at |
| Coil clean and condensate flush | Included | Often skipped |
| Written report | Photos, within 24 hours | Verbal, if that |
| Who turns up | NATE-certified tech | Frequently subcontracted |
| If it breaks anyway | $79 credited to the repair | Nothing |
What's included
The 23 points, in plain English
Every tech runs the same checklist on every system, and you get the readings emailed to you afterwards whether anything was wrong or not.
- 01 · Inspection
- Full performance test Compressor, blower, evaporator coil, condenser coil, refrigerant level, thermostat calibration and airflow measured at every supply register.
- 02 · Refrigerant
- Up to 1 lb included R-410A or R-454B. Most systems need somewhere between 0.3 and 0.8 lb. Anything beyond the first pound is billed at the flat rate and quoted first.
- 03 · Coils
- Cleaned and flushed Outdoor coil rinsed clear, indoor coil treated, and the condensate drain line flushed. A blocked condensate line is the most common cause of a mid-summer water leak.
- 04 · Electrical
- Tightened and logged Every contactor and capacitor connection inspected and tightened, with voltage and amperage readings recorded. Loose connections are behind a large share of summer breakdowns.
- 05 · Capacitor
- Capacitance measured Not eyeballed. A capacitor drifting out of spec still runs — right up until the first genuinely hot day. We measure it and tell you straight whether it needs doing.
- 06 · Report
- Emailed within 24 hours Every reading, every photo, every recommendation. Yours to keep, and shareable with a home warranty company if you have one.
No Breakdown Guarantee: if your system breaks down during cooling season after we've tuned it, the full $79 comes off the repair, parts and labour included. One per home, residential only. Excludes oil systems and mini-splits, which are priced separately. Refrigerant beyond the first pound is billed flat-rate, and any repair we recommend is quoted separately before we touch it.
Timing
Spring, or the shoulder of autumn
Two reasons, and neither of them is a countdown timer.
- Parts wear out predictably — capacitors are the first to go
- Booking is quick off-peak and slow when everyone's system fails at once
- A meter finds it early, when it's a scheduled visit and not an emergency
If your system is more than about seven years old and hasn't been looked at in eighteen months, it's worth a visit before the next stretch of real heat. That isn't a sales tactic, it's just how capacitors and contactors age. Book it and we'll tell you what we find, including when the honest answer is that everything reads fine.
Questions we get a lot
How long does the tune-up take?
Most visits run 60 to 90 minutes from arrival to leaving. If we find something that needs more time than that, you get a flat-rate quote for the extra work before we do any of it.
What if I have a mini-split or ductless system?
Different equipment, different procedure. Mini-splits are priced separately at $99 rather than being squeezed into the $79 checklist, because the work genuinely isn't the same.
Is the refrigerant really included?
Up to one pound, yes, and most systems need somewhere between a third and eight tenths of a pound. If yours needs more than a pound, that's worth knowing on its own — a system that keeps needing refrigerant has a leak, and topping it up every year is money going into the atmosphere.
What does the No Breakdown Guarantee actually cover?
If the system breaks down during cooling season after we've tuned it, your $79 comes off that repair, parts and labour included. It doesn't make the repair free and we're not going to pretend it does. It means we've got skin in the game on getting the inspection right.
Do I need one every year?
Once a year is the sensible rhythm, ideally in spring before the heat arrives. If your system is under about five years old and was properly installed, every other year is defensible. Past seven or eight, annual is genuinely worth it.
What if you find something wrong?
You get told, with the reading that shows it, and a flat-rate price to fix it. You're under no obligation to have us do the work, and the report is yours either way. A tune-up that never finds anything on any system isn't an inspection, it's a visit.
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Rather find it now than in August?
$79, sixty to ninety minutes, and the readings in writing whatever we find.