Repair when the system is under ~10 years old and the failure is a component (capacitor, fan motor, sensor). Lean replace when it's 12–15+ years old and the failure touches the refrigerant loop or compressor — especially on systems using phased-out refrigerant. In between, the deciding number is the repair cost against the system's remaining life, not the repair cost alone.
- Under 10 years + component failure → repair, almost always.
- 12–15+ years + compressor or refrigerant-loop failure → replacement usually wins the math.
- Old-refrigerant systems raise every future repair's price — factor it in.
- We're repair-first by philosophy: if a fix safely extends the system's life, we say so.
The three questions that decide it
First, age against expectancy: Valley systems typically serve 12–15 years, less if maintenance lapsed in our dust. Second, what failed: electrical components are cheap and worth fixing almost regardless of age; compressors and refrigerant-loop failures are the expensive class where replacement enters the conversation. Third, the trajectory: a system needing its second or third significant repair in two years is telling you something — believe it.
The refrigerant wrinkle
Systems built on older, phased-out refrigerants get progressively more expensive to service as supply tightens — a leak repair that once made sense can now cost a meaningful fraction of a new system that also cools for less every month. If your system uses a legacy refrigerant and has a loop failure, ask for the replacement math before authorizing a major repair. A good contractor volunteers it.
Run the real numbers, not the sticker
The honest comparison stacks the repair cost plus the old system's higher operating cost plus its remaining-life risk against the new system's price minus applicable utility rebates minus its efficiency savings. On Chelan PUD rates, high-efficiency replacements claw back real money each summer. Our estimator shows illustrative Valley ranges to anchor expectations; the free in-home estimate replaces them with your actual numbers.
Where the second opinion fits
The moment to get one: any time a company quotes a full replacement on the same visit as a breakdown, especially in peak season. Sometimes replacement is genuinely right — but the pressure of a hot house makes it easy to say yes to the wrong scope. We review competitor quotes free, line by line, even if their price turns out fair. Take the written quote, not the verbal one, and let us look.
Key terms
The vocabulary you'll hear on estimates and service calls — defined in plain language in our glossary.
Where it goes wrong
Repairing a dying system into your budget's grave
Serial repairs on a 15-year-old system feel cheaper because each check is smaller — until you've spent replacement money and still own the old system. Track your last 24 months of repair spend; if it's a meaningful fraction of a new unit, stop the bleeding.
Replacing what a $300 fix would have solved
The reverse error is real too: a failed capacitor or contactor on an 8-year-old unit is not a replacement event, whatever a commission-driven quote says. Failure type matters more than age alone — that's exactly what a second opinion checks.
How we build this guidance
- Written from real service and install work across the Wenatchee Valley — the orchard-dust, hydro-rate, dual-peak-climate conditions in this guide are the ones our techs work in daily.
- Rebate figures reflect published utility program terms at the date below and are re-verified on every estimate — programs change annually.
- No invented pricing: dollar figures appear only where a program publishes them.
Last updated: 2026-07-03 · Central Washington Heating and Air, licensed & insured (LIC# CENTRWH742JN)
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