Package unit repair and installation in Birmingham, AL
Everything in one cabinet outside: compressor, coil, blower and, on a gas pack, the furnace too. We repair package units and replace them when they are past saving.
A package unit puts the whole heating and cooling system in one outdoor cabinet, usually on a slab beside the house with ducts running through the wall or crawlspace. Zeltman Heating & Air repairs and replaces gas packs and packaged heat pumps across the Birmingham area, points out the worn part and prices the repair before anyone picks up a wrench.
Signs your package unit needs service
Unit runs but the air is warm
A failed condenser fan, a weak capacitor or low refrigerant all show up as a cabinet that hums along without cooling the house.
No heat from a gas pack
The inducer runs but the burners never light, or they light and drop out. Ignition, flame sensing and pressure switches are the usual suspects.
Water pooling near the slab
The condensate drain can clog, and a sinking slab can tilt the cabinet so water runs toward the wrong corner.
Cold rooms beside warm ones
Split or disconnected duct transitions at the wall leak air into the crawlspace before it reaches the far rooms.
Rust along the base pan
Years on damp ground rust out base pans and panels. Once rust reaches the heat exchanger or coil, repairs get expensive.
Breaker trips at startup
A hard-starting compressor, a shorted fan motor or rodent-damaged wiring can trip the breaker the moment the unit kicks on.
How package units differ from split systems, and why that changes the repair
A split system has an indoor half and an outdoor half joined by copper lines. A package unit keeps everything outdoors in one cabinet, with supply and return ducts running from that cabinet into the house. A gas pack adds a gas furnace section, while a packaged heat pump uses one refrigerant circuit for both heating and cooling, usually with heat strips for backup.
Because the blower, coil and controls all sit outside, they take a beating from weather, pollen and pests. Mud daubers and ants nest in control compartments, leaves pile up around the base, and the duct transitions where the unit meets the house can split and pull loose. Plenty of repair calls start with something as simple as a corroded contactor or a chewed wire.
Residential package units here usually sit on a ground slab or pad, not on the roof, so no roof curb is involved. Access comes through removable side panels, which makes most testing straightforward. The catch is the duct connection. If the transitions leak, the unit cools the crawlspace nearly as well as the house.
On a gas pack we treat the heating side with the same care as an indoor furnace. The flue vents right out the side of the cabinet, and the heat exchanger still needs checking for cracks and rust. Homes with any gas appliance should keep working CO alarms inside.
How a package unit repair or replacement visit runs
Call any hour
A person answers. Tell us whether the unit is a gas pack or an all-electric heat pump if you know, and what it is doing.
Open the side panels
We test controls, power and airflow first, then refrigerant and, on gas packs, ignition and combustion.
See the cause and the price
You see the worn contactor, the low reading or the burned wire, along with the price, before any repair begins. Contactors, capacitors and fan motors are common first-visit repairs.
Repair or replace
If the cabinet is rusted through or the compressor is gone on an older unit, we price a new package unit sized with a load calculation.
Seal it up and test
Panels go back on with every screw, duct transitions are sealed, and we confirm heating or cooling at the supply registers inside.
What we inspect on a package unit service call
- Control compartment wiring, contactor and capacitor
- Condenser fan motor, blade and coil cleanliness
- Refrigerant pressures and temperature split
- Blower motor, wheel and filter location
- Burners, inducer, igniter and flame sensor on gas packs
- Heat exchanger and side-wall flue for cracks and rust
- Duct transitions, wall seals and insulation where the unit meets the house
- Slab level, drain trap and clearance around the cabinet
What package unit repair and replacement cost in Birmingham
$172 to $865
Most package unit repairs land here, with capacitors and contactors near the low end and fan motors, igniters or inducer motors in the middle. A new package unit is priced separately and commonly runs $6,480 to $11,870 installed, depending on size, gas or electric heat and efficiency. Every price is given before work starts.
Ask for a price (659) 777-4129What moves the number
- Gas pack or heat pump
- Gas packs add burner, inducer and venting parts. Packaged heat pumps add a reversing valve and defrost controls.
- Tonnage
- Most homes use 2 to 5 ton units, and larger cabinets cost more for parts and for replacement.
- Duct transition condition
- Rotted or loose transitions at the wall add sheet metal and sealing work to a repair or a replacement.
- Slab and setting
- A cracked or sunken slab may need a new pad, and a narrow side yard can make setting a new cabinet harder.
- Electrical updates
- Older disconnects and undersized wiring sometimes need updating before a new unit can be wired in.
Package units in older Birmingham ranches and compact homes
Package units turn up most where indoor space was tight or the ducts went into the crawlspace. Brick ranches in Hueytown commonly pair crawlspace ducts with aging package units, and the small 1940s through 1960s homes in Tarrant often have one on a slab out back. In Bessemer and Bush Hills, many older homes still run packaged systems past their prime.
Center Point has its share too, with brick ranches running packaged and split systems past 15 years. Red clay and sloped lots let slabs settle over time, so we check level on every visit. Tarrant and Center Point are a quick trip north of our base on 15th Avenue North, while Bessemer and Hueytown are reached by I-20/59 and I-459.
Areas we cover most often
We repair and replace equipment from these manufacturers, plus most other makes.
Questions about package unit repair and installation in Birmingham
A gas pack is a package unit with air conditioning and a gas furnace in one outdoor cabinet. We repair gas packs and packaged heat pumps throughout the Birmingham area, including ignition, inducer, compressor, condenser fan and blower problems.
Not for most homes here. Residential package units usually sit on a concrete slab or pad beside the house, with ducts running through the wall or crawlspace. Roof curbs are mainly used for commercial rooftop units on flat roofs.
Many last around 12 to 15 years, sometimes longer with regular care. Because the whole system sits outside, rust, pests and pollen shorten its life when the cabinet is neglected. A spring and fall visit, plus keeping plants and debris clear of the cabinet, helps it last.
Sometimes. A split system needs an indoor spot for the air handler or furnace and a path for the refrigerant lines. In many crawlspace homes, staying with a package unit is simpler and costs less. We look at the house and price both options when both work.
Usually a clogged condensate drain or trap, a cracked drain pan, or a slab that has tilted so water pools on the wrong side. We clear the drain, check the pan and level the unit if the slab has moved.
Yes. Gas packs burn natural gas and vent right out the side of the cabinet. We inspect the burners, heat exchanger and flue on heating visits, and any home with gas appliances should have working CO alarms inside.
Related services and reading
- AC RepairWarm air, short cycling, ice on the lines or a dead outdoor fan. We find the cause and fix it.
- Furnace RepairNo heat, clicking with no flame, a tripped limit or a blower that runs nonstop.
- Heat Pump RepairStuck in defrost, iced over, cold air in heat mode or a reversing valve that will not switch.
- Ductwork Repair and SealingDisconnected runs, crushed flex, sweating ducts and leaky joints in attics and crawlspaces.
- Repair or replace an older AC: how to decideCosts guide
Need package unit repair and installation in Birmingham?
We answer 24/7. Tell us what the system is doing and we will tell you what happens next.