$50 | Reserves Your Visit
The service reservation deposit is applied toward the $298 mobilization charge.
Residential Heat Pump Repair | Greater Boston
Heat Pump Repair in Greater Boston
The house is cold and the unit is running. We can tell you why today.
617 HVAC delivers heat pump repair service across 30 Greater Boston communities, from air-source systems and ducted heat pumps to ductless mini splits. Our technicians work directly with fault codes, refrigerant pressures and defrost behavior. Cold air from the vents, ice that never clears, short cycling or a unit that hums without heating-each symptom narrows the search before we arrive. You watch the diagnosis happen, the findings arrive with video and the repair quote lands in writing before a single part gets ordered. Second opinions on replacement quotes are welcome at the same standard visit.
Visit & Pricing
Heat Pump Repair Cost, Published Up Front.
Three published numbers cover the visit and the repair itself gets priced in writing. The same model applies across all 30 Greater Boston communities we serve and on every brand of heat pump.
$298 | Gets Us to Your Door
Brings the technician, instruments and stocked service truck. The full amount counts toward any repair you approve and complete with 617 HVAC.
$198/hr | Pays for Diagnosis Time
There is no minimum. Diagnostic time runs in 15-minute increments from the first test to the confirmed fault; 15 minutes of testing is billed as 15 minutes.
01
Test and Measure
We retrieve fault history and verify the likely cause with live heat-pump-specific measurements.
02
Document the Diagnosis
We show you the diagnosis on video and explain what the readings mean before recommending work.
03
Put the Repair Price in Writing
We provide the repair price in writing and only begin after you approve it.
The $50 service reservation deposit applies toward mobilization. The full $298 mobilization is credited toward an approved and completed repair. You receive the written diagnosis and flat-rate repair quote before deciding.
Second Opinions
One Company Says Replace the Heat Pump. Our Instruments Get a Vote.
Greater Boston homeowners send us replacement quotes regularly. A standard visit tests the claims with measurements you keep, because replacement money deserves more certainty than a guess.
01
Four Out of Five Stay
In second-opinion calls where another company recommended full heat pump replacement, our diagnosis supports repairing the existing system about 80% of the time.
02
One in Five Gets Replaced
Replacement is actually the right call in only about 1 in 5 of those homes. If the first company was right, we tell you.
03
Send Us the Quote First
Forward the other company's estimate before we arrive and the technician tests its claims at standard visit pricing. Most homeowners leave with a clear answer after one visit.
If the first diagnosis was wrong, you leave with a written repair price and the mobilization credits toward the fix.
How We Actually Work
How We Diagnose a Failing Heat Pump.
A heat pump moves refrigerant in two directions and hides its faults in the numbers. Four steps take the system from mystery symptom to confirmed cause, on camera. The same sequence applies to ducted systems and ductless heads alike.
01
Read the Fault Codes
Modern heat pumps store fault history on the control board. We connect to the system, retrieve stored codes and let the equipment's own diagnostics narrow the search before we open anything.
02
Verify with Live Readings
Codes point at symptoms, not always root causes. We verify refrigerant pressures, superheat and subcooling, coil temperatures, defrost operation, reversing-valve position and voltage and amperage at the compressor and outdoor fan.
03
Differentiate Heat Pump Failures
Water valve actuators belong on hydronic boilers, not heat pumps. Ignition modules belong on gas furnaces, not heat pumps. A diagnosis naming a component that does not exist in the system is a clear sign it was misdiagnosed.
04
Document and Price
We show you the diagnosis on video, provide the repair price in writing and only start the repair after you approve it.
Complete Transparency
Evidence Behind the Diagnosis
Fault History
Stored equipment codes narrow the search without replacing live verification.
Live Readings
Refrigerant, temperature, defrost, valve, voltage and amperage readings confirm the root cause.
Video Proof
You see the diagnosis and receive the repair price in writing before work begins.
Codes narrow the search. Live measurements confirm the root cause.
From The Field
Seaport: quoted $3,000 for a component that wasn't in the system.
The Situation
A Seaport condo owner called another company because his heat pump wasn't performing. That company diagnosed a ‘faulty water valve actuator’ and quoted $3,000 to replace it. Water valve actuators belong on hydronic boiler systems. His condo has a refrigerant-based heat pump, so he called us for a second opinion.
What We Found
A standard heat pump with no water valve actuator, because that component does not exist on his equipment. Whatever the first diagnosis was based on, it wasn't what was in front of them.
What We Recommended
We showed him the equipment, the actual components and the diagnostic readings that pointed at what was actually happening. He paid the mobilization and diagnostic charges and left with a clear diagnosis and a saved $3,000.
The Result
He's now on our Vitals Home Wellness plan. Every homeowner reading this page can call for the same kind of second opinion-we do dozens of them every season.
Repair or Replace?
If the diagnosis supports repair, we repair. If it supports replacement, we say so.
Heat pumps are typically worth repairing when a specific component has failed and the rest of the system is sound. As a rough guide, if a repair on a 12-plus-year-old system costs more than half the price of a comparable replacement, replacement often makes more financial sense-but the decision should come from measurements, not the calendar or a sales pitch.
Considering replacement instead?01
Failure Confirmed
The measurements identify the failed component and the condition of the rest of the system.
02
Repair Makes Sense
You receive the repair price in writing before deciding whether to proceed.
03
Replacement Makes Sense
Mass Save rebates of up to $8,500 for qualifying whole-home heat pumps in 2026, plus a $500 sizing bonus, may apply. As a Mass Save HPIN contractor, we handle eligibility and paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does heat pump repair cost in Boston?
Heat pump repair pricing depends on what the diagnosis finds and the work required. After diagnosis, you receive the exact repair price in writing before any repair work begins.
Another company said I need to replace my heat pump. Do I?
Maybe-but often no. In second-opinion calls where another company recommended full replacement, our diagnosis supports repairing the existing system about 80% of the time. A second-opinion visit costs the same as any diagnosis and if the first company was right, we'll tell you. If they were wrong, you have a written repair price to compare.
How long does a heat pump diagnosis take?
Diagnostic time is billed at $198/hour with no minimum, in 15-minute increments starting when testing begins. If testing takes 15 minutes, you are billed for 15 minutes.
How quickly can you respond to a heat pump repair?
We respond to service requests within 24 hours. During Boston heating and cooling extremes, we prioritize no-heat and no-cooling calls.
Do you repair all heat pump brands?
Yes. We are Trane-certified and regularly service Daikin, Mitsubishi, Samsung and Bosch heat pumps as well as other major brands. The diagnostic process is the same across manufacturers-fault codes, live readings, verified repair.
What are the most common heat pump failures?
Refrigerant leaks, reversing-valve issues, defrost-cycle problems, control-board faults, outdoor fan-motor failures and compressor-related problems. Fault codes narrow the search; live measurements confirm the root cause before we quote a repair.
Can a heat pump provide both heating and cooling?
Yes. A heat pump reverses direction seasonally-it moves heat out of the home in summer to cool and pulls heat into the home in winter to heat. One system, year-round comfort. That reversibility is also why heat pump diagnostics differ from AC-only or furnace-only systems and require heat-pump-specific training.
Service Area
Swipe to explore
Your heat pump has a problem. Let's diagnose it correctly.
Request a repair-first heat pump estimate with video documentation and written repair pricing before work begins.
1167 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476(617) 835-8058
Licensed & Insured · EPA Section 608-certified technicians handle refrigerant work · Trane-Certified · Mass Save® HPIN Contractor · Serving 30 Greater Boston communitiesServing 30 Greater Boston communities