Packaged unit repair & replacement
All in one cabinet,on the roof or the side yard.
Packaged systems are everywhere in Central Valley tract housing and manufactured homes, and almost nobody around here writes about them. Yes, we service them. Roof-mounted and ground-mounted, gas-electric, heat pump and straight cooling.
Rooftop equipped All configurations Manufactured homes
Do you actually have one?
Plenty of people have a packaged unit and have never heard the term. Five things that tell you, and any one of them is a strong signal.
- There is no indoor unit anywhereNo furnace in a closet, garage or attic. If you have never found an indoor piece of equipment, that is because there is not one.
- It sits on the roofA large metal box on the roofline, often visible from the street. Very common on Valley tract homes built without attic space for an air handler.
- It is a big box beside the houseNoticeably larger than a normal condenser, roughly the size of a chest freezer, sitting on a slab with ducts running into the wall.
- Two large duct openings run into itA supply and a return connecting directly to the cabinet, rather than the two thin copper lines you would see on a split system.
- You live in a manufactured or mobile homeThese are almost always packaged systems, and they use equipment specifically listed for that application.
- Your thermostat controls everything from one placeHeating and cooling both come from that single outdoor cabinet, so a fault in it takes out both at once.
Not sure? Call and describe what you can see, or send us a photo. It takes about ten seconds to identify and it determines what we bring.
Four kinds, and we service all of them
Your data plate will say which you have. The distinction matters because the heating side works completely differently between them.
Packaged gas electric
The most common in the Valley
A gas furnace and an air conditioner in one cabinet. Cooling works exactly like a split system; heating burns natural gas. Everything including the heat exchanger and burners sits outdoors, which affects both maintenance and safety inspection.
Packaged heat pump
All electric, no gas
Provides both heating and cooling by reversing refrigerant flow, with electric backup heat for the coldest mornings. Increasingly common on newer builds and all-electric properties.
Packaged air conditioner
Cooling, with electric heat
Straight cooling with electric resistance heat strips for winter. Simple and reliable, though electric resistance heat is expensive to run for extended periods.
Manufactured home packaged units
Specifically listed equipment
Mobile and manufactured homes require equipment listed for that application, with different duct connections and clearances. Not every company carries or works on these. We do.
Local context
Why so many Fresno homes have them
Packaged systems are far more common here than the national average, and it is largely a construction story. A great deal of Central Valley tract housing was built slab-on-grade with low-pitch roofs and minimal attic space, leaving nowhere sensible to put an indoor air handler or a furnace closet.
Putting the entire system on the roof solved that. It freed up interior square footage, simplified installation across a whole development, and it worked. Whole neighborhoods across Fresno and Clovis went in that way, and manufactured home communities across the county are almost entirely packaged.
Which makes it strange that no HVAC company in this market has bothered to write a page about them.
What is different about servicing one
The components are largely the same. The conditions around them are not.
Roof access is its own job
Working on a roof needs the right ladders, the right footwear and a technician willing to be up there in July. We are equipped for it and we do not treat roof access as an excuse to charge more or to reschedule you to a cooler day next week.
Everything lives outdoors
On a split system, half the equipment sits in a conditioned space. On a packaged unit, the blower, the coil, the electrical compartment and the heat exchanger all take Fresno sun, Fresno dust and Fresno winters directly. Components age faster and cabinets corrode.
The duct connection is a real failure point
Where a rooftop unit meets the ducts is a curb and a transition, sealed against weather. When that seal fails you lose conditioned air straight into the roof structure, and it is one of the first things we check on a packaged system that has quietly stopped keeping up. More on duct repair.
Rodents and nesting
A warm, sheltered cabinet is attractive to wildlife, and rodent damage to wiring inside a packaged unit is something we find regularly. It produces electrical faults that look mysterious until someone opens the right panel.
Condensate has further to travel
A rooftop unit's drain has to get water off a roof without dumping it somewhere it will cause damage. Blocked drains on packaged units show up as staining on a roof or a wall rather than a wet ceiling, which means they go unnoticed for longer.
What goes wrong on packaged units
Most of it is the same component list as any air conditioner. The highlighted items are the ones specific to this configuration.
Capacitors and contactors
The most common failures on any system, and packaged units are no exception. Heat exposure is arguably worse here since the electrical compartment sits in direct sun. More on capacitors.
Curb and duct connection leaks
Packaged onlyThe seal between the unit and the ductwork degrades with weather and roof movement. You lose cooled air into the roof and draw hot air back in, so the system runs constantly and never quite gets there. Frequently mistaken for an undersized system.
Cabinet and base pan corrosion
Packaged onlyYears of sitting outdoors with condensate in the base pan rusts it through. Once the pan is holed, water finds its own route, and on a roof that means somewhere you would rather it did not go.
Blower motor and wheel
The indoor blower lives in the same outdoor cabinet, taking heat and dust the whole time. More on blower motors.
Rodent damage to low-voltage wiring
Packaged onlyNesting inside the cabinet and chewed control wiring. Produces intermittent faults, a system that will not start, or one that will not stop, depending on what got chewed.
Refrigerant leaks
All the refrigerant piping is inside the cabinet rather than running between two units, which actually means fewer joints and a shorter line set. When they do leak, everything is at least in one place. More on leak detection.
Heat exchanger and burner faults
Gas electric onlyOn a gas electric package, the entire combustion side is outdoors. Burners, the heat exchanger and the flue all need inspecting for corrosion and cracking, and a compromised heat exchanger is a safety matter rather than a comfort one.
Compressor failure
The same diagnosis and the same decision framework as any system, though access is usually easier since everything is in one cabinet. More on compressors.
If replacement is the answer
Packaged replacement has costs a split system does not
The equipment itself is often comparable. What differs is getting the old one off and the new one on, particularly on a roof, and making sure everything it sits on is right afterwards.
A rooftop changeout may need a crane or boom truck for a few hours. If the new unit's footprint does not match the old one, a curb adapter is required. And the roof penetration and flashing have to be resealed properly, because a leak there will cost you far more than the HVAC work.
None of that is a reason to be nervous about it. It is a reason to get a quote that itemizes those things rather than one that discovers them halfway through.
What a packaged replacement quote should cover
- Rigging or crane where the unit is roof mounted, stated rather than assumed
- Curb adapter if the footprint differs from the existing unit
- Roof flashing and sealing around the penetration, done properly
- Duct transition condition checked and resealed at the connection
- Permit and inspection, which packaged changeouts require the same as any other
- Removal and disposal of the old unit, including getting it down safely
What it costs
Repairs are comparable, replacement is not
Component repairs on a packaged unit cost about what the same repair costs on a split system, since it is the same capacitor, the same contactor and the same compressor. Replacement is where the configuration shows up in the number.
Replacement varies with tonnage, gas electric versus heat pump, roof or ground mounting, and whether rigging and a curb adapter are needed. Your firm price comes after we have been on the roof and seen it, not over the phone.
Packaged unit questions
What is a packaged HVAC unit?
A packaged unit contains the entire heating and cooling system in a single outdoor cabinet, mounted on the roof or on a slab beside the house, with ducts connecting directly to it. There is no indoor air handler or furnace closet. A split system, by contrast, has a condenser outside and a separate air handler or furnace indoors.
How do I know if I have a packaged unit or a split system?
The clearest sign is that there is no indoor equipment anywhere — no furnace in a closet, garage or attic. The unit itself is a large cabinet on the roof or beside the house, noticeably bigger than a normal condenser, with two large duct openings running into it rather than two thin copper lines. Manufactured and mobile homes are almost always packaged.
Do you service rooftop packaged units in Fresno?
Yes. We service and replace packaged units in every configuration — roof mounted and ground mounted, gas electric, heat pump and straight cooling, including equipment listed for manufactured homes. We are equipped for roof access and do not treat it as a reason to reschedule you to a cooler day.
Are packaged units more expensive to repair?
Component repairs cost about the same, since it is the same capacitor, contactor, blower motor or compressor as any other system. What differs is replacement, where roof access, rigging and curb work add costs a split system does not have. Access can add labor on a repair too, though usually less than people expect.
How much does a packaged unit replacement cost in Fresno?
Typically $8,000 to $14,000 depending on tonnage, whether it is gas electric or a heat pump, roof or ground mounting, and whether rigging and a curb adapter are required. That figure includes permit and inspection. Firm pricing comes after we have seen the installation rather than over the phone.
My packaged unit stopped keeping up but nothing seems broken. Why?
On a rooftop unit, check the duct connection first. The seal between the cabinet and the ductwork degrades with weather and roof movement, so cooled air escapes into the roof structure while hot air is drawn back in. The system runs constantly and never quite arrives, and it is regularly mistaken for equipment that is too small.
Do packaged units last as long as split systems?
Generally slightly less, because every component including the blower and the heat exchanger sits outdoors taking Fresno sun, dust and weather rather than living in a conditioned space. Annual maintenance matters more here than on a split system for exactly that reason, particularly cabinet and drain pan condition.
Yes, we work on yours
Roof or ground, gas electric or heat pump, tract home or manufactured home. Same diagnostic, same published pricing, same honest answer.
Prices shown are typical ranges for the Fresno area and are not quotes. Roof access is subject to the roof being safe to work on; where it is not, we will tell you before booking. California Heating & AC Repair is operated by Craftline Renovations, Inc. · CSLB License #999179 · Licensed and insured.