Can You Re-Gas Your Car's Air Conditioning Yourself?
Posted on: 13 October 2021
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When it comes to anything mechanical, the more you use it, the faster it wears out. Therefore, it's likely unsurprising that your car's air conditioning system should need some care and attention from time to time, given how much you use it throughout the year. Yet is this something that you can do yourself, or is it best left to the professionals?
What's Involved
A vehicle air conditioning system is quite a complicated contraption. Refrigerant gas needs to be converted from one form to another and has to pass through several different components before it can regulate the cabin's temperature. This refrigerant gas will degrade and should be serviced or "regassed" every other season. The old gas will need to be removed using specialised equipment before a fresh replacement can be added. During this time, a technician should check the entire system for leaks and other issues.
Complete Overhaul
During a regas service, it's crucial to check items like the compressor and condenser. The former is driven by a belt that can wear out, and the technician should also check a variety of seals and tubes that connect the various parts together. They will need to look for evidence of leakage and replace the appropriate parts before moving on.
Warning Signs
If you don't service the air conditioning system as regularly as you should, you'll notice some clear signs. For instance, the cabin will feel warm even when the A/C system is on full, which means you may be making an extra effort to find shade when you need to park in the midday sun. You may also notice a musty odour, and this could be due to a build-up of moisture and refrigerant gas that is on its way out. If you allow moisture to build up inside the system, it can lead to corrosion and cause one of the primary components to fail. If this were to happen, you would need a major overhaul, which would inevitably cost more.
Best Left to the Professionals
Some people try to service their air conditioning system at home, but it is a great deal of work, and you need certain tools to help. You will also need to recover the refrigerant safely as it is a controlled substance and dispose of it carefully according to the regulations.
With summertime fast approaching and scorching temperatures ahead, book your vehicle in for a regas service today. For more information on the air conditioning regas process, contact an auto service.