Is It a Good Idea to Recharge Your Vehicle's Air Conditioning System?
If your auto's air conditioning isn't performing as well as it used to, or worse, is actually blowing hot air, you may wonder if it needs refrigerant. Since there are do-it-yourself recharging kits on the market, you may consider getting one of these and recharging the unit yourself. After all, they wouldn't sell these things if they weren't safe and reliable, right? Besides, you're so busy right now, that you just don't have time to take the car in for service. A recharging kit will get you by until you have more time. Maybe, if you're lucky, you won't even need to take it in for service at all. But does a canned air conditioner recharge work?
Actually, there is more than one reason why you shouldn't fall for this and try to recharge your system yourself. Despite what you may see on the internet, the process is neither as safe nor as smart as some would have you believe.
How much refrigerant is left?
Your air conditioning system is a closed system, and refrigerant shouldn't leak from it ordinarily. While some cars may leak a bit over the years, it's not a normal occurrence. If you try to recharge the system yourself, you really have no way of knowing how much refrigerant it needs or how much is left. There's a good chance you might put too much refrigerant into your system, causing damage to hoses, connections, and even vital parts like the condenser.
A professional recharging job entails clearing out all the old refrigerant, along with any moisture or contaminants that may be in the system. Professional service people want to make sure the system is clean and in good repair before putting in the new refrigerant.
Recharging may not work.
Depending on the year model of your vehicle, you can't be sure what kind of refrigerant your auto takes. If you use the wrong one, the system's parts will probably be damaged. Even worse, you may mix two different types. If you thought you were saving money by doing the job yourself, you've just bought yourself a very expensive problem.
You may plug up your system
Recharging kits often contain a substance that is meant to stop leaks. Unfortunately, this substance can really gum up your system, and again, you'll end up with major, expensive repairs. You could end up with a damaged compressor that hadn't had anything wrong with it before but now does.
You aren't fixing the main problem
If your system actually has a leak, you don't know what is causing it. It could be an aging seal in a part or a part that's just not working correctly. Adding refrigerant, even if you add the right kind, could just cause the leaking part to blow out.
You don't know how much to put in
The gauge included in the kit isn't the best quality or the most accurate in the world, and may not even measure the amount the way your vehicle's instruction manual lists the capacity of the air conditioning system. It usually won't show the actual amount of refrigerant you're putting in, just the total pressure in the system. You need to know the actual weight of the refrigerant being added, as that's how it's measured. Usually recharging kits only show pressure on the low side, which adds to the possibility of adding too much and blowing out a seal or part that was perfectly fine before.
If your air conditioning system is not working as it should, it's so much better to take it in to a professional shop and have them check out the system. Whatever the problem is, a professional service person will empty out the old refrigerant, clean out the system, find out where the leak is, fix it, and then refill the system with completely new refrigerant. You won't have any unpleasant surprises or expenses, and you won't have to explain to anyone why your repair bill is a lot more than it should have been.
As time goes on, vehicles get more and more complicated. It's not like it was in your father's or grandfather's time in the days before vehicles had computers when you could tinker with something in your driveway and fix it. Some things are just better left to the people trained to deal with them. Your vehicle's air conditioning system is one of those.
For our readers in South Florida, if you need auto parts, why don't you order on our website or visit our retail store. We have a large selection of aftermarket parts, our wide inventory and pricing is the best in town.