Degassing an Aircon

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:56 pm

So while the engines out. Hopefully not for long.
I want to get my aircon compressor and radiator serviced.
This involves degassing the system and taking it out.
Is there a "safe" way to do so?
I can't take it to be done properly, so have to do it myself.
Probebly tomorrow.
Any tips much aprichiated.

Cheers Cam

woody.t · Post by **woody.t** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:59 pm

does it work? i would bother if i were you... 15,000 smackaroo fine if you get caught letting the gas go into the atmosphere... plus the money to have it tested and regassed..

Silverbullet · Post by **Silverbullet** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:08 pm

You need to apply vacuum to the system to evacuate the gas, and it needs to go into a safe storage container of some sort. Here's a vid I thought would help but turns out it's only if you have an already empty system, might be useful anyway, it's on a Subaru!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lglPJuBX ... ure=relmfu

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:18 pm

Ok, yes it does work, but the rad is badly damaged, I was just going to unbolt the rad from the system.

Point · Post by **Point** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:39 pm

you should be able to get a mobile aircon repairer to come out and de-gas it for you.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:47 am

+1 for mobile

alang · Post by **alang** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:26 pm

is it the old type gas or the new gas. i went to get my toyota liteace van come camper re gassed and got told its the old gas and need to replace the some of the parts in the system to be able to have aircon again

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:33 pm

Yeah gonna go mobile, save the hassle.
Umm no idea alan.
Though if i had to put money on it i would believe that it would be new,
As it has a farly new sticker on it and it works reasonably well.

Cheers Cam

Ratbag · Post by **Ratbag** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:38 pm

Gidday BK

Brumby Kid wrote:Ok, yes it does work, but the rad is badly damaged, I was just going to unbolt the rad from the system.

If it's 1991, then it will have R12 refrigerant gas.

The seals in most/all of the system will need to be replaced by a licensed air-con place after they have bled off the R12 (REALLY bad ozone-depleting CFC refrigerant ... ).

After doing this, they will re-gas it with R134A refrigerant.

This process will cost you quite a bit (around $550 to do my '93 Impreza, Roo1), and the other big downside is that R134A is nowhere near as efficient as R12. The cabin radiator and compressor are designed to use R12, so your air-con will not be as effective after the change. Still worked, just not as well.

More modern cars that are designed to use R134A have different design components, so work well with this much more environmentally friendly refrigerant than our older cars designed to work with R12 ...

This may not worry you much, but it was an important reason why I traded Roo1 in on Roo2 ... With my health issues, I need to be able to stay cool or warm, as required.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:39 pm

Oh.
or you can use propane or lpg.
Hehehehehe

Thanks I have some pondering to do.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:23 pm

A mate has used LPG as a refrigerant - worked preeety coool

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 5:11 pm

Yeah it is meant to be the best.
One of those things you hear among the grapevine. Illegel but works really well.

tambox · Post by **tambox** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:23 pm

Have a look at "HyChill".
I have done many Subarus with this stuff, its cheap and works very well.
Much cooler and more efficeint, less wear, than tying to change an r12 systen to 134a.
By a small can $30, replace the orings $20, change the oil ( remove compressor & rec/dry and invert)$25
Idealy put a new reciever/dryer in $80.
If you can, evac the sytem, then gas it.
Or not as good, just gas it.
Soapy water leak test all the joins.
The better you do it the better it works.
Some aircon places are pretty slack, this generally gives as good as, if not better result.
De-gassing you can connect the high pressure side to an old (empty)LPG bottle and pump it in (at your own risk). Never had any problems with this.
Generally I do this to non working systems, no r12 to get rid of.
All of this is provided there is nothing wrong with your current system, ie compressor seals (oil on the front of the compressor), compressor failure (metal flakes in the gas), general damage or leaks.
If you know what to check its a good way of re-gassing, if not you can learn, or be safe and let someone who knows do it.

Ratbag · Post by **Ratbag** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:02 pm

Gidday BK

Brumby Kid wrote:Yeah it is meant to be the best.
One of those things you hear among the grapevine. Illegel but works really well.

And what happens if you happen to have an accident?

Have you seen what LPG does when it detonates?

Please don't do anything so foolish.
It may not only be yourself that you incinerate

!

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:10 pm

Friend of a friend had a crash with LPG.
It only creates a small flame for about 30 seconds.

Would I be likely in thinking anyone would give me r12?
I will lion at hychill.
My compressor looks good so might get that looked at by someone not sure.
It's then just the radiator which I will need to get done.

Cheers Cam

Ratbag · Post by **Ratbag** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:46 pm

G'day again Cam

Brumby Kid wrote:Friend of a friend had a crash with LPG.
It only creates a small flame for about 30 seconds.

LPG fueled vehicles are designed that way.

An air conditioner is not ...

Would I be likely in thinking anyone would give me r12?

Hell will freeze over first, mate ...

They are not even allowed to top it up; or bleed into a tank, repair and re-gas with R12.

It was that attitude on the part of government that caused me to just allow mine to break completely before having it stripped and repaired.

If they had been allowed to de-gas, repair and re-gas using R12 to top up, all the R12 refrigerant in my Impreza would still be safely inside its air-con, instead of bleeding into the atmosphere over about 2 years!

I will lion at hychill.

My compressor looks good so might get that looked at by someone not sure.
It's then just the radiator which I will need to get done.

Cheers Cam

If the "HyChill" stuff is legal, it looks like it could be a good solution.

I can assure everyone that conversion to R134A is not a particularly good solution. When I drove up to Brisbane late last year, the temp when I left Narrabri at 1630H was still over 35 deg C. The air-con really struggled to keep the car lukewarm. It wasn't really very cool.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 5:53 pm

Thanks for the info.
No he had a crash with an LPG aircon.
Yeah either leave it for now.
Or hy chill / LPG.
I'm not gonna go r134a.
You were saying that converted vehicles are bad.
What are new AirconSo like compared with r12?

Cheers Cam

Ratbag · Post by **Ratbag** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 6:44 pm

G'day again Cam

Brumby Kid wrote:Thanks for the info.

No he had a crash with an LPG aircon.
Yeah either leave it for now.
Or hy chill / LPG.
I'm not gonna go r134a.

You were saying that converted vehicles are bad.

What are new AirconSo like compared with r12?

Cheers Cam

In cars that are designed for it, R134A works fine.

It seems to me that it just requires different compressor and cabin radiator that takes the lesser efficiency into account.

Both Roo2 and RonnyRoo have R134A refrigerant air-con, and both work extremely well.

tambox · Post by **tambox** » Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:54 pm

Hy Chill is legal (buy over the counter from Bursons/Repco) and for older (r12) systems it seems to be the simple way to get a good system working as efficiently as possible.

Brumby Kid · Post by **Brumby Kid** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:14 pm

I gave up on the idea.
Untill the other day I saw a sticker.
It was from profix, it said hychill had been used.
So my question is, if it has hychill... Can I degass it myself?

Cheers Cam