Air conditioning.

[Burgerman]

My chrysler loses around 200 grammes of its refrigerant every year. As it happens almost all cars lose around 100 to 250 per year. The refrigerant in it, is quite common in cars. Its 134A and you can buy it quite easily.

So as usual my air conditioning is useless this year. So I emptied it, that is I released all of it. And added the correct amount (kitchen scales) back in. For what its worthe thats 1.09 kg. I actually added 1200 grammes. Now it works again.

[Irving]

never regassed my bedroom one. thought you needed specialist gear to regas car a\c

[LROBBINS]

Home ACs have their electric motor inside the pressure vessel so don't leak until there's a pin hole somewhere. Car ACs are driven from the engine, so there's a rotating seal that will always slowly leak.

Adding gas doesn't require any special equipment, just the appropriate coupling. But, you're supposed to recover and reuse any gas still in the system, not vent it, and that does require special equipment.

[Burgerman]

Well you are SUPPOSED to capture any refrigerant gas and not release to atmosphere. But that ozone hole thing was another overhyped planet saving thing. And of course your car already leaks more of it through seals, than I released. Theres wasnt much left. It escapes through connecting pipework too. More so if you dont use the car. When used the lubricant mixed in the refrigerant seals all the small holes a little...

So it is getting to the atmosphere out of every car all the time. after 3 to 4 years most of the regrigerant has gone. But the important bit is that R134A is a relatively ozone safe replacement. Most older cars etc used R22 which was the ozone hole causing one. 134 was maede to replace that. It is less good as a refrigerant though.

That oxone hysteria was mostly bollox too. We were told that the amount of CFCs released would remain in the atmosphere at least 50 years after we stopped using them. And continue to deplete ozone. And strangely that hole is almost back to normal. But varies all the time. Its not actually a hole but a thinning over the pole.

But now that it has varied back to how it used to be the scientists are all saying that "we fixed it"... So what happened to the CFCs that were supposed to keep causing the damage for another 50 years?

I might add, I used my plumbers propane bottle turned upside down to fill my old ford granada 25 years ago. It was a hot day and air con wasnt working. That worked fine too! In fact many modern refrigeration systems now use propane. Connectors look like tyre valve fittings on most cars. You can get the connectors or tubes from most automotive stores or even amazon I would expect.

[Burgerman]

Ha. Amazon do keep all the stuff. If you can afford daft prices.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/WINOMO-Conditi ... 56&sr=8-10

Connecting hoze and a guage (very fancy, no gauge needed.)

Heres the 134A gas that almost all modern cars use. No CFC worry. So releasing from your car also no worry.
It is rediculously priced buying it like this though.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aircon-Conditi ... 156&sr=8-9

About 5 or 6 times cheaper to buy or rent or "aquire" a big refillable bottle. I used an old CO2 fire extinguisher/nitrous bottle and just bought the gas on my local undustrial estate at around 10 uk pounds for a 8lb fill. Use propane if you want. Its basically the same thing as far as the air con is concerned. Dont use that on an indoor system, if it leaks it may make an explosive atmosphere. Anyway its all worth knowing.

They also do a leak sealer (just same 134a with a little proplene oxide added to swell rubber seals) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aircon-Conditi ... ay&sr=8-11

If you are a cheapskate, you can just top up whats already in there till it begins to work. Then add a LITTLE more. And stop. So you may only need 1 can. But 3 is almost the same price.

[seanhodg]

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but thanks for sharing the information, it was helpful to me. Can you please recommend a great AC repairman!

[Burgerman]

At home? Use the phonebook. In your car? Most car places will do this. And you can also do it uyourself as explained above.