DIY air con servicing
Discussion
We have 8 cars in the immediate family now with Air con… (and a few friends that also have it on various cars) In the past 12 months we have spent £200 with Quikfit having 4 of them re-gassed, 2 due to old age, and 2 due to failed condensers…
It got me thinking… What would I need for some simple DIY maintenance…? I don’t mean just a top up can…
I guess I would need the following?
Manifold and gauges
Vacuum pump
Bottle of gas
Some scales
Anything else?
Also what are people’s thoughts?
By the time you've bought all that kit plus bottles of gas and compressor oil I'm not sure you will have saved much. I bought a set of gauges some time back but realised that the operating pressures were just an indication of system health and not all that conclusive. Better to keep an eye out for those £40 recharge offers! Some promise to reduce the temps by 10% or your money back - hold their feet to the fire on that one and you might get some done for free.
AW10 said:
By the time you've bought all that kit plus bottles of gas and compressor oil I'm not sure you will have saved much. I bought a set of gauges some time back but realised that the operating pressures were just an indication of system health and not all that conclusive. Better to keep an eye out for those £40 recharge offers! Some promise to reduce the temps by 10% or your money back - hold their feet to the fire on that one and you might get some done for free.
I kind of think you are right... I guess I will do some costs, look at second hand kit...andyiley said:
A license to work with refrigerant gas.
Are small systems, like cars, exempt from the current F Gas regs??Government guide lines
Oldred_V8S said:
I think you just need to use the AC more often. Too many people only use it when the weather is hot which can lead to seals drying out and loss of gas. I use my AC on a regular basis and none of my cars have ever required a regas, not once in over 20 years.
agreed... that's OK if you buy a new car... but when you buy older cars you don't know how they have been used... I have also had a couple of condensers fail...buzzer said:
Oldred_V8S said:
I think you just need to use the AC more often. Too many people only use it when the weather is hot which can lead to seals drying out and loss of gas. I use my AC on a regular basis and none of my cars have ever required a regas, not once in over 20 years.
agreed... that's OK if you buy a new car... but when you buy older cars you don't know how they have been used... I have also had a couple of condensers fail...But this is PH, does anyone on here not buy a new car?
phillpot said:
Can't see any references to licences there. Do you have to show your licence when you buy one of those top up bottles from Halfords? Talkwrench said:
phillpot said:
Can't see any references to licences there. Do you have to show your licence when you buy one of those top up bottles from Halfords? Ah, but the teeth suckers ( you know, the ones that suck in and say "you cant do that")and the H&S gestapo will be shaking their heads and drawing up their clipboards
Talkwrench said:
phillpot said:
Can't see any references to licences there. Do you have to show your licence when you buy one of those top up bottles from Halfords? And anything that uses R134a or R12 is covered under F gas, you need to be qualified to work on any cars with these gase's in them!
welshys90 said:
Talkwrench said:
phillpot said:
Can't see any references to licences there. Do you have to show your licence when you buy one of those top up bottles from Halfords? And anything that uses R134a or R12 is covered under F gas, you need to be qualified to work on any cars with these gase's in them!
I also spoke to a leading supplier of gas just today... he said they will supply me with a bottle...
Its a bit like being told you can no longer move a socket in a kitchen or bathroom under the electrical regs.... I have ignored that one as well
buzzer said:
welshys90 said:
Talkwrench said:
phillpot said:
Can't see any references to licences there. Do you have to show your licence when you buy one of those top up bottles from Halfords? And anything that uses R134a or R12 is covered under F gas, you need to be qualified to work on any cars with these gase's in them!
I also spoke to a leading supplier of gas just today... he said they will supply me with a bottle...
Its a bit like being told you can no longer move a socket in a kitchen or bathroom under the electrical regs.... I have ignored that one as well
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