Of course, air conditioning is a useful invention that provides us with comfortable living conditions in the house and gives cold air in the car in the heat. Regardless of where it is installed, the unit has the same operating principle, which is based on the conversion of freon from a liquid state to a gas and vice versa. But refueling automobile air conditioners and domestic ones is slightly different. In today's article, we will consider how this procedure is performed and what you need to know to do this.
About leaks
It is worth noting that the low level of refrigerant in the system is not always a sign of a malfunction. Experts say that about five percent of freon spontaneously evaporates annually from the refrigeration circuit of the air conditioner. This usually happens through the junction of the interblock pipeline.
However, do not use a split system with a low refrigerant level. Ultimately, this will lead to sad consequences. The system will overheat and the compressor will fail. Next, we will consider how to refuel the air conditioner. There are two of them.
Pressure charge
According to experts, refueling the air conditioner in this way is ineffective. After all, the pressure of freon in the system will be the same if it is 100 percent full or 5. This is a property of the refrigerant. Therefore, measuring the remainder by pressure makes no sense. It is impossible to find out the exact amount of evaporated freon in this way.
By weight
This is a professional air conditioning refueling. It is applied both for stationary, and for automobile systems. What is the essence of this method? During the operation, freon is pumped out of the system, and then this volume is filled with new refrigerant. The work uses special scales. Having learned the amount of freon in the cylinder, they fill in the required volume. You can also find out the remaining refrigerant by looking through the inspection window. This is available both on stationary air conditioners, and on some machines. Refueling of automobile air conditioners takes place until bubbles are completely squeezed out of the pipeline.
Instructions for refueling split systems
To perform this operation, we need the following equipment and tools:
- Digital scales.
- Digital thermometer.
- A set of hex keys.
- Manifold Manifold.
When refueling the air conditioner with your own hands, you can use a four- or two-position collector. The latter is used for refueling and evacuation of HVAC equipment. But often when used, an air plug forms, which appears when reconnecting the hose for refueling the air conditioner. To remove it, open the fluid valve on the manifold. If you use four-position equipment, the air lock will be excluded. This unit is completely tight, and there is no contact with air at all.
Before refueling the air conditioner, you need to open the locks. The latter are in the service nozzles of the split system. So we will release from it the remains of the old freon. When it is completely removed, the locks overlap.
Using an electronic thermometer, the temperature indicator of superheated steam is taken. The boiling level of the gas will show a low pressure gauge. This device is located on the manifold. The temperature difference is ideally 5-8 degrees Celsius. If the difference exceeds 8 degrees, you need to refill the system with freon, resuming its amount to normal. For this, a refrigerant cylinder is installed on the balance. Next, the scales are set to “zero”, open the valve on the cylinder and within a second open the liquid valve on the manifold (to release excess air from the hoses). Next, the gas valve on the equipment opens. During refueling, the pressure in the system rises. In this case, the temperature drops on the thermometer. This indicator will not exceed 5-8 degrees.
At the last stage, the gas supply valve on the manifold is shut off. Then the valve on the cylinder with the refrigerant is closed. The amount of freon charged can be found by weight, knowing the current mass of the cylinder after the operation. Experts recommend checking the operation of the system by connecting the device to the trunk. If the amount of freon is insufficient, the taps will freeze. If this did not happen, then the refueling was successful.
Refueling car air conditioners
This operation is performed according to a slightly different algorithm. And it is better to carry out it on specialized equipment in the service station, where the installation for refueling automobile air conditioners is used.
At the first stage, the remaining freon is pumped out. Modern stations already in automatic mode perform this operation in order to weigh the mass of residual refrigerant. Next is the evacuation of the system. This is an important stage for a car air conditioner. Due to evacuation, residual moisture and air are removed from the system, which got into the system before this in any way. Usually, 10 to 30 minutes of time are allotted to this stage. It all depends on the class and power of the equipment used.
What next?
Next, a system leak test is performed. This is a mandatory step. After all, if there are leaks in the system, the new freon will simply evaporate, and refueling will be pointless. After that, oil is refilled. On average, it is needed in the amount of 15 grams. The oil is used to lubricate the car air conditioning compressor.
Usually refueling is done with a dye (it is called a tracer). This luminous paint can also detect leaks in the system. Next, Freon is refilled. This is the final stage in the entire operation. On average, 500 grams of freon is needed for a car's air conditioning system . But since refueling occurs through the hose, and the pressure gauge is installed closer to the equipment, another 50 grams is added to this volume.
Check
But that's not all. After downloading, you must definitely start the car engine and turn on the system at full power. In this case, it is advisable to bring the engine speed to 2500 per minute. Further, experts observe the operation of the system:
- The pressure in the ports of the high and low circuit returns to normal immediately after turning on the compressor. The low pressure gauge shows about 2 bar. And on high - from 15 to 18.
- The low pressure circuit tube is checked for touch. It is wide and, unlike thin, should be cold. It is unacceptable that the temperature of these two tubes (thin and thick) be the same, since the pressure in the system is different when the air conditioner is running.
- In the cabin, cold air should flow from the deflectors, since when evaporating, the freon is cooled to -2 degrees Celsius. And the compressor itself should periodically shut off.
If all these requirements are met, then the refueling of the air conditioner was successful. How long will it last? As practice shows, this operation must be performed periodically, every two or three years. It is not recommended to use a system with a low level or a completely absent freon, since this can damage the compressor, and the system will not be restored by just refueling.
Price
How much does air conditioning charge? The price of work is about 1000-1500 rubles, excluding the price of freon. The refrigerant itself costs 150 rubles per 100 grams. Thus, all the work will take from 1.8 to 2.3 thousand rubles.