DIY Air Conditioning top-up kits - anyone used one?
DIY Air Conditioning top-up kits - anyone used one?
27 September 2005, 12:58 PM
#3
No. 
I did commerical/industrial refridgeration...so don't listen to me...I'm liable of turning you car into an ice block
HTH......
Seriously, the system is charged with a specific weight of 134a..measured with scales, or by the the sytem pressure on a set of guages/manifold. For optimum performance the correct amount should be in. Too much or too little and it does affect the performance.
Theres no exact science to it though, it depends how much gas you already have in there on weather it works or not.
I did commerical/industrial refridgeration...so don't listen to me...I'm liable of turning you car into an ice block
HTH......
Seriously, the system is charged with a specific weight of 134a..measured with scales, or by the the sytem pressure on a set of guages/manifold. For optimum performance the correct amount should be in. Too much or too little and it does affect the performance.
Theres no exact science to it though, it depends how much gas you already have in there on weather it works or not.
27 September 2005, 01:03 PM
#4
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Ok ta. 
The gauges they sell at Halfrauds are twenty fappin quid though - why are they so expensive?
Cos if my coolant level is right, that's £20 down the drain
The gauges they sell at Halfrauds are twenty fappin quid though - why are they so expensive?
Cos if my coolant level is right, that's £20 down the drain
27 September 2005, 02:13 PM
#5
Twenty quid sounds about right for a cheap manifold and pair of guages, as long as they have the connectors and the hoses as well. I've paid £50 in the past (but they had fancy quick-release couplings on the hoses ).
And I haven't a clue if the these kits work or not - theoretically they should be ok to top up. Without checking the performance (digital thermometer by the vent - very scientific! - but it is the best way
) or by putting a set of guages on there, you'll never know if does need topping up.
But obviously a recharge costs being about £50, so with all the required bits your almost to the level where you can pay to get someone else to scratch their head over it.
But if the a/c system has been opened to the enviroment (to replace a part or due to a leak), it should be vacuumed out with a vac pump before refilling to remove as much air (and moisture) as possible from the system. So the mentioned DIY kit isn't suitable, unless you hire/buy a vac pump
Bottom line is does it work???...With a 15 degrees C intake temp you should get roughly 8 degrees C temperature drop from the centre vents compared to ambient temps (or about 12degree drop at 20degrees ambient). With teh system set to recirc air, fans on full, temp on max cold and engine held at 1500rpm for 10mins...the actual temps attained all depend on the humidity and ambient temps.
).And I haven't a clue if the these kits work or not - theoretically they should be ok to top up. Without checking the performance (digital thermometer by the vent - very scientific! - but it is the best way
) or by putting a set of guages on there, you'll never know if does need topping up.But obviously a recharge costs being about £50, so with all the required bits your almost to the level where you can pay to get someone else to scratch their head over it.
But if the a/c system has been opened to the enviroment (to replace a part or due to a leak), it should be vacuumed out with a vac pump before refilling to remove as much air (and moisture) as possible from the system. So the mentioned DIY kit isn't suitable, unless you hire/buy a vac pump
Bottom line is does it work???...With a 15 degrees C intake temp you should get roughly 8 degrees C temperature drop from the centre vents compared to ambient temps (or about 12degree drop at 20degrees ambient). With teh system set to recirc air, fans on full, temp on max cold and engine held at 1500rpm for 10mins...the actual temps attained all depend on the humidity and ambient temps.
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