DIY Re gas

[wrinklet1]

Hi all,
I decided to try re-gassing my Aircon on my Xantia. Went to Halfords and looked at their options.
I decided to get the refill kit, £39 inc free aircon system cleaner kit that cleans the car inside of bacteria. Did the job in less than ten minutes. Car now a lot cooler, smells 100% cleaner and I now have the pressure gauge needed to recharge the system in case I have to do it in the future.
Paul

[Chris56000]

Hi!

Is this DIY refilling tackle still available or are TPTB trying to get sales of it stopped? I think my '406 HDi Exec has a low pressure port you can use 'em on!

Incidently I'm aware there's a serious risk of this stuff causing frostbite and irrepairable damage to eyes if you try and fill/regas the wrong side!

Chris Williams

[davetherave]

In fairness for another 10 quid you can get it vacuumed and refilled, which puts gas as well as oil in.
Well worth it IMO
Dave

[MJM]

The problem with the refrigerant top up kits, as I see it, is that the quantity of refrigerant and compressor oil needed to restore the system to its design capacity is unknown. The system should be charged through the low-pressure port. I’ve never used one so I don’t know how well they attach to this point. I would hope that they have been designed so that attachment to the high-pressure port is impossible. I’ve just looked at the spec for the Xantia and the high pressure can be as high as 27 bar, attaching a tin can to that doesn’t appeal to me!

I’m not certain of the date of introduction but “F” gas regulations will outlaw the selling of refrigerants to anyone not “F” gas registered. It is also illegal to knowingly vent refrigerant to atmosphere.

Air con systems can develop other faults such as blockages, which will give the same effect as low refrigerant charge. Adding more gas in this case can just drive up the high pressure without giving any cooling.

I, personally, would never add refrigerant to a system without gauges monitoring both high and low pressures and thermometers giving some indication of how the system was performing.

You will get frostbite if you get liquid refrigerant on your skin. It will boil at about minus 26 degrees Centigrade.

Connect the can to the wrong port and you will probably damage your eyes, arms etc.

Davetherave has a good point. For the extra tenner it isn’t worth doing it with a can.

[MikeT]

While A/C services were still expensive I tried one of the cans but wouldn't recommend them.

Either I tilted the can so I emptied the propellant or they don't contain enough propellant to deliver the contents.

Reason being, the can's net weight is 520gms and after my first usage I'm left with an useable 410gms. I used it once but my system must have leaked as my A/C worked great for a few months then degraded.

No, these cans can't be attached to the high pressure port, it's a different size so pretty much foolproof on that score.

Aside from the above reasons, I'd give it 2 out of 10 for effort.

[RichardW]

I don't think there's a propellant as such, just the refrigerant(*) - which is its own proprellant. Trouble is you need to vaporise it in the can, which happens at the low side pressure (and therefore boiling temperature) which is the temperature of the refrigerant in the evaporator, probably somewhere around 0°C. Quite quickly you use up the heat available in the liquid in the can, so the only way it can boil off more is by absorbing heat from the atmosphere - which it can't do very fast, hence the rate of addition goes down. I managed to get most of a can in my old VSX by putting it in a bowl of hot water whilst I added it. Maybe you should hold the can upside down so you inject liquid rather than gas - but it doesn't say that on the instructions - and liquid into the compressor may not be the best plan (but if it's an oil injected screw, which is very possible, it won't matter, as they are designed to run with liquid present). Given that the cost is nearly what a 'proper' regas is at Kwik-Fit (I know... ) it's of questionable benefit.

* the top up cans usually contain some oil as well

[MikeT]

I've tried this can on two other cars (both showing low pressure) and nothing happens as opposed to first use, I could hear the transfer taking place, see the pressure increase on the gauge and feel the can temperature dropping rapidly.

I'm going to take it back to Halfords and see what they say.

[DickieG]

I've tried this can on two other cars (both showing low pressure) and nothing happens as opposed to first use, I could hear the transfer taking place, see the pressure increase on the gauge and feel the can temperature dropping rapidly.

I'm going to take it back to Halfords and see what they say.

You need to do as Richard says, place the can in a bowl of hot water, works every time. Interestingly A/C fitters use a heated blanket around those large cannisters to achieve the same result

[MikeT]

I've tried this can on two other cars (both showing low pressure) and nothing happens as opposed to first use, I could hear the transfer taking place, see the pressure increase on the gauge and feel the can temperature dropping rapidly.

I'm going to take it back to Halfords and see what they say.

You need to do as Richard says, place the can in a bowl of hot water, works every time. Interestingly A/C fitters use a heated blanket around those large cannisters to achieve the same result

Ok, I'll give it a go if I get the opportunity before I visit halfrauds.

[h2ocooler]

I have used these cans, worked for me. I held the can upside down as it is the liquid gas that need to transfer to fill the system (plus its the only way to get the oil in there too.
Rob

[Xaccers]

Remember, in the cooler months, KwikFit only charge £25 for their regas.