Aircon regassing

Hi all,

Does anyone here do their own aircon regassing?
Mine appears to last about 3 months on a charge but shows no leaks on the vac test at kwik fit.
Gonna get expensive until something starts to leak worse so I was toying with buying a manifold and pump.
I used to do domestic systems years ago so have a reasonable idea how it's done.
That said, it appears you now need certification to buy the gas.
Any suggestions welcome.
Cheers.

Wazzajnr said:

Hi all,

Does anyone here do their own aircon regassing?
Mine appears to last about 3 months on a charge but shows no leaks on the vac test at kwik fit.
Gonna get expensive until something starts to leak worse so I was toying with buying a manifold and pump.
I used to do domestic systems years ago so have a reasonable idea how it's done.
That said, it appears you now need certification to buy the gas.
Any suggestions welcome.
Cheers.

Click to expand...

Hi

I bought my own manifold and bought a refill kit , wasn’t this expensive though as I see prices have really gone up

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Air-...179408&hash=item2a81ca6b2a:g:ISsAAOSwDfxa6yKC

Think I only paid around £40 but that was last year

Got to buy another vacuum pump

My system is empty as I realised there’s a leak which I’m going to spend time looking for , i think u need the licence to empty the ac systems

Know ur suppose to use nitrogen to refill a system when looking for leaks, will be fitting a new condenser on mine and then get it regassed professionally because of the correct amount of oils req to go back in, but will ensure there’s no leaks first, lol

Hope that helps a little

Yes, I used a refill can from halfrauds this weekend to get it going again as we were off to Wales for the weekend. However, it's cheaper to get kwik fit to do it if you have the time.
It's clearly not a big leak as it lasts for around 3 months but 60 quid every 3 months I can do without.
My biggest problem is finding somewhere to buy the gas. I know it's about 300 quid for a 12kg cylinder but that would do around 18 fills working out to 17 quid a pop.
Trouble is, the sellers all want an fgas cert to sell the gas.
No point buying the manifold if I can't get the gas!

Wazzajnr said:

Yes, I used a refill can from halfrauds this weekend to get it going again as we were off to Wales for the weekend. However, it's cheaper to get kwik fit to do it if you have the time.
It's clearly not a big leak as it lasts for around 3 months but 60 quid every 3 months I can do without.
My biggest problem is finding somewhere to buy the gas. I know it's about 300 quid for a 12kg cylinder but that would do around 18 fills working out to 17 quid a pop.
Trouble is, the sellers all want an fgas cert to sell the gas.
No point buying the manifold if I can't get the gas!

Click to expand...

See ur point plus I image to get a licence would be expensive

Have u seen this , alas don’t know if it’s current , ie if u know someone within these 18 x types of vehicles

https://garagewire.co.uk/news/company/motorclimate/new-rules-tighten-r134a-refrigerant-supply/

Quote

If the customer does not have qualified technicians, R134a can still be supplied for use on 18 specified types of vehicles excluded from the legislation. These include buses, coaches, plant, agricultural, heavy commercial and emergency services vehicles.

I bought a bottle from Halfrauds to do mine then it sprung a leak a couple of months later and dumped it on the car park at work. I think it has a dye in it so you can trace the leak, and a sealent for small leaks.

I don't understand why they do a vacuum test on a pressurised system though.

https://www.gas-uk.co.uk/help/f-gas

Ref the regs

backinblack said:

I bought a bottle from Halfrauds to do mine then it sprung a leak a couple of months later and dumped it on the car park at work. I think it has a dye in it so you can trace the leak, and a sealent for small leaks.

I don't understand why they do a vacuum test on a pressurised system though.

Click to expand...

I’m going to use my air compressor to put a few psi in my system and then bubble test all the joints to find the leak, know ur suppose to use nitrogen but system is empty anyway , does have a decent dryer to keep the air dry , will then straight after sorting the leak out pull a vacuum to remove any moist air , until I get it to a garage , because of the PAG oil needed , will also be fitting a new condensor

Indeed know some systems can leak in vacuum but not pressure and vice versa,

Not 100% sure ref the dye, know u have to use an ultra violet torch to find it , won’t use the leak sealant as mine will only stay full for a week , lol

My nice new condensor and also got some O rings , inc some stainless steel bolts

I wonder if just telling them I'm filling up my jcb's aircon will do the trick?

My D2 was vacuum tested and passed , had it filled with gas and dye, it leaked again which as said was found with UV light. Didn't need the dye on the RR as I got a face full of gas when I opened the bonnet

Wazzajnr said:

I wonder if just telling them I'm filling up my jcb's aircon will do the trick?

Click to expand...

That’s what I thought if there’s a way round it

backinblack said:

My D2 was vacuum tested and passed , had it filled with gas and dye, it leaked again which as said was found with UV light. Didn't need the dye on the RR as I got a face full of gas when I opened the bonnet

Click to expand...

Apologises I miss read it , as per usual , lol

Christ , I bet that woke u up dam quick , good to hear ur ok ,well apart from changing trousers

gstuart said:

Apologises I miss read it , as per usual , lol

Christ , I bet that woke u up dam quick , good to hear ur ok ,well apart from changing trousers

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Didn't realy bother me tbh but cheers.

now dont tell anyone i told you but LP gas works instead of the refrigerant gas

ovalandrover said:

now dont tell anyone i told you but LP gas works instead of the refrigerant gas

Click to expand...

What, you mean simple propane or similar?

Wazzajnr said:

What, you mean simple propane or similar?

Click to expand...

yes but also add air con oil

Usually it is the condenser that is leaking. Bottom left is where I think Wammers said is most likely?

Other possible fault is the thermostatic expansion valve. If that is acting up it might be overpressurising and then venting and losing gas that way.

Or it could be duff seals, where the condenser joins, perhaps?

Keep an eye out for green dye!

Grrrrrr said:

Usually it is the condenser that is leaking. Bottom left is where I think Wammers said is most likely?

Other possible fault is the thermostatic expansion valve. If that is acting up it might be overpressurising and then venting and losing gas that way.

Or it could be duff seals, where the condenser joins, perhaps?

Keep an eye out for green dye!

Click to expand...

Think you misread, it's @wammers who's bottom leaks when he's left .

Grrrrrr said:

Usually it is the condenser that is leaking. Bottom left is where I think Wammers said is most likely?

Other possible fault is the thermostatic expansion valve. If that is acting up it might be overpressurising and then venting and losing gas that way.

Or it could be duff seals, where the condenser joins, perhaps?

Keep an eye out for green dye!

Click to expand...

Whatever the leak is, it's very slow so just wanted to top it up until it fails properly as I see no sign of leaking. (that said, you can't see much of anything in the l322 engine bay!)

ovalandrover said:

yes but also add air con oil

Click to expand...

That was going to be my next question, how do you add the oil? Do you just put some in the fill line and let the gas carry it into the system?

Wazzajnr said:

Whatever the leak is, it's very slow so just wanted to top it up until it fails properly as I see no sign of leaking. (that said, you can't see much of anything in the l322 engine bay!)

That was going to be my next question, how do you add the oil? Do you just put some in the fill line and let the gas carry it into the system?

Click to expand...

The re-gassing equipment automatically adds the correct amount of lubricant.
The space between the condenser and the RAD get full of crap on the L322 which helps corrode the bottom of the condenser away, it also hides the leak.