Car Aircon Regas – All You Need To Know!

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Like any other gas-centric system, car Air conditioners are prone to slow gas leaks- partly because they are not designed to be completely airtight. However, most people pay minimal attention to this and end up being taken by surprise when a regas is needed.

Over time, your car Aircon system is bound to leak its coolant gas at a rate of 10% annually. But this also depends on your usage and car maintenance of course.  ‘Aircon Regas’- means refilling of the refrigerant gas used to blow cold air.

Air conditioners in need of recharge are mostly characterised by:

  • Blowing minimal or no cold air at all, which may be stressful on warm days.
  • Emission of a musty smell caused by the collection of moisture and dirt particles in the gas compartment.

Aircon regassing goes a long way

Regassing isn’t something you need to do monthly. For most cars, it is required every 1-2 years unless your system has a leak. Either way, if your system starts to smell a little musty or you feel your air conditioning isn’t as cool as it should be, it’s worth getting it checked.

Aside from handling cold air deficiency, regassing also has the following advantages:

  • Makes your car more efficient in demisting windows during Winter.
  • Reduces the general energy consumption since the car doesn’t struggle to cool air.
  • Improves the lifespan of your system by avoiding cracked pipes which are caused by a lack of refrigerant in the cooling system
  • It helps detect and solve gas leaks among other faults in the interior.

 

The best Aircon Regas method

With the advent of YouTube, the internet in general and people’s willingness to have a go at things, regassing has been simplified into 3 DIY steps:

  1. Locating the Aircon filling port
  2. Attaching the top-up gas fill
  3. Fill air using the aircon gas kit

Whilst this seems like the easiest way to perform a regas, it has its fair share of inconveniences and repercussions if done wrong. Ultimately, it poses a greater risk compared to taking the car to a garage or getting a mobile air conditioning specialist to do this for you. There are numerous examples of people who have experienced leaks even after recharging, thus spending even more than it would have cost to get a professional to do it for them.

Don’t get me wrong though! If you feel confident enough and are mechanically minded, then, by all means, go ahead and perform the recharge. But for optimum results and a more thorough job, we highly recommend engaging a specialist/technician; which we gladly offer as one of our services.

Buying the Aircon regas equipment (refrigerant can, hose pipe, valve) comes in cheaper when stacked against getting in a specialist. Regardless, the latter guarantees quality by far, as well as mitigation of the risks incurred.

 

Importance of Regassing in a garage

Air conditioning engineers are well-versed, have special equipment and years of experience.

For starters, our professional air conditioning engineers employ detailed analysis. Checking for leaks can be cumbersome, especially if you solely depend on resources from the internet or your ordinary car manual.

Diagnostic checks are first conducted to assess the situation and later help predict viable solutions. By making use of dye tests and using ultra-violet light, we can detect any leaks in your system. This also applies to most regassing services all over the UK.

Contrary to the DIY method, technicians ensure accurate pressure measurement and discharge the refrigerant compartment first before refilling the gas. They’ll also know the ideal refrigerant type to use and introduce enough lubricant to preserve the compressor. In the long run, this ensures the seals are moist and keeps them intact.

Such procedures require special equipment and are therefore hard to do by yourself. Overall, sourcing professionals guarantees the use of proper roadmaps, maintenance strategies, and comprehensive analysis, regardless of the car type.

Rest assured, you will have confidence and peace of mind knowing your car is in safe hands. Keeping your Aircon in check is not always easy, but if done in the right way, it could save a lot of time and resources.

 

Additional tips and precautions

  • Avoid over-using your Aircon to minimise the car’s energy consumption
  • Ensure to keep your windows shut when using the A/C to avoid wastage
  • Run your Aircon as often as possible to maintain gas pressure and ensure the system works perfectly
  • You can always remove bad odours using A/C refresh products.

 

FAQs

  1. Does my regular car service cover Regassing cost?

No, a regular car service involves changing the air filter, oil filter, oil and sometimes pollen and fuel filters. Air conditioning systems aren’t checked and gasses aren’t replenished.

  1. How can I improve the lifespan of my Aircon Refrigerant?

Aside from constantly running it to maintain the gas pressure, you can try cleaning the Aircon system once a month. You could also use antifungal disinfectants that are tailor-made for cars. This not only prevents fungal growth but also assure a healthy filtration system.

 

In brief

Being someone who knows how to regas their own cars air conditioning system isn’t a must. As long as you choose someone to do this for you who you feel you can trust you will be fine.

Aside from cost saving, which can sometimes be a bit of a false economy, there really isn’t any advantage to doing air con regassing yourself. If we can help in any way, please get in touch on 01606 557 744.

 

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