- Ranjan Singh
- Oct 19, 2024
Aircon Regas Machine: The Complete Guide
As a workshop owner, you've likely faced many customer vehicles with AC system issues. They ask you for help, but all you have are some temporary DIY air conditioning kits that provide only a quick fix.
You have no choice but to send them elsewhere to get the problem resolved, which can be really frustrating, especially if you take pride in your garage. However, you have done some research online to figure out solutions and end up knowing about the aircon regas machine.
In this guide, we have discussed all about aircon regas machines, what they are, different types, how they work, and why you need one if you are interested in knowing more about aircon regas machines then keep reading.
What Is An Aircon Regas Machine?
An aircon regas machine is used to test and refill the refrigerant gas in the vehicle air conditioning system to maintain the correct and consistent temperature inside the cabin. It checks for leaks and vacuums out any moisture and impurities left inside the system.
How Does An Aircon Regas Machine Work?
The air conditioning regas machine first starts to recover all the gases inside the vehicle's air conditioning system and empties all gases. Once it’s done, the machine starts a vacuum cycle to ensure there are no leaks inside the system.
While the vacuum cycle is in progress, it also vacuums out any remaining moisture or impurities and stores them in the machine. It also separates the gases and the oils.
Once it’s done, it injects fresh air and fresh oil inside the vehicle's air conditioning system. However, if the machine detects any leaks in the air conditioning system, it will stop the test.
What is Aircon Regassing?
Air Con regassing is the process of extracting the old used refrigerant gas from the vehicle air conditioning system and replacing it with new air conditioning refrigerants such as R-134a, R1234yf and R-12.
This process of regassing the air conditioning system will help to maintain the pressure of gas ensuring that the air is kept in the vehicle’s air-con system at the correct pressure and temperature.
In general, frequent aircon regas requirements or faults happen in summer months due to the frequent use of air conditioners and rising temperatures. However, maintaining the right operational air conditioning system can also help to keep the windscreens clear and free from fog during the winter months.
Types of Aircon Refrigerant
Vehicles have different types of automotive AC systems which require different types of refrigerants. Older refrigerants have been removed due to the environmental impact and replaced by much cleaner options.
The most common refrigerant used in most vehicles is R-134A (or HFC-134a). However, modern vehicles may use R-1234YF (or HFO-1234yf). But still, some old vehicles may use R-12 also known as Freon refrigerant which is now replaced with cleaner alternatives.
Here is a detailed explanation of each aircon refrigerant fill in a vehicle air conditioning system:
R12 (Freon)
R-12 is the oldest air conditioning refrigerant used in older vehicles but was later replaced due to its gases causing harm to the Ozone layer. Vehicles manufactured before 1995 need an R12 refrigerant in their air conditioning system. Some R-12 systems may also need to be retrofitted to R-134a.
R134a (HFC-134a)
This is the most common refrigerant used in vehicle air conditioning systems, but unfortunately, it still can harm the environment and due to this it is being phased out. Those vehicles that were manufactured after 1994 but before 2014 are most likely to need R134a refrigerant in the air conditioning system. The R-134a recharge will only be compatible with an R-134a system.
R1234yf (HFO-1234yf)
Vehicles manufactured from 2014 to the present may require R1234yf refrigerant in their air conditioning system. The R1234yf is a much cleaner version of the R-123a which makes it much better for the environment. However, the R-134a recharge hose will not be compatible with an R1234yf coupler.
All vehicles have their own aircon gas type which is mentioned on a sticker under the hood of the vehicle. Ensure that you fit the correct ports according to the refrigerant type of your vehicle aircon.
R-12 refrigerant is still available for purchase on the market. But many vehicle owners choose to retrofit to R-134a which is a better and cleaner option for the environment.
Why Do You Need An Aircon Regas Machine?
The reason why dealerships and independent workshops use an aircon regas machine is to diagnose any leaks and other issues in the vehicle’s AC system. These newer AC systems are smaller and their tolerance level got much smaller even for the correct amount of charge level so a little over under the system can actually react erratically.
This machine extracts all the refrigerant out of the AC system, filters it, purges the air from it and then it goes into a vacuum. It will boil out any kind of moisture in there and refrigerant that got left in the oil.
After that, it will recharge it with fresh refrigerant very accurately and at that point, with the system recharging accurately it should work properly. If not then there is an issue within the AC system as far as one of the components in there are not acting accordingly.
Why Choose An Aircon Regas Machine Instead of A DIY Aircon Regas Kit?
The DIY aircon regas kit is fine, but all they do is inject gas into the A/C system, and they don’t extract the old gas inside. They don’t check the leaks, leaving all impurities and moisture inside the vehicle’s air conditioning system which accumulates over time. It makes the system less efficient and puts more stress on maintaining specific temperatures.
DIY aircon regas kits are a temporary solution and you can use them in a situation where garages are not nearby but you need to eventually use an aircon regas machine to extract all the old refrigerants.
How To Use An Aircon Regas Machine?
We are going to discuss all the steps it takes to recover and recharge an vehicle AC system using an aircon regas machine. First, you need to open the hood of the vehicle and go to the engine compartment. Follow the AC lines until you find one of the pressure fittings on there.
Now look for two lines: first, the smaller, thinner line that has a high-pressure fitting and this will only go one way. Second is the low-pressure line, which is thick in size.
Next start connecting the couplers there and we start the process of extraction of the system. First, we are going to plug it in to get the power going and let it boot up. This machine has a computer inside so it does take a little while to boot it up. After that fill the machine and let the power on and then will take our quick connect couplers.
Ensure they are fully onto there but we need to ensure these valves are fully opened so we can clip it onto there and then we will just tighten them down and it will push down the relief valve in there. It will allow our refrigerant to flow through so we will go ahead and connect those valves to the vehicles.
You can connect just the low side or high side you want. But it goes a lot faster when it extracts the system down from both sides. You will notice the gauges went up there . That's another indication we are connected and we are good to go. Ensure they are fully connected and locked on.
After that, you can simply press the “Recover” button. The machine will extract old refrigerant and oil from the AC system. Ensure the oil container is empty before using the machine so that you know how much oil is pulled out with the refrigerant from the AC system.
The machine will check the pressure, and tell you its low pressure because the valves are not open. Now you need to open the valve and it will automatically start extracting from the system.
Now it will let the refrigerant flow through there and get filtered through. Once it gets down to zero it will automatically kick on the vacuum pump in there and start vacuuming the system for just a few minutes. You have the option to select how much time you want to vacuum the system.
While the process is going through the machine will tell you how much it actually recovered. It has a very accurate scale inside the machine because when all this comes out and gets filtered from the vehicle AC system, it goes into the internal tank in the machine which is on a scale. It just kicks down the vacuum pump and it will extract the system down a little more so it can extract the final amount.
Now it is finishing the vacuum cycle and it will tell you exactly what it recovers. Afterwards, it will drain the oil, so you can check the container down there to see exactly how much you put out there. At this point, the system’s fully vacuumed out well. It recovered and then vacuumed for 15 minutes.
You should be able to watch your gauges and they should not move. That's one of the good indications if there is a leak or not, especially when you are done repairing it and you vacuum. Check gauges and ensure they are not moving. Wait for a while to drain the oil out. So that the machine will give an accurate reading like how much oil it pulled out of the system.
Now once the repairs are done, you need to turn the machine back on and connect your hoses back up, you will notice they go to zero, that is because the system is open to atmospheric pressure at this point. So before charging, you want to go ahead and do a vacuum on a system so you need to press the ‘Vacuum’ button.
The machine will check the pressure to ensure everything is fine and we are going to do 15 vacuums on this. Just let it run while we are putting the rest of the vehicle back together.
It puts all the air out of the system which is always good but it also boils off the moisture same as before so there is no moisture and no air or non-condensable in the system. Once you get your time selected hit start and then you need to ensure you open the valves.
You will hear all the air out of the system there and soon thereafter it’s going to start purging because it’s extracting so much air out.
We will wait for a while to ensure everything is boiled out of the system. After the system was extracted for 15 minutes, it stopped automatically. Now at this point, you need to close both valves. Press the ‘Stop/No’ button and then you need to inject oil into the low side port. Pull all off the high-side hose. So you can wrap them up to store them.
Put the cap back on the fitting and then we will take a dye injector gun and inject the same amount of oil back into the system. Usually, it’s one or two ounces depending on how much the machine takes out.
Once the dye is injected, you put your low-side hose back on. At this point we start the charging process, press the ‘Charge on’ button and then you select your units and start the process.
At this point, you do not want to disturb the machine because you can mess up the weight inside or at the bottom of the scale. You need to open the low side so it can start charging.
It will go through and charge it at the exact amount that’s required by the vehicle and it will stop automatically once it’s done. Now it is starting the system up and then we are living on the low side and it will suck the remaining refrigerant out of the hose on here also besides that’s all there is too. It’s pretty much an automated process and it’s very accurate.
6 Tips For Using Aircon Regas Machine
Do Not Overfill The Internal Storage Vessel
We don’t recommend overfilling the internal storage vessel because overfilling may cause a serious explosion and even cause injury to the operator. Make sure not to recover old refrigerants into non-refillable containers.
Wear Protective Gear When Using The Machine
Direct contact with refrigerants may cause personal injury. Wear protective accessories including safety goggles, mask and gloves. Ensure hoses may contain refrigerant under pressure. Disconnect hoses using extreme caution because they may contain liquid refrigerant under pressure.
Avoid Breathing Refrigerant and Lubricant Vapour
Direct exposure to these gases may irritate your eyes, nose and throat. To remove old refrigerant from the vehicle A/C system, use only certified equipment for the type of refrigerant being removed.
Use the aircon regas machine in a location with mechanical ventilation that provides at least four air changes per hour. Just in case an accidental system discharge happens, ventilate the work area before continuing service.
Don’t Use An Extension Cord
We don’t recommend using an extension cord because it may overheat and can cause fire. If you are in such a situation where an extension cord is needed, use the short extension cord with a minimum size of 14 AWG and keep the cord length to 25 feet (7.6 metres) or less. Don’t use the unit in the vicinity of spilt or open containers of gasoline or other flammable substances to reduce the risk of fire.
Don’t Pressure Test / Leak Test Equipment / Vehicle Air Conditioning Systems with Compressed Air
It has been shown that some mixtures of gases and refrigerants are combustible at elevated pressures. These mixtures of gases, if ignited, may cause serious injury or property damage.
Recover, Recycle And Recharge Specified Refrigerant Only
The aircon regas machine is only designed to recover, recycle and recharge only to specific refrigerant types so don’t attempt to use it for another refrigerant. Don’t mix refrigerant types through the system or in the same container. Mixing of refrigerants will cause serious damage to the machine and the vehicle air conditioning system.
