Can I Use Car Refrigerant in My Home Ac

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It's possible to add Freon to your air conditioner unit of measurement yourself, only you'll demand some full general noesis near ACs and a few specific tools to do it correctly. The process can be dangerous, so rent a qualified professional person if you feel unsure about what to do. Start past diagnosing the trouble to make sure low refrigerant is the outcome. In one case confirmed, so brand sure the inside of the air conditioner is clean before you begin. Y'all'll need a refrigerant gauge set with three valves and a canister of R-22 or R410A refrigerant to proceed.

1. one

   Check for vents bravado warm or room temperature air. This is a tell-tale sign that your unit needs a refill of refrigerant. Still, a cleaved thermostat may cause the aforementioned trouble. If it'due south a refrigerant result, the air temperature will steadily abound warmer over time because your unit is slowly losing refrigerant.^[i]

   • If a broken thermostat or other consequence is causing the warm air, the temperature of the air volition probably spike or fluctuate.

2. 2

   Look for water ice on the coils. Peek through the front window of the Ac unit of measurement to inspect the pipes inside. If the pipes and coils look frosty or ice-covered, this means you're experiencing a leak and slowly losing refrigerant. The leak needs to be repaired by a qualified HVAC technician or you'll continue to feel the same problem.^[2]

   • Adding refrigerant without fixing the leak may further damage your Air-conditioning unit of measurement.

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3. 3

   Look for water accumulation on the floor well-nigh your furnace. Inspect the area around your furnace. If you see water pooling around information technology, this indicates condensation. Your coils were almost likely icy, and at present the ice has melted around the furnace surface area.^[3]

   • The water can damage your furnace and compound your problems, so it's best to have a qualified HVAC technician come out to inspect the issue.^[4]

4. 4

   Have a qualified HVAC technician repair any leaks. Air conditioning units are sealed tightly and the Freon should never leak. If you lot demand to refill refrigerant, yous probably have a leak. Yous will go along to experience the same issues until the leak is addressed.^[v]

   • Adding more refrigerant is a quick set up, but somewhen this will impairment your unit.

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1. 1

   Schedule or perform routine maintenance earlier adding more than Freon. Your Air-conditioning's air filter, blower wheel, evaporator coil, and condenser coil demand to exist cleaned before you "charge" your unit of measurement with more refrigerant. Adding more refrigerant to a unit of measurement with dirty parts tin can damage the Air-conditioning.^[vi]

2. 2

   Cull the right refrigerant for your unit. Putting the wrong refrigerant in your unit can cause combustion, injury, and property damage. Check your AC manufacturer's operating guide to find out which refrigerant your unit needs. If you don't take the operating guide, check the electric control box or the unit's cabinet for the information. The 2 most mutual refrigerants are R-22 and R410A.

   • R-22 is mostly used in older units and is slowly being phased out because it is an ozone depleting material.^[7]
   • If your AC is leaking R-22, it's important that you get the problem stock-still as soon as possible. Since R-22 is in the procedure of being discontinued, the cost for it has skyrocketed and will only continue to get college.^[8]

3. 3

   Protect your eyes, pare, and lungs when working with refrigerant. Vesture safe goggles and thick gloves when treatment Freon. Never directly inhale any refrigerant; doing so can atomic number 82 to sudden decease. Some refrigerants are peculiarly hazardous and require respiratory protection -- read the packaging for more information.

   • If y'all get Freon on your skin, rinse the area with water and seek medical treatment immediately.
   • R-717 and R-764 refrigerants are extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs. R-717 is flammable. Handle with caution.

4. 4

   Brand certain the outside temperature is above 55°F (12.7°C) before proceeding. Liquid Freon will automatically seek the coldest area of an enclosed AC unit between the furnace curlicue and the outside condensing unit. When outdoor temperatures are under 55°F, the coldest area of your system will most likely exist the outside unit. The Freon will non behave properly in these weather.^[nine]

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1. i

   Consider having a professional person perform this process. It is highly recommended that a qualified professional refill and recharge your Air-conditioning unit. The procedure itself is dangerous, and if done incorrectly, yous can damage your unit. Homeowners are permitted to add refrigerant in the U.S., simply the Environmental Protection Bureau (EPA) requires that anyone you hire to do the task have a professional person certification.^[10]

   • Proceed with circumspection if you decide to do this yourself. Improper handling of refrigerant tin can cause injury, death, explosions, and property impairment.

2. 2

   Turn off your Ac unit at the thermostat and breaker. Go to the thermostat that operates your air conditioner. Turn it to the "off" position. Your unit volition either have a fused disconnect or excursion billow attached to it. If your unit has fuses, disconnect them. If your unit of measurement has a circuit billow, turn the breaker off.

3. 3

   Hook up the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. There are 3 valve connections attached to your unit's hardware, with a valve on each side (left and right). Attach the guess with the blue hose to the low-pressure level valve on the left side. Adhere the gauge with the red hose to the high-pressure valve on the right side.^[xi]

   • Go out the center valve open for now; that is where you'll connect the xanthous hose to feed the refrigerant into the system.

4. four

   Plow the AC unit back on and await about 15 minutes. After you turn the Air-conditioning back on, the unit will need to run for several minutes so that information technology can stabilize itself. You won't go an accurate reading on the refrigerant gauges until the AC has stabilised.

5. 5

   Open up the canister of refrigerant by twisting the spout on the bottom. Attach the xanthous hose to the refrigerant canister'south valve and attach the other end to the middle valve connection on your gauge. In that location volition exist a modest knob on the bottom of the refrigerant canister. Twist it several times to open up the refrigerant.^[12]

   • The middle valve is the one betwixt the bluish and red valve connections.

6. 6

   Open the blueish low-pressure valve on the left side. Open it for a few seconds, then close information technology. Open it for a few more than seconds, and then close information technology again. Continue doing this. You want to slowly allow small amounts of the refrigerant into the unit at a time until you lot reach your target subcooling temperature.

7. vii

   Sentry the judge until you lot attain the target subcooling temperature. The target subcooling temperature is stated on the outdoor unit rating plate. Utilise the estimate to monitor the temperature so you know when to shut the valve.^[13]

   • For instance, the rating plate might say something like "x caste TXV sub-cooling."

8. eight

   Turn off the valve and disconnect the approximate set. Once the target subcooling temperature is reached, plough the valve all the way off. Twist the knob on the refrigerant canister to stop refrigerant from going into the hose. Disconnect all of the hoses and the gauge set from the AC unit of measurement.^[14]

   • Since the unit is running during this process, there's no need to restart your unit afterward adding refrigerant.

9. 9

   Perform an electronic leak test to ensure safe functioning. You can buy an electronic leak detector at most home improvement stores and online. Each detector is slightly unlike, but in general you just need to run the tool along the refrigeration components to scan for a leak.^[15]

   • If you don't feel qualified to do this yourself, take a certified HVAC technician come out to examination the unit for y'all.

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Things You'll Need

• R-22 or R410A refrigerant
• Refrigerant estimate ready
• Blue, red, and yellowish hoses
• Electronic leak detector

About This Article

Article Summary X

Before yous add Freon to an Air-conditioning unit, brand sure to clean the air filter, blower wheel, and coils to ensure your unit is running smoothly. Then, put on some gloves and safety glasses to protect yourself from the Freon and plow off your Air conditioning. After it is off, hook up the refrigerant gauges to the valve connections. Turn the AC dorsum on and wait xv minutes and then you can go an accurate reading on the guess. Then, twist the spout of the bottom of the canister to open the refrigerant and let it fill up until you achieve the target subcooling temperature To acquire how to stay rubber while using Freon, keep reading.

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Put-Freon-in-an-AC-Unit

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