What Is Car Air Conditioning Regassing?
Is your air con system is not blowing as cold as should, this is an indication that it needs to be regassed. Regassing involves the removal of the old refrigerant gas from your unit and replacement with a new refrigerant. Varying weather and climatic conditions can gradually affect your car. Ensuring that your car’s interior is as comfortable as possible is part of taking care of your vehicle.
The evaporator is among the vital components of your vehicle’s air conditioning system. It is specially designed to eliminate the heat from inside the car and is an essential part of cooling and interior comfort. For this reason, it is the component that is most prone to corrosion from harmful acids. When corrosion occurs, your evaporator is often beyond repair.
Regular air con maintenance will ensure that this does not occur. The unit comprises of electrical wires, compressors, condensers and other advanced components. As such, it is crucial that you keep it repaired and regassed by an air conditioning specialist for optimal efficiency.
How Often Should You Get Your Car Aircon Regassed?
Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that you service or regas your car’s air conditioning system every 1-2 years. There are some vehicles with air con units that can go for more than five years without needing to be regassed. That being said, it is recommendable that you service the unit due to the compressor. This is the belt-driven device that transfers the refrigerant into the condenser.
Even top of the range cars will exhibit about 10 % gas loss in the air conditioning unit each year thus leading to less cold air. Also, keep in mind that a poorly functioning unit will work your engine harder, therefore, resulting in increased fuel consumption.
You should ideally treat your air conditioning system as you would do to your engine or any other aspect of your car. You do not take your vehicle for a service after the engine had died. As such, it is not worth putting off an air-con system check. Regular maintenance will help you avoid potential problems in future.
Leaking Car Air Conditioning System
You may not see the leak, but an improperly functioning unit can be a sign of a leakage. This is particularly evident in older cars. A specialist has the expertise and tools to detect any leaks. The specialist will also inspect several things during air-con servicing.
These include:
- Drive belts pulleys
- Hoses
- Valve and thermostat operation
- Condenser temperature
- Suction line temperature
- Air vent temperature
