A/C recharge

My A/C works but I live in AZ and colder is better. Are DIY kits worth the energy and cost?

 

Nope, can't recover old freon and pull vac on the system. Pulling a vac and getting any moisture out is important. Spend the $150 and have a dealer or another reputable shop do it the right way.

 

Agreed. My compressor just took a dump and now I'm rebuilding my whole ac system (not the most fun i've ever had in my life). When they recovered my refrigerant they only got 11oz out, half of what should be in there. I don't know much about these systems, but I suspect the loss of refrigerant (and oil) contributed to the failure. A proper recover, vacuum, and charge will ensure you have proper fluid levels in the system as well as remove moisture (as mentioned above). For me, this is now one of those 'pay someone else to do it right' maintenance items.

 

I think your asking if the do it yourself recharge kits will make your ac colder, If your system has a full charge adding 134 will not make it any colder
you need a set of gauges to tell if its fully charged..................

 

And you also need to know how to read those gauges. If you just go by the low side and there is a restriction in the system, you will over-charge the AC. Those AC recharge kits with a gauge only show the low side. IMO they are bad news, as is the leak stop crap.

 

Good point, the hi side reading is also important..................

 

Adding more refrigerant will actually make it blow hotter air. That's the opposite of low refrigerant charge freezing the evaporator. Low charge too cold evaporator, excess charge too hot evaporator.

 

Just say No to the DIY AC Recharge Cans.