A/C in a bottle

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coopns

coopns

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Scituate MA
I have seen those A/C recharge in a bottle. Are they effective? And, I go by some garages and they say "A/C recharge $79". What are they doing vs. the bottle?

My A/C is a bit weak, would you recommend a bottle? Certainly wouldn't hurt eh?

Thanks.
 
You can use a can and yes it is effective if used properly.
Buy a cheap gauge set to monitor the high and low side pressures.A small investment that can be used on any car that uses the type of refrigerant the gauge set is specified for(normally 134).Be sure you read the instructions and make sure you understand them before using it.
 
Most here will say that you are doing the system no good. If the AC is not blowing cold, you probably have a refrigerant leak, and adding more refrigerant is just a waste of money. A shop that services AC units would need to use UV to find where the leak is occurring.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Most here will say that you are doing the system no good. If the AC is not blowing cold, you probably have a refrigerant leak, and adding more refrigerant is just a waste of money. A shop that services AC units would need to use UV to find where the leak is occurring.

True, but with a minor leak the stop-leak that you can purchase with the refill kit can take care of the issue.

I've always refilled my own and never had another leak, unless a component had failed.
 
Exactly.Modern A/C systems don't hold as much refrigerant as they did years ago so over a long period of time its not uncommon that they loose 1/2 a pound or so which will lower the cooling performance.

This very slight weeping is nothing to get too worried about if it occurs over a long period.A larger leak on the other hand should be taken care of.
 
Originally Posted By: fredjacksonsan
True, but with a minor leak the stop-leak that you can purchase with the refill kit can take care of the issue.

I've always refilled my own and never had another leak, unless a component had failed.

Those stop leaks products always do more harm than good. Find the leak with UV dye and fix it then & forever.
 
The problem with the bottle is that you don't know how low the system is or how much to add.

The $4000 AC machine that a shop uses will remove any refrigerant, evacuate which removes air and moisture, adds oil if necessary then fills the system to the correct capacity with a very accurate scale.
 
I worked in a a/c shop while going through college, and most people who tried to recharge thier system with the bottle caused a lot of harm. When the pressure gets too high it can cause problems with major a/c componets. If your having a/c problems you need to investigate fully before throwing refrigerant at it? It may be a weak compressor, or a plugged orfice tube/expansion valve, or many other issues.
 
My 2 cars that had AC problems both have leaks (major) that needs component replacement to fix correctly. Then when done, needs to be vacuumed off its air in the system and then add new freon. The vacuuming is the reason why these AC in a bottle won't work for individual owners.
 
Over the counter AC sauce is very good.

It often is not implemented correctly by civilians.
Esp with R-134a systems, more is NOT better.

But it is not hard at all to do properly.
Acquire knowledge first, then dive in.
 
One thought - if you have a serious leak or opening in the AC system would you want to use the stop leak at all?

It seems that once the leak is fixed vacuum (sp?) will need to be pulled through the system before it is charged to ensure that there is no moisture in the AC system. Moisture is a quick killer of AC systems. Even if you can fix the leak yourself, and charge it yourself it would still be beneficial to have someone who can pull vac. on the system check it out - and they will typically charge it for you while they are doing that. My local shop runs a special in the summer for around $80, and I HATE letting anyone touch my car but me. AC is the only exception I make.

edit: I should have read the whole thread - Panda made my point before I did haha
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: mechtech2

Esp with R-134a systems, more is NOT better.

X2. 2oz too much will cause extreem high pressure and 2oz too little won't move the oil correctly which will starve the compressor of lube.
 
I went all summer last year without any ac. The compressor would not kick on. We got a bottle and a hose and filled it until the gauge pointed to the ambient temperature and I've had good AC for about 2-3 months now.

First we got a bottle from WALMART that had a moisture eliminator and oil in it. It took just enough of it to let the compressor kick on. The hose ended up being bad but somehow let the compressor kick on. After that we went to AUTOZONE and got the 18oz kit with a new hose and it took it very quickly and you could feel the bottle get cold while it discharged, the air was blowing cold too.

After that it was still low, so I got a can at OREILLEYs that had stop leak in it and it took a little over a half a can and took the gauge over ambient temp so I would hook the hose up crooked to drain off some and rehook it to check the gauge.
 
Keep in mind that what you add should have compressor oil in it as well, since if you've lost refrigerant, you've also lost oil.
 
Originally Posted By: coopns
I have seen those A/C recharge in a bottle. Are they effective? And, I go by some garages and they say "A/C recharge $79". What are they doing vs. the bottle?


Usually refrigerant recovery (EPA requirement), pulling a hard vacuum, measured refrigerant fill, and pressure/performance test.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28


First we got a bottle from WALMART that had a moisture eliminator and oil in it.
They never stop with the gimmics. Your dryer is the moisture holder. Theres no way to remove moisture with an addative. Moisture must be boiled out with a vacuum.
 
I bought a $20 bottle two years ago and the A/C still works fine. It's a 1994 car with 180k miles on it. I'm OK with the <$10 a year investment.
 
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