"Backbone" > wrote in message
...
> Unless your a certified A/C tech!! Your going to need to take it in! Any
> type of A/C service almost always requires a certified A/C tech to work on
> the A/C system.
>

This isn't true, A/C work is like any other repair, it takes some
specialized tools and know how but it can easily be done at
home.

The only issue with A/C work is that if your are breaking into
a fully charged system, legally you must have the refrigerant
reclaimed, that is generally beyond the capabilities of a home
shadetree mechanic. However the fact of the matter is that
most of the time that an A/C system fails, the system fails due
to a leak, so there isn't refrigerant in the system when you go
to work on it.

All the same it is important to never treat an A/C system as
discharged. About 6 months ago I was in a wrecking yard,
a U-pull-it, looking for a condensor and hoses and such for
my '94 T&C. I found a wrecked van that had everything I
needed and happily set to removing the A/C hoses. When I
unbolted the first hose the system exploded in my face - it
was still charged (a serious violation, I will state as wreckers
are required by law to evac A/C systems on any vehicle they
take in) Fortunately I was wearing glasses and the oil and
refrigerant didn't damage my eyes as a result. I was pretty
surprised and even more embarassed that I had taken for
granted that the system was discharged. The silver lining
was that I knew then that all hoses, condensor, compressor,
and accumulator were still good, so I took all of them.

I will say also one other thing about the recovery requirements.
Back in the good old days before we knew that R12 was
destroying the ozone layer, everybody just vented auto A/C systems
to atmosphere, nobody recovered them. The laws that came in
mandating recovery were a good thing then, when R12 was in use.
But when R12 was banned, it was replaced with R134a that was
supposed to be environmentally friendly. That is why you can buy
cans of R134a in the store. But the laws mandating recovery
are still on the books. Why, is a very good question. Some
claim now that R134a is environmentally damaging. However,
asthma inhalers are charged with R134a, and electronic freeze
spray is R134a, neither of these ventings of R134a are recovered.
And, R134a is also used a a propellent for blown insulation,
where once again it is not recovered either when it outgasses
from the insulation. And I believe it is also used in hairspray.
So while I agree in principle that it probably is a good thing to
err on the side of caution and recover refrigerant, I think it is a
rather rediculous
law since there's tons of R134a that is legally released to the
atmosphere with other products. It's like legally mandating the
little dutch boy to stick his finger in a dike that has as many
holes in it as swiss cheese.

If you do want to follow the law, some A/C places will recover
your refrigerant for free - because they make money selling their
recovered R134a to refineries.

Ted