Air Conditioning Service Shrewsbury Shropshire

Mobile Air Conditioning

On site vehicle air conditioning regas service in & around Shrewsbury Shropshire

Checking your car air conditioning works

Does your vehicle blow warm air from vents?

Car air conditioning cools the hot environment inside your vehicle by exchanging heat to refrigerant.
Refrigerant is pumped around the air conditioning system by operation of the air conditioning compressor.
Refrigerant changes state from gas to liquid and vice versa depending on pressure and temperature.
If the passenger compartment inside your car is too hot because warm air is coming out of the vents then the car air conditioning is not working properly. A thermometer can be used to measure the air temperature inside your car and compared to the outside temperature.
If the aircon is working then the inside temperature will be lower than the outside air temperature.

Vehicle interior temperatures can rise above 50 degrees Centigrade in hot weather due to sunlight radiation through cab glass combined with hot passengers and engine heat.

Air conditioning works by thermodynamics , operating correctly aircon transfers heat from air inside the car to the outside of the vehicle providing a cool cabin.
Cool environments can be achieved when blown air vent temperatures provide a fresh cool chill when the aircon is working efficiently.

Car Air Conditioning Settings

Best chill is usually achieved by closing windows and doors, switching the air conditioning on, and setting aircon climate control temperature to coldest.
Blower fan speeds should be set to maximum.
Car heater vent controls should be set to recirculation mode to make best effect of the cabin air conditioner.

How do I tell what gas my car air conditioning uses?

Car air conditioning systems contain refrigerant. Type depends on manufacturer and vehicle age.
Many refrigerants exist and are given an 'R' number to identify type.

Car manufacturers data should identify the type of refrigerant specified for their system. A label may be fitted in the engine bay advising refrigerant type and refrigerant charge quantity.
Refrigerant identity can be confirmed by system operational temperature checks or using an electronic refrigerant identifier such as the Neutronics machine which analyses refrigerant type.

Refrigerant gas in the vehicle air conditioner system can be checked using pressure guages and sight glass.
An accurate assessment of refrigerant quantity may require recovery of refrigerant in to a cylinder, weighing, then recharge to correct weight, especially if refrigerant top up has been attempted using aftermarket kits.

R12

Use of R12 is banned. R12 (Freon) was found in older vehicle air conditioning systems. Substitute replacement refrigerants are available for classic vehicles

R134a

Most car air conditioning systems from around 1990 to 2017 use R134a refrigerant (1430 gwp). FGAS regulations require only qualified technicians to legally recover HFC refrigerants

HFO1234YF

Car air conditioning systems manufactured from 1 January 2017 are obliged to use low global warming potential (gwp) refrigerants of less than 150gwp.
Low gwp refrigerants used in modern cars include HFO1234YF.

R744

Certain german car air conditioning systems use Carbon Dioxide which operate at much higher pressures

How much is Car Aircon Regas in Shrewsbury ?

Different cars use different types and quantities of refrigerant.
Most garages advertise air conditioning regas 'From' a set price because refrigerant costs vary according to air conditioning system capacity.
A small family car air conditioner may have system capacity of 400 grams
Average family cars may have refrigerant capacity of 600-800g
Vehicles such as MPV's could be fitted with dual or rear air conditioning with refrigerant capacity of eg 1100g
PSV buses may have air conditioning systems containing aroung 6 kg of refrigerant.

If the air conditioning system on your vehicle is not working then refrigerant may have escaped due to leakage requiring further repairs.

Air Conditioning Maintenance

We supply a range of vehicle air conditioning maintenance services for Car Van Motorhome Truck and Tractor in the Shrewsbury Shropshire area.
Air conditioning system maintenance requires checks for refrigerant pressures and component condition.

Air Conditioning Refrigerant R134a Refrigerant Recovery

Air conditioners containing R134a refrigerant can only legally be filled or recovered by a qualified refrigerant handler holding Fgas certification. Refrigerant should be recovered before a vehicle air conditioning system is dismantled

Check for Refrigerant Leaks : Nitrogen pressure testing

A Nitrogen pressure test may be used to check the air conditioning system will hold pressure before refrigerant gas is added. Nitrogen pressure testing can also be used to locate air conditioning leaks.

Evacuation of system and Vacuum hold test

Air conditioning systems are placed in to vacuum during maintenance.
Moisture causes problems in air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Moisture can freeze causing blockage by ice leading to air conditioning system failure.
Evacuation is placing the system under vacuum by using a vacuum pump.
Once the air conditioning system is held in vacuum then moisture is boiled off and sucked out by the vacuum pump.
A vacuum hold test involves locking off the air conditioner system whilst under vacuum for a time period,
vacuum loss indicates that air is entering the air conditioning system and that a leak exists.
Most automatic air conditioning machines used by the motor trade leak test using the vacuum hold test method. Unfortunately ac systems may hold under vacuum but leak under pressure

Refrigerant air conditioning gas / liquid recharge

The air conditioning system is recharged with refrigerant to a specific quantity.
Vehicle air conditioning systems may require addition of special refrigerant (PAG or PAO) oil to provide lubrication for the vehicle air conditioning compressor.

Refrigerant Pressure and Temperature Checks

Refrigerant suction (Low side) and compressor discharge (High side) pressures are checked as the vehicle air conditioner is operated.
Refrigerant pressure and temperature checks can determine correct system operation.

Vent temperature test

Chilled air conditioning vent temperature checks with blower fans operating can help determine that the aircon system is cooling properly.
Air conditioner vent temperatures are best checked using a thermometer .
Best cooling effect is achieved when air conditioner vent controls are set to recirculation mode.
Blown air is conditioned by passing over the evaporator heat exchanger to remove heat and dehumidify to provide an icy cool refreshing breeze.

Refrigerant Leak Detection

Air conditioning refrigerant leaks may be located by a variety of test methods including bubble spray, electronic gas sniffer and ultraviolet dye

Ultraviolet dye addition

UV dye may be added to the vehicle air conditioning system to aid leak detection.
Should a future leak occur the UV dye will glow when illuminated by UV light.

Electrical and electronic testing of Vehicle Aircon system

Computerised control of air conditioning and climate control systems is common.
Sensors monitor refrigerant pressures and flow, compressor rpm speed, outside ambient and vent temperatures.
Faults with pressure, sensors, actuators, or wiring may cause a fault code to be logged in the air conditioning climate system control unit causing lock out, so preventing or limiting operation until fixed.

Antibacterial treatment of air conditioning

A variety of aftermarket products are available for optional extra anti bacterial treatment of the vehicle air conditioning system to remove odours and musty smells which can occur due to build up of moisture on the evaporator during cooling.

Air Conditioning Parts Supply Shrewsbury

A wide range of air conditioning system parts can be supplied to retail and trade customers including

Air Conditioning Compressors

Air Conditioning Condensers

Pollen Filters

Thermal Expansion Valves TXV

Receiver Dryer

Temperature Switches

Refrigerant

Auto electrical components

Mobile Air Conditioning and Autoelectrical Service covering Shrewsbury and Shropshire areas.

Telephone mobile 07703 558610 www.autoelectrics.net

Local Shropshire Vehicle Air Conditioning Mobile Service Areas : Shrewsbury

We welcome air conditioning enquiries.