What Is Air Conditioning?
The air conditioning system in your vehicle isn’t just there to make the air cold during summer.
Air conditioning uses a system made up of a compressor, a condenser and a circuit of pipes filled with refrigerant to remove both heat and humidity from the air that enters your vehicle from the outside and flows through the vents inside your vehicle.
This is great for those hot, humid days in summer as it reduces the moisture and temperature of the air in your car. But it also has its advantages in winter.
A properly functioning air-con system can also help to speed up the process of demisting your windows in winter when you want to get your screen clear as quickly as possible in the mornings.
How Does Air Conditioning Work?
As previously stated, refrigerant is pumped through a circuit of pipes by a compressor, which is usually driven by your alternator belt.
The refrigerant is pushed through a condenser, which is like a small radiator through which all the air that enters your car is passed through.
Unlike a conventional radiator which uses the air flowing through it to remove heat from the liquid passing through it, the condenser uses the refrigerant passing through it to cool and dehumidify the air that flows through it into your vehicle’s interior.
If your car doesn’t have enough refrigerant, your condenser becomes ineffective and will not remove as much heat or humidity from the air entering your vehicle
Are There Different Types of Refrigerant?
In short, yes. There are two main types of refrigerant used in vehicle air conditioning systems.
The first, and most common is known as R134A, sometimes referred to as “old gas”.
This has been an industry standard gas since the 1990’s. It was introduced to replace its predecessor (R12) as it did not contain chlorine and is less harmful to the ozone.
The second most common refrigerant used is R1234YF, sometimes referred to as you guessed it… “new gas”.
This gas is used in newer vehicles and was created to further reduce the damage done to the environment by R134A gas.
Due to the fact that R1234YF gas is not as popular at the moment and has not been produced at such a scale, the cost of regassing an R1234YF system is significantly higher than the cost of regassing an R134A system.
Signs Your Air Conditioning Needs Regassing
There are 3 big indicators that your air conditioning is lacking refrigerant and needs to be regassed.
1. Your Air-Conditioning Doesn’t Blow As Cold As It Used To
This is an obvious one as it’s the first thing you’ll notice.
A freshly gassed air-con system will have your car feeling like a fridge in minutes. If your car doesn’t drop significantly in temperature, or at all, this is a sign that you’re low on refrigerant and need to get regassed.
2. Your Windscreen Takes a Long Time To Demist In the Winter
During the winter months when your vehicle has condensation on the inside of the windscreen in the morning, one of the quickest ways to clear your screen is to put the upward blowers on full heat, with recirculation and the AC on.
As we said before, the air-con system on your car doesn’t just remove heat from the air entering your car, it also removes moisture, which is why your screen is misted in the first place.
If you follow the steps above but your windscreen still takes ages to demist, this may also be a sign that you need to have your air-con regassed.
3. You Can’t Remember the Last Time You Had Your System Regassed
Generally, your vehicle’s air-con system should be regassed every two years.
If you think it has been longer than that, or you’ve just bought a car and have no service histroy, you may want to get your air-con checked, just to be sure.
This is especially true if you have an electric vehicle as the refrigerant system is also used to keep your EV battery cool.
Think You Need To Have Your Air-Con Regassed?
If you want cool, dry air flowing through your vents, get in touch for a free quote.
We can regas you vehicle with R134A for as little as £50+VAT and R1234YF for as little as £120+VAT.
Not only that but we’ll also include a full leak and pressure test to make sure your gas stays in your system for as long as possible.
We also offer a decontamination service for £20+VAT to remove any bacteria and impurities lurking in your vents that can lead to a bad smell and adversely affect those with respiritary conditions.
To get a free quote, all you have to do is call us, email us, or use the contact form below…
