Depending on the type of air conditioner in your car, you may already know that your AC loses its capacity over time. Therefore, the cooler will not be able to cool properly and you will have to recharge it with a new refrigerant.
When recharging the system, you will see two service ports, which are the high side and the low side. But, which one should you use to charge? How do you charge AC on the high or low side?
Don’t worry. In this article, we have come up with some solutions regarding these matters of charging your car AC. Continue reading to learn more.
Charging AC on the High or Low Side
In a general sense, you should simply use a low-side pressure port when you think of installing a new refrigerator on your AC. Most people install using a low port because of its simplicity and low pressure.
In case you evacuated the refrigerator or repaired it outside and now introducing it into the system, you should charge liquid into the liquid check port or the release measure port. Then, after starting the unit, you should change the vapor charging.
But, always remember that you can create a risk of damaging the value in the reciprocator compressor when you try to install the refrigerator on the low-pressure port. Besides, it is possible to clean out the oil from the blower sump. After doing all these things, the blower will be secured. However, always be careful with the gas as it can be dangerous for the human body.
As a matter of fact, the low side of the AC is actually the vacuum side. For this reason, the low side will suck the refrigerant out of the can. So, you don’t need any stunts for your refrigerant. That’s why most people prefer it for charging and the low side suits many general and commonly used in inexpensive car AC.
In contrast, the high side is made to create excess pressure in your can. What happens then? As the can is generally made with appropriate configuration and size, it will jump out the bottom after over pressurizing on the high side. Anyway, your can or hose can burst in this case too. But, that’s not a big problem when you need better results in a short period. Basically, charging on the high side is suitable for big machines.
If you really want to charge your AC on the high side, you should charge it carefully. However, there is a little bit of risk remained on the high side with refrigerant charging and sometimes it can damage your car system.
But, remember that, the charging process on the high side won’t work when the system is running. Why does it happen? Because the vanishing pressure in the canister will be lower than the head pressure out of the compressor. As a result, the head pressure of the compressor will push the refrigerant back to the canister and the charging process will be stopped. So, don’t start the system before charging on the high side.
On the other side, you will recharge on the low side in most conditions. You will just need to take proper measures so that you can decide the actual sum of requirements for a full recharge.
Effects of Charging On The High Side
When you charge on the high side, your can will get an abundance of pressure from the compressor. Identically, the can is appropriately made and cannot be over-pressurized. If you cross the limit of overpressure, the can will blow out the base and both your can and hose will explode. This means the harm is not only for the car system but also for you.
Not too often but sometimes attempting to charge on the high side can be too dangerous for you because of the explosion.
To get all the things done properly, you should keep in mind all calculating measures regarding the recharge on the high side. Without a doubt, the most important thing here is the pressure factor and ignorance of this fact can cause severe damage.
There is no excuse for getting it done yourself if you have any questions or uncertainty about how you will charge on the high side. Get a professional to assist you instead.
Effects of Charging On The Low Side
As a general car AC user, you should always charge on the low side. Because the effect of charging on this side is not so disastrous as on the high side. Using common sense is quite enough to recharge the AC.
Nevertheless, you should know the proper measurements of required angles, moistness, etc. In case you don’t know or cannot calculate these things, find somebody who is an expert in this matter.
If you charge on the low side with the wrong calculation, you won’t harm yourself, but it is strongly recommended to charge with the correct measurement to keep your AC safe.
Charging Temperature of AC
We highly recommend you skip charging when the air conditioning unit is lower than 75 degrees in temperature. Lower than this temperature is absolutely not suitable for recharging your vehicle’s AC.
At any cost, you should wait for topping off the refrigerant or Freon so that it heats up outside. When you finish behind the closed doors conditioner, the refrigerant’s weight will not be the same because of different temperatures. Recharging the air conditioner at cold temperatures may seem tricky because of its inaccurate readings. It happens by neglecting the actual weight, which results in wrong measurements.
Low temperatures are similarly confusing as you cannot determine how much is left in your system and how much you should add. Besides, you cannot decide other components’ amount required for recharge.
There might be some occasions when you can’t wait to make the temperature above 75 degrees. But, you must re-energize your car AC even if it is the coldest time of the year.
How will you respond to that situation? In such a case, you need to think like a professional. Your job will be flawless when you follow the right process and make the right decisions. In order to accomplish that, you should leave your car in the warm carport for some time. You will then simply get the refrigerant at your desired temperature when the air conditioning system gets warm.
AC Charging Process of Your Car
You should always hire an expert to charge your AC on the high side. We, therefore, skip the high-side charging process because it can differ based on many factors that can only be observed physically or practically on a specific system. Let’s see how you can charge your AC on the low side now by following the steps.
- First, know the ambient temperature. Charge only if the temperature is above 75 degrees.
- Secondly, find the low-side charging port, which is usually located on the line combining the blower and accumulator. Not to mention the high side, which is located between the condenser and the compressor. However, the high side fitting is also bigger than the low side.
- Thirdly, you will wipe away the dust using a clean cloth and open the cap from the assistance port.
- Then, attach the charging hose on the low side and check if it is attached properly for a safe charge.
- Now add the refrigerant to the system. To do this, follow the instructions which are mentioned in the refrigerant package.
- After that, you can start charging your AC using the refrigerant. Always make sure that the pressing factor and measurement are correct by monitoring the screen.
- Then, after completing the charge to the legitimate pressure, remove the charging hose and store the remaining refrigerant in a cool, dry spot.
- Finally, the whole charging process is now completed and you can reinstall the car AC for use again.
Final Speech
You now know you can charge the vehicle AC on either a high or a low setting. Although the high side is riskier than the low side, the high side is suitable for big machines due to its high pressure. A good expert can help you charge on the high side.
However, charge using the low side and follow the above steps to recharge properly. Be sure the cap on the AC service port is in good condition before reinstalling AC. That way, you can safely charge your AC without damaging the car.
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