As long as there's been air conditioning, there's been Robinair, the global leader of automotive and HVAC/R air conditioning (A/C) refrigerant recovery, recycling and recharge tools, equipment and accessories. Vehicle manufacturers (OEMs), dealership service departments, auto repair shops, industrial and commercial contractors have turned to Robinair for A/C service products since 1956.How to Charge a Home AC Compressor With R-22 Most homes with an air conditioning system manufactured before January 1, 2010 use R-22 as the refrigerant. The AC compressor circulates the refrigerant through the system's pipes, metering devices and coils. AC systems with a low R-22 charge do not perform at peak efficiency. In a clean and sealed system, an R-22 charge of less than 58 psi forms ice on the evaporator coil -- the inside coil. If the AC system has clean, leak-free coils, a clean filter and both fans operating at the correct speed, then charging an AC with the correct amount of refrigerant maintains peak performance.

Turn on the air-conditioning system. Turn the thermostat to its coolest setting. Remove the caps covering the outside AC unit's R-22 refrigerant valves. These are found on the pipes entering the outside unit. Some valve covers twist off by hand, and some require an adjustable wrench. Screw an R-22 manifold gauge's left-hand hose onto the valve on the large refrigerant pipe. Only charge an AC system with gauges designed for R-22, as stated on the left-hand gauge. Screw an R-22 manifold gauge's right-hand hose onto the valve on the small refrigerant pipe. Purge the air from the manifold's hoses. Open each manifold handle for one second. The air in the hoses will exit the manifold's middle hose. Screw the R-22 manifold gauge's middle hose onto a jug of R-22 refrigerant. Turn the R-22 jug upright, so its valve faces upward. Open the R-22 jug's valve. This keeps the liquid refrigerant away from the valve. Let the system's refrigerant pressures equalize.

The needle on the left-hand gauge will stop falling, and the needle on the right-hand gauge will stop rising when the system has equalized. This can take from three to five minutes. Look at the psi reading on the left-hand gauge. If the gauge reads below 60 psi, then open the left-hand gauge's handle for 30 seconds. Allow the pressure to equalize. Repeat this until the psi reading reaches 60. Allow the system to run for five minutes. Place a thermometer on the large refrigerant pipe 6 inches from the service valve.cheap outside ac unit Take the thermometer's reading, called super-heat, once it has stopped dropping. free estimate car ac repair Find the refrigerant pressure that relates to the thermometer's reading.can you run a window ac unit in the rain

If the manifold's left-hand gauge has a temperature scale next to the psi scale, then use it. If not, then use a pressure/temperature chart -- called a P/T chart. Compare the super-heat reading to the gauge's psi reading. If the super-heat reading is more than 20 degrees above the P/T chart's reading, then add R-22 until the super-heating reading reaches the optimal range -- between 8- and 18-degree super-heat, depending on the environmental conditions. Many technicians charge the system until it has a 12-degree super-heat; about 70 psi at 85 F. If the super-heat reading is below 7 degrees, then the system usually has an overcharge, a stuck metering device or a dirty coil. Close the R-22 jug's valve. Then disconnect all of the hoses, and replace the service valve caps. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: What You Should Know About Refrigerants When Purchasing or Repairing a Residential A/C System or Heat Pump High Performance HVAC: HVAC Refrigerant Pressure Temperature Chart

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Guide: Charging Air Conditioning Systems G&S Mechanical Services: How to Add or Charge Freon or Refrigerant to Your Air Conditioning Equipment You May Also Like The tools needed for charging a system with R-410A are different from those used for R22 charging. How to Use the... How to Charge a R-410A System. How to Change the Heat Pump From R22 to 410A. How to Check Refrigerant Charge.... If your home HVAC unit is not cooling properly, it may need to be recharged, which means you need to refill your... A vehicle owner who wishes to charge his air conditioning system ... How to Read R22 Gauges. Central air conditioning units ...... Part of the series: Car Air Conditioning Repair. What is the Proper Charge for a Car Air Conditioner? Car Air Conditioner... A refrigerant overcharge problem occurs when a technician puts too much refrigerant into the A/C system. It is essential for proper operation... 5 Small Entryway Decorating Ideas

How to Find Out If I Am Low on AC Refrigerant How to Calculate Superheat and Subcooling About R22 Refrigeration Gauges How to Use C-manifold Gauges on Home Air Conditioning How to Calculate R-22 Low Pressure How to Clean the Evaporater Coil on Central A We received a question about the potential decline of the R22 Dry Charge units after the 2015 efficiency regulations go into effect and thought others might want to read about this topic. The new efficiency standards going into effect on 1/1/15 do not really address any questions about refrigerants directly.  However, we believe the new regulations will have some indirect effects on demand for R22 dry charge systems since almost all of the dry charge units today are 13 SEER and there will be restrictions on where 13 SEER can be used after the regulations change.  Based on what we have heard from the DOE, there is an 18 month grace period, ending on 6/30/16, to install products built prior to 1/1/15. 

Any system built after 1/1/15 must meet the new efficiency standards for affected regions.  Under these new efficiency standards, all heat pumps must be 14 SEER or higher for all regions, irrespective of the refrigerant used, after the 18 month grace period.  All unitary split AC systems in the South and Southwest regions must also meet the 14 SEER or higher standard but they only have to be 13 SEER or higher in the North region, also irrespective of the refrigerant.  Thus, it would appear that after the grace period, R22, 13 SEER, dry charge unitary split AC systems will only be allowed in the North region. There is nothing pending to our knowledge that will restrict the ability to install those last remaining R-22, dry charge 13 SEER AC models into the North but we do know that all the other regions and all heat pumps for all regions must be 14 SEER.  After the grace period, any dry charge units for those regions and any heat pumps for any region must be 14 SEER, irrespective of refrigerant used.