Air conditioning is a modern automotive miracle when it's working. And when it's not working, you'll feel like a punk for having paid for a luxury item you can no longer use. Luckily, recharging your car's A/C system is easy enough—and it's even easier once you understand the basics of how your car's air conditioning system works.What we have here is yet another excellent video from YouTube's Engineering Explained, a delightfully nerdy series wherein host Jason Fenske breaks down complex automotive systems and explains them in a simple, visual way that you'll totally understand.This air conditioning explanation gets a little technical at times—Fenske uses symbols for pressure and temperature that you probably haven't seen since high school chemistry. All that you really need to remember is this: Any time a compressed liquid is released and turns into a gas, the process absorbs energy, meaning it sucks in heat. That's why the propane gas bottle under your grill gets cold to the touch while you're cooking. 

There's a tiny catch to this video: It's basically one long commercial for AC PRO, an air conditioning recharge kit. But if your car's getting older, it might be time to recharge your air conditioning anyway, and Fenske's explanation of how to do that is stone simple and makes the whole thing look easy. building hvac unitsYou don't have to buy the brand of AC refrigerant he's selling—the information is free. ac power supply safetyAnyway, here's exactly how the air conditioner in your car (or your house, or your refrigerator, or your freezer) works, and how to DIY recharge it. cost of new heating and air conditioning unitWith a hot summer ahead, this knowledge will keep you cool. This Ultra-Rare 1991 Carrera RS Is Worth As Much as a Brand-New 911 Turbo S

The Coolest BMW 7 Series Ever Made Is for Sale, and It Has a Manual It Isn't Illegal for a Dealer to Charge You "Too Much" for a Car The S54-Powered BMW E30 M3 Wagon of Your Dreams Is for Sale It Takes 40 Hours to Detail a Lamborghini Countach This Grafitti-Covered BMW E30 M3 Desperately Needs to Be Saved Now's Your Chance to Buy a Real Humvee From Uncle Sam Holy Crap: There's a Road-Legal McLaren P1 GTR For Sale Ten Things to Know Before Buying an SW20 Toyota MR2 Here's Your Chance to Own an Alpina-Tuned BMW 2000tii TouringThe requested URL /vbb/showthread.php?166147-How-to-properly-charge-A-C-unit-in-the-winter-time was not found on this server.Air conditioners use gas coolant to cool the air in your home. Central air conditioners are designed to continually cool the home to the desired temperature of the homeowner. The coolants they use are supposed to last the lifetime of an air conditioner, but accidental damage, wear and tear, contaminants and other issues can spring up.

In these cases, the air conditioner may need a charge of coolant after the issues are fixed. Determining the issue in advance, however, can help you avoid adding coolant to the unit if it actually doesn’t need it. The Thermostat The thermostat is the first place to look if you suspect that the air conditioner may have lost its charge of coolant. In addition, sometimes units merely need a reset to trigger the electronic elements of the system. To start, set the thermostat to around 85 degrees and wait half an hour or so, then adjust it to around 60 degrees and wait for the unit to kick on. If the house begins to cool, it was simply a reset. You can also reset the unit directly at the source or flip the breaker to the AC unit. Additionally, inspect the thermostat unit itself by removing the plate cover to see if any of the components within are sticking due to humidity buildup or dust. The Vents If the vents are blowing room-temperature air, or warm air, rather than cold after you clean the thermostat and reset the unit, this is a sign that your coolant might be out of charge in the air conditioner.

You check this by holding your hand in front of the vents and feeling for warm air. Give the machine at least 15 minutes to see if maybe it was just residual air coming out of the vent system as it makes its way throughout your home. If the air still isn’t cold, it is a sign that you could need to call a technician for a coolant charge. Frost Buildup The coolant used in air conditioner units is in gaseous form that can freeze elements it comes into contact with. Leaks are easily spotted because there will be frost buildup around connectors, such as where the coolant tank connects to the air conditioner. The buildup can also be on the surrounding hoses, tubes, fan motors and beyond. If you have already reset the unit, checked the thermostat and verified that it’s still blowing warm air, it could that you have a leak and there is no more coolant in the system. Frozen components are proof that there is a leak and the coolant is escaping the system rather than cooling the air. Inspection Air conditioning units should be cleaned regularly to keep dirt and debris from building up within the machine.

All units have filters, but the filters can become clogged over time. Additionally, outdoor units can have the covering panels come loose from wind during a storm, which will blow debris into the unit. This can cause the fans to stop working, thus resulting in no air being pushed through the vents, or it can clog the air filter and reduce the air flow, which will lower the cooling effect the unit has on your home. Before you automatically blame the coolant system, check your system for dirt and debris and give everything a good cleaning. If the unit still doesn’t push cold air after that, call a technician to recharge the system. Photo Credits Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionHow to keep your car cool inside and under the hoodYour air conditioning system is tasked to keep the cabin comfortable, while the radiator keeps the equipment under the hoodtemperature-regulated. Here, we provide some projects that, along with your car's maintenance schedule, will help ensure that you and your ride don't bake this summer!