How To Remove Freon From Car At Home (Step-By-Step)

To remove Freon from the car, you don’t need to be a professional car mechanic, But you have to be careful. If you can take some steps properly, you will be able to drain Freon from car at home.

Knowing how to remove Refrigerant from car ac will let you learn more about your car air conditioner. Removing Freon from the car at home is a DIY skill that will save you money and give you more insights about your car A/C.

What is Freon

Freon is a non-combustible gas. The Chemours Company resisted the Freon trademark. Freon is used as a refrigerant in air conditioning applications. Freon became synonymous with the word Refrigerant; that’s why people get confused. Freon cycles through liquid and gas phases and works to regulate your car’s temperature. Whether you get cool air from home air conditioning or your car air conditioning both air conditioners, use Freon to produce cool air.

Simply, Freon or Refrigerant is the chemical used to produce cool air from a car’s air conditioner. Without Freon, your car won’t be able to produce cold air; that’s why you have to check if your car AC needs to be recharged. Many car owners and auto mechanics say R134a as Freon, and this is totally right. That’s enough to know about Freon or Refrigerant.

How does Freon Work

Freon, it’s just a gas that helps your air conditioner to keep blowing cold air. The Freon goes through an evaporation process in your car. Whether it’s your car air conditioning or your home air conditioning, both have a compressor (Known as A/C compressor) that compresses the Freon or Refrigerant gas. An AC compressor is a crucial part of your car air conditioning system. A bad compressor can make your air conditioners clicking noise and prevent AC from processing cold air.

Freon is a cold substance, but when the air conditioning compressor compresses, Freon gets hot, but not for a long time. A coil in your air conditioning makes Freon cool again and eventually converts Freon into liquid. This liquid needs to go through an expansion valve of your car air conditioner, which consistently makes it cooler until this liquid evaporates and turns into a gas again.

That’s how the Freon works. You may have heard about overcharging car A/C; this actually means you put an excessive amount of Refrigerant or Freon in your air conditioning. And it’s not a good practice, that’s why you should avoid it.

How To Remove Freon From Car At Home

In order to remove Freon from the car at home, you will need an AC recovery machine. AC recovery machines can recover and recycle the cooling substance in the vehicle. When the recovery machine recycles and removes the Refrigerant, it’s done.

Here are 3 step processes to release Freon from the car at home:

Step 1: Connect The Service Hoses And Find The Low-Pressure Service Port
Step 2: Start The Recovery Machine
Step 3: Disconnect The Recovery Machine

Step 1: Connect The Service Hoses And Find The Low-Pressure Service Port

After taking proper safety procedures, now bring your recovery machine in front of your car. Connect the service hoses of your recovery machine to the car air conditioning service ports.

After connecting the service hoses to your AC’s service port, find the low-pressure service port in your car. The easiest way to find the Low-Pressure service port is to follow the hoses and line assembly, which runs from the back of your car air conditioner’s compressor to the cylinder.

If you follow the hoses and line assembly, you will find the low-pressure line on the back of your A/C compressor and on the low-pressure line, you will find the low-pressure service port. Keep in mind; there you will find two service lines: A low-Pressure line and another one is High-pressure line. The High-pressure line is a smaller one.

Tips: The Low-pressure service port is not positioned on the same line in every vehicle. In many vehicles, you will find a Low-pressure service port directly on the A/C compressor. So, check that in your own car.

In this YouTube video you will see how you can find Low-pressure service port in you car:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlsRhkasdCQ&ab_channel=ACPRO

Step 2: Start The Recovery Machine

Hopefully, you have located the Low-pressure service port, and you may connect the recovery machine to the air conditioner’s service ports.

The refrigerant recovery machine work is simple, pull out all the Freon or Refrigerant from your car air conditioning. When you hook up the refrigerant recovery machine’s Schroeder valves to your air conditioning, it will create a vacuum and sucks all the Freon out of your car AC system.

Now, you just need to run the recovery machine, and the recovery machine will remove the Freon vapor and non-condensable gases from the car AC system.

Still, some of the cooling substances will be in liquid form, but that’s fine because your recovery machine will turn them into vapor eventually. You just need to allow the recovery machine more time to the system’s pressure, and the machine pressure system leads the liquid into vapor.

The Freon is now out of the internal pressure. The recovery machine will shut off automatically when the system gets completely empty. Leave your refrigerant recovery machine for a little because if the pressure increases in the system, then the recovery machine will restart automatically and start pulling a vacuum.

Step 3: Disconnect The Recovery Machine

The final step of removing Freon from the car AC is disconnecting or unhitching the recovery machine from the service port.

Remember you have to close the server hose valves before disconnecting the recovery machine. Otherwise, your car A/C compressor will get damaged, and when your A/C compressor gets damaged, the AC won’t blow cold air when the car’s idling or running. That’s why you should be careful when you disconnect the recovery machine.

Some old model recovery machines that can only be used to drain R-12 type of Freon need to shut off valves on the hose. But in the case of an R-134a Freon, you get a quick detachment system to prevalent refrigerant loss.

The Safety Procedure For Removing Freon From The Car

It would be best if you take proper safety measures while releasing Freon from the car. Another thing you should remember, Freon is a refrigerant gas; that’s why your proper safety is necessary.

Not only to let Freon out of car AC. Proper safety measures require anything you do in your vehicle.

• Before taking any action, wear hand gloves, and safety goggles.
• Check the Freon level in the car (if possible).
• You will need an assistant during the process. so you should keep that in mind.
• Release the compressor after vacating the Freon from the car air conditioner.
• Check well if the car is not on.

What Should You Know to Drain Freon From Car

Now you know how to remove Freon from the car. If you follow these simple steps then, eliminating Freon will be very easy for you. You just need to follow them correctly.

Here are some points you should know when you bleed Freon from car AC:

• If any Freon is left in the air conditioning system, you should not disconnect any hoses because Freon is bad for you and the environment. Freon is a chemical that increases greenhouse gases.
• Releasing Freon on the air without any proper reason is illegal in some states and countries. You must dispose of Freon properly.
• Some governments require EPA Certification to release Freon from car air conditioners.

You should not remove Freon on your own if your area has a law that requires a certificate. After all, we always need to follow our laws and care about our planet.

Another thing you should know is that removing Freon from the car without a recovery machine is not a safe way to drain Freon from your car. You already know that refrigerant gas is harmful to our environment and to our planet. There are high chances of getting Freon out of the air conditioning and mixed with air if you try removing Freon from the car without a refrigerant recovery machine. That’s why we should always try to drain Freon from the car with a recovery machine.

How To Remove Freon From Car Without Recovery Machine

You may know already that removing Freon from a car is a DIY skill, and you also know that if you can’t remove Freon from a car properly, it can harm our environment. That’s why you also need to consider our environment while you drain Freon from car.

Without a recovery machine, you cannot remove Freon from the car correctly because some excess freon will be left after releasing Freon from the car. And if that excess refrigerant you won’t drain from the car air conditioning, it can become an issue in your car, and here the recovery machine does that job for you.

You should remove Freon from car without a recovery machine, not only for excess Freon in the car AC but also for eliminating Freon efficiently and properly. Freon can come out from the AC and mix with environmental air if you remove refrigerant without a recovery machine. On the other hand, Freon won’t be able to come out from car air conditioning if you remove it from using a recovery machine.

Some car owners or auto mechanics might try to remove Freon from the car without a recovery machine, but it cannot be successful. That’s why any auto repair shop or car manufacturer does not suggest you remove the Freon from the car without recovering the machine.

How To Remove Freon From Car With Vacuum Pump

Removing Freon from the car with a Vacuum pump is another way to drain Freon from the car. But, draining Freon from the car with a vacuum pump is not the safest and proper way to do it; the recovery machine would be safe and sound. That’s why I always recommend you remove Freon from the car using a recovery machine.

By connecting the vacuum pump and low-pressure service port in your car and then starting your vacuum pump, a few moments later, you will see that the vacuum pump will remove the Freon vapor and non-condensable gases from the car AC system. Make sure your Vacuum pump works efficiently and adequately to bleed Freon from your car’s air conditioning system.

You might see there is some excess Freon still left in the AC system. These Freon won’t be removed without a recovery machine. The vacuum pump can’t let Freon out of your car AC., and when you remove your car air conditioning, it’s necessary to take Freon out completely.

On the other hand, if excess Freon increases the pressure, the recovery machine can feel that pressure, and it will automatically start again and remove them immediately.

Recommendation: Go to an auto shop or get a recovery machine in your home and then try to drain r134a or Freon from your car. Many auto shops give you the first one or two, removing Freon from your car for free. You can try those offers and flush Freon out of your car.

Can I Remove Refrigerant From My Car’s AC?

Removing Refrigerant or recharging Refrigerant from the air conditioner should always be accurate. Even a simple amount of extra Refrigerant in the air conditioner can bring some issues like car shaking and many others. So, always be careful when you are working with a car air conditioner system.

Many experts and professional car mechanics talked about this several times and gave many different answers. But I will tell you from my own experience. So let’s explain it to you.

If you do this the first time in your life, you should remove freon from the car with an expert who often did this at home. By concerning the flammable issue and environmental responsibility, removing Refrigerant from car AC is entirely illegal. But, if you do this with an expert and feel it safe and risk-free, then try it in your home garage.

We should always be more careful about our cars. If you are more careful about your car being damaged, You must go to a licensed repair shop or a removing Freon expert who has a Freon removing license. For doing this, you hand overall responsibility to a professional.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does it cost to remove Freon from the car?

Most of the time, freon replacements cost between $180 – $260 at the garages, with the freon itself costing between $50 – $120. The air conditioner freon is responsive for cooling down your car and keeping the occupants comfortable during use. Freon needs to be replaced regularly and properly

How much Refrigerant does a car need?

Typically a standard car air conditioning system needs not more than three pounds of liquid freon. If you didn’t change before then, you should talk to your car manufacturer’s customer care office or talk to a car mechanic to be sure. Every type of car needs different amounts of r134a.

How many cans of freon does a car hold?

Under the hood, you will see the engine and engine components there, and you will find a label that will tell you how many cans of freon your car can hold. Most of the car’s need R134a refrigerant for their air conditioning. How many cans of freon for a car depends on the size of a car’s AC system. Average a car can hold three cans.

What kind of Refrigerant does a car AC need?

Modern vehicles are using R-134a refrigerant (also known as HFC-134a). On the other hand, an older vehicle’s air conditioning system relies on an R-12 Refrigerant. Car’s AC refrigerant or freon types can be changed.

How long does it take for freon to settle in a car air conditioner?

Settling freon in a car air conditioner depends on the freon level. Freon takes Up to 30 minutes to 1 hour to settle in a car air conditioner. It would always be helpful if you wait maximum times before running your car and starting your car air conditioning.

Can I use the same Freon in my car as well in my home?

You cannot use the same Refrigerant for car and home air conditioners. You better remember the difference in size between home and car air conditioners. Your home AC unit can use R-22 or R-410a or possibly more choices depending on the unit’s size. On The other hand, Your vehicle is using R-12, Freeze-12, R-13a refrigerant.

Final Thought

Removing Freon from the car at home isn’t as hard as you might think. If you follow these steps, you will be able to remove the Freon from your car’s air conditioner easily.

So I have discussed all the steps you need to follow to remove Freon from the car by using an ac recovery machine. Always remember that safety is fast, and follow all the safety measures mentioned earlier.

I know finding a Freon recovery machine is hard due to some facts. Many areas require certification to remove Freon from a car because they want to protect our environment and ensure the process goes the proper way.

Now It’s Your Turn

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