Thanks everyone for the help! I said 2 minutes, but I was a little off. I held it for around 6 minutes probably. The thing that bothered me, was that once the compressor had enough pressure to turn on, it wouldn't drop the reading from the can, indicating that it wasn't actually taking a charge. When it was running, the gauge wasn't dropping in pressure like I normally see, so I splurged and got a new compressor from Advance. It took a charge this time, and performed as I expected with regards to pulling in freon, hitting the low pressure switch, getting more in the system, and cycling until it was full. I think that it ended up with about 60 psi (or however it is measured) after I was done filling it. I saw somewhere on the net say that a good temperature to blow out of the vent is around 50 degrees, so I grabbed a meat thermometer, threw it into the vent, and turned it on. Outside ambient was 85 degrees, and the vent was blowing 60 degrees exactly. I'm not sure if that is good or not. The other thing I wanted to ask, is since I only charged the freon, is there a chance I still have air in the system that could cause damage to the components? Should I take it to a shop and have them do an evac and recharge, or is there something I can do myself that would be the same thing? Thanks in advance! For the charge I did today, it took about 2 of the smaller refrigerant cans, and I just used one of the tiny hoses with a gauge that plugs into the low side of the accumulator.

 

Nobody pulled a vacuum on these systems? Having air (Non-condensables) in the system raises the overall system pressure, lowers efficiency, ect. The moisture in the air in the system mixes with everything else in the system and creates acid. The oxygen in the system causes oxidation.

If the system wasnt evacuated, it wont last long.

 

Thanks kristoph, that is what I was looking for. Is there anyway I can get what I need to do that task from advance auto parts?

 

To properly evacuate a system, you need a vacuum pump. I would strongly suggest doing a google search on system evacuation. The only thing that belongs in a refrigerant system is 1. refrigerant, 2. oil, and 3. possible a leak detector dye.

Anything thing else is considered a contaminant and will reduce efficiency and shoten system life.

I would try to see if you could rent a vacuum pump. I own mine but thats because it is part of my career. Not everyone needs to have one.

Good luck!

 

Would something like this be what I would need: Buy FJC Inc Vacuum Pump and Gauge FJCKIT6 at Advance Auto Parts

Advance has a special, I could pick it up for just a few dollars more than what a shop would charge me to do it. Would this be what I could use to clean out the refrigerant in the system? Is buying this to do an a/c job or two a year worth it?

 

Yea that would do it, but for as often as your going to use it Im not entirly sure its worth spending the money. Explore your options. If you feel its worth it then by all mean get some training so you can do it right. If you do your buddies car without proper training, he either wont be your buddy very long or you will regret even trying to do him a favor. Its not rocket science, but it does require training. You also need to look at the lagalities of accepting money for the work. You will need your epa certification if youre doing this as a side business. Trust me, dont mess with the EPA!
Good luck!

 

The cheap pumps don't last. I had a cheap pump at first and it pulled down to 30 microns the first few times, but then wouldn't pull past 20microns and that was with oil changes after each use. Now I just borrow a Robinair 15600 from a fellow firefighter who does HVAC work at a local college. Works great and is used often. I'll be buying another one pretty soon though. I'm going to be making some molds for fiberglass parts soon and vacuum molding will make for stronger parts!

 

Only bad thing about usuing a HVAC vacuum pump for vacuum molding is that they are dirt slow. Usually the largest is about 5 cfm. But the sure do go deep! I know the concept of vacuum molding but what are the requirements of the vacuum pump?

Dang it, I think is thread jacked!

So yea......the get back on track......A cheap pump will work, just dont know for how long. Changing the oil is very important with them. You might want to consider a used pump at a flea market. You can pretty much judge from appearance what sort of life it has lived.

 

Cool. I'll take that advise. It looks like it's ok for now (temperature wise) and since I've had a couple of other issues just jump up, I think I'm going to have to switch gears for a little while. Hopefully by the time I get back to the AC, I'll be able to find a cheap high quality pump.