Recover Your Refrigerant

• 1
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  Allow the system internal pressures to stabilize by turning the A/C and car engine off. Open the hood and let the under-hood area cool to ambient temperature. Use a fan to speed the process, if necessary. Refrigerant pressure will reflect ambient temperature. High temperature will keep system pressures at unsafe levels.
  
  
• 2). Connect the correct recovery machine for your refrigerant to the system following the machine manufacturers instructions. The types of refrigerants used in passenger vehicles are R134-a and R-12. They are not compatible and should never be combined in recovery apparatus, or in an A/C system. The manifold gauge set required to use some recovery machines must also be dedicated to the specific refrigerant. Open the valve(s) of the service hose(s) according to machine instructions.
  
  
• 3). Activate the recovery process according to operation instructions for your recovery machine. Recovery will begin unless the recovery machine detects unsafe pressure levels. Continued cooling will be needed to reduce pressure in this event. The recovery process is accomplished in steps until the system is in a state of vacuum. The machine will cycle on and off until all trace vapors are removed and the system stays in a vacuum for a predetermined time. Completion of this process is sometimes indicated by a visual or audio signal from the recovery machine.
  
  
• 4). Close the valves on the service hoses and remove them from the car once evacuation is complete. The system is now safe to disassemble for repair. The recovered refrigerant can be put back into the system from which it was removed, but any other use requires recycling. Recycling purifies the refrigerant by removing foreign gases and liquids. Strict adherence to rules and regulations pertaining to automotive waste affords a safer and cleaner environment for all living things. Be responsible.