AC not cold and A/C not working in your car or van in London Ontario and you need a freon or refrigerant recharge or top up

Here we are in the spring quickly heading into the summer season again and you no sooner just got a chance to roll your windows down and not get a blast of cold air but now want to put them back up and turn on your air conditioning to keep you cool . I find that this is when a lot of people notice that it is not as cold as it was last year or not cool at all . I also hear that some people lost their cool at some point last season and just toughed it out but if you remember the humidity lasted quite a long way into fall the last couple of years so that can be a bit unbearable .
I think air conditioning in cars is a bit mystifying to some people so I would like to clear it up here to help . The first thing a car owner needs to know is that the lack of cold air may be able to be resolved really quickly with a proper recharge . A lot of times in London Ontario where we get really cold winters the air conditioning systems tend to seep the light gases by the rubber seals at line and component connections in subzero temperatures but the bright side is that once it warms up like now they can seal up and become more flexible and the lost “freon ” (which by the way is a frequently used term but really isn’t used as a refrigerant any more as the new gas most common is134a ) will seal up and hold the recharge . This can be done within an hour and at my shop we have done this since 1972 . There may be an obstacle in this process that is where the explainingi now comes in . In order to fill or recharge a system you do not want to put good gas into a blatantly leaking system both for the waste factor and also for the environmental issues it causes so the first test we provide is a leak test . The system should be able to hold 250 psi of a test gas for a safe period of time and this test is performed to ensure that . Once the system is tested for the ability to hold pressure then it is necessary to see that at least the minor electrical is capable of turning on the compressor ( the inability to do that is tested first at a related fuse . So here we go we now move foreword and we can charge the system , but wait this is an important point . The system if really low or if any air ( moisture got in it ) should really be evacuated , vacuumed and then recharged for its ability to be the coldest – so please ask if this isn’t being offered to you . This step can make a difference in successfully providing the coldest of air and I might add is not even considered when buying a red tek kit from parts source or Canadian Tire and that is why some of those do it yourself kits don’t pan out for some people . If your system is leaking and is not rechargeable then the component can be found and replaced , sealed , evacuated , recharged and even a dye can be put in with the lubricating oil to help find future leaks . We call the leak detection with dye a UV detection and the dye glows brightly where the leak is and you can see it with special glasses and the special light tool .
I will finish up here with a really simple explanation .
Think of a bicycle tire on your bike hanging in the garage all winter . Think about the spring and having to air it up before you ride . The ac system is like that but a more costly product gets put in and a special licence is needed to do it too .
Just call Ricky Ratchets Auto Repair for your vehicle to be tested . The regular cost for a minor inspection is $ 98.50 and if you say you read this blog then ask for 20.00 off your inspection when you first come in . 140 Clarke road London Ontario .