:: How often should a vehicle conditioning system be serviced?

:: What happens if a system is not regularly serviced?

:: Is there anything I can do to keep the air conditioner working?

:: How does air conditioning work?

:: Air conditioner advice.

:: How often should a vehicle conditioning system be serviced?

Your air conditioning system should be inspected every 3 months, 15,000 miles or 375 hours whichever comes first. This quarterly check should include a check of refrigerant quantity, pressure and temperature, checking refrigerant hoses, drive belts and wiring harnesses and changing pollen filters.

We strongly recommend that a full service is carried out every year at the beginning of the season before our Texas heat kicks in.

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:: What happens if a system is not regularly serviced?

If an air conditioning system is not serviced, a build-up of moisture will occur. The built-in filter (receiver-drier or accumulator), is designed to store any moisture and contamination present in the system. If the filter is not changed then its element will eventually break down and cause internal damage to the air conditioning system.

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:: Is there anything I can do to keep the air conditioner working?

On a modern vehicle, the best advice is to run the air conditioning continuously. Modern systems are efficient and will not add greatly to the fuel consumption. Continuous running ensures that the refrigerant and oil are circulated throughout the system, keeping the seals lubricated and preventing microbe build-up on the evaporator.

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:: How does air conditioning work?

Basically, air conditioning systems operate on the principles of evaporation and condensation.

Here's how an air conditioning system and its components work.

Step One: The compressor is the power unit of the A/C system. It is powered by a drive belt connected to the engine's crankshaft. When the A/C system is turned on, the compressor pumps out refrigerant vapor under high pressure and high heat to the condenser.

Step Two: The condenser is a device used to change the high-pressure refrigerant vapor to a liquid. It is mounted ahead of the engine's radiator, and it looks very similar to a radiator with its parallel tubing and tiny cooling fins. If you look through the grill of a machine and see what you think is a radiator, it is most likely the condenser. As the machine moves, air flowing through the condenser removes heat from the refrigerant, changing it to a liquid state.

Step Three: Refrigerant moves to the receiver-drier. This is the storage tank for the liquid refrigerant. It also removes moisture from the refrigerant. Moisture in the system can freeze and then act similarly to cholesterol in the human blood stream, causing blockage.

Step Four: As the compressor continues to pressurize the system, liquid refrigerant under high pressure is circulated from the receiver-drier to the thermostatic expansion valve. The valve removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant so that it can expand and become refrigerant vapor in the evaporator.

Step Five: The evaporator is very similar to the condenser. It consists of tubes and fins and is usually mounted inside the passenger compartment. As the cold low-pressure refrigerant is released into the evaporator, it vaporizes and absorbs heat from the air in the passenger compartment. As the heat is absorbed, cool air will be available for the occupants of the vehicle. A blower fan inside the passenger compartment helps to distribute the cooler air.