Some truck drivers may be wondering whether they should use the DIY refrigerant recharge kits available on the market. Such kits may seem to offer an affordable way to keep the AC functioning when a truck driver is one the road. However, such DIY kits have some distinct disadvantages. This article discusses some of them.
Mixing Refrigerant Types is Risky
Many kinds of auto AC refrigerants exist on the market. Truck drivers may not have the tools to identify the specific type of refrigerant that is in their particular AC system. Consequently, there is a risk that you may buy a DIY refrigerant kit that contains a different gas from the one that is in your truck. Such an error can cause the different gases to mix and react. Those reactions may cause some components of the AC of your truck, such as the compressor, to fail.
The Kits Don't Remove Old Refrigerant
Another reason why you should refrain from using DIY refrigerant refill kits is that those kits do not discharge the old refrigerant before charging the system with the new refrigerant. Adding new refrigerant to the old refrigerant is like adding new engine oil in your truck without draining out the old contaminated or degraded oil. The contaminants in the old refrigerant will compromise the quality of the new refrigerant that you have just added. The result of such mixing of the old and the new refrigerants is that the AC system of your truck will be more likely to fail over time.
Underlying Issues Remain
DIY refrigerant recharge kits do not solve the primary reason why your truck is low on refrigerant. For instance, there may be a leak in one of the refrigerant lines. Topping up the refrigerant will not fix the leak. Consequently, the AC system of your truck may continue to operate inefficiently because you did not solve the problem that created the need to refill the refrigerant in the system.
As you can see, using a manual kit to refill the refrigerant in the air conditioning system only provides a temporary solution to a problem. Temporary solutions can be very costly in the end if they keep being repeated. It is much better to take your truck to a truck mechanic when you suspect that it has developed a problem. That professional will diagnose the problem and decide the best way to deal with that problem for good.
